Alabama school safety

School safety mapping laws & grants in Alabama

Yes. Alabama's 2024 School Security Act (SB98) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program inside ALEA, requiring walk-through-verified digital floor plans of every public school, overlaid on aerial imagery and made interoperable with first-responder software at no cost to schools.

Alabama's 2024 School Security Act (SB98) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program inside ALEA that requires accurate, walk-through-verified digital floor plans of every public school (with rooms, doors, utilities, AEDs, trauma kits, grounds and x/y grid) overlaid on aerial imagery, made interoperable with first-responder and school security software at no cost to schools or agencies.[1]

Why this matters in Alabama

Why Alabama schools need this now

Alabama already decided this matters: with 1,524 public schools across 156 districts and the state's January 2026 mapping contracts already funded, the only open question is whether your campus is captured as a flat file or a live 3D twin a responder can move through. SB98 makes the data free to schools, so the cost of leading is essentially zero, and when seconds decide outcomes, an officer arriving at an unfamiliar building should not be reading a 2D plan.

The mandate

What Alabama law requires

Law
Alabama School Security Act (Senate Bill 98, 2024 Regular Session)[1]
Statute
Ala. SB98 (2024 RS), Section 4 (School Mapping Data Program within ALEA); related new duties under Title 16, Chapter 1 (school emergency operations plans, Ala. Code 16-1-44); effective Oct 1, 2024[1]
Compliance
Act effective October 1, 2024 (Section 7). The mapping program is implemented as funds are appropriated and via ALEA rulemaking; ALEA contracted statewide mapping production (GeoComm) in January 2026. The statute sets no single per-school district compliance date; updates are completed as ALEA deems necessary in consultation with the State Board of Education and the applicable local board (Section 4(b)(2)).[1]

What schools must provide: Establishes a School Mapping Data Program within the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), which collaborates with local boards of education to produce accurate digital mapping data for every public K-12 school (subject to appropriation). Section 4(b)(1) requires the data to include accurate floor plans of each school overlaid on current, verified aerial imagery of the campus and to: (a) be oriented true north; (b) be verified by a walk-through of school buildings and grounds; (c) contain site-specific labeling matching the building structure, including room labels, hallway names, external door/stairwell numbers, and locations of hazards, critical utility locations, key boxes, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and trauma kits; (d) contain site-specific labeling of school grounds, including parking areas, athletic fields, surrounding roads, and neighboring properties; and (e) be overlaid with gridded x and y coordinates. Data must be compatible with the software platforms used by local, county, state, and federal public-safety agencies that serve the school, and compatible with the school's own security software platform (Section 4(d)(1)). It must be available in printable format and, on request, in a digital format integratable into interactive mobile platforms (Section 4(d)(2)). Mapping data is provided to each local board of education, local law enforcement agency, and public-safety agency for emergency response (Section 4(c)). Section 4(e) bars requiring any entity (law enforcement, local board, or public-safety agency) to purchase additional software or pay a fee to view or access the data.[1]

Funding

Grants that help Alabama schools pay for it

Districts often combine state and federal programs to fund first-responder mapping, AI threat detection, and emergency communications. We list only currently open or recurring programs; amounts and deadlines change, so confirm each at its official source before applying.

Alabama state programs

Statewide School Mapping Data Program (ALEA-administered, state-funded mapping contracts)Annual
Funding Funded by the state at no cost to districts. Jan 2026 contracts total $6.48M: GeoComm Inc. $4.19M (GIS digital campus maps) + SchoolDogs Solutions Inc. $2.29M (web-based safety platform). Statute (Section 4(e)) bars charging schools/agencies any fee to access mapping data.
All Alabama public K-12 schools; mapping data is produced by ALEA in collaboration with local boards of education and shared with local boards, law enforcement, and public-safety agencies.
Recurring program, confirm the current cycle at the source[2]
School Security and Fire Safety Fund (grants to local boards of education)Formula
Funding Not fixed in statute. Funded only in amounts appropriated by the Legislature in the general or other appropriations act (Section 3(e)(5)). No per-grant cap is set in SB98.
Local boards of education, to assist with complying with the school security criteria established under the Act and with fire-safety recommendations of the State Fire Marshal. The State Board of Education prioritizes schools with the most need based on the school security inspection rubric rating and completion of a facilities assessment through the regional school safety training program.
Recurring program, confirm the current cycle at the source[1]

Federal programs (available nationwide)

COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP)Annual
Funding FY26: up to $73,000,000 total available, awarded over a 3-year (36-month) period with at least a 25% local cash match required (waiver possible) and approximately $1,000,000 reserved for microgrants of up to $100,000 for rural, tribal, and low-resourced school districts. Confirm the current per-award cap directly on the official COPS SVPP program page before applying, as the FY26 figure is being finalized.
Coordination with law enforcement; training for school personnel and local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence against others and self; placement/use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures; acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency; other Director-approved security improvements at K-12 schools and on school grounds. (This is the COPS-administered arm of the STOP School Violence Act of 2018, focused on security equipment/technology and training.) (U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office))
Deadline: FY26: Grants.gov SF-424 by Aug 4, 2026 4:59 PM ET; JustGrants by Aug 11, 2026 4:59 PM ET. Annual competitive cycle (typically opens spring/summer each fiscal year).Listing: 16.710[3]
Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence)Rolling
Funding Two tiers, both at Secretary's discretion (subject to appropriations) sized to the incident: Immediate Services (emergency short-term assistance) and Extended Services (longer recovery). No fixed published cap on the official ed.gov page; funding amounts and project periods are established case-by-case to reflect the scope of the incident and recovery needs.
Short-term education-related services to help schools/campuses recover from and respond to a violent or traumatic event and restore the learning environment (e.g., mental health/counseling support, security and safety measures during recovery, substitute staffing, overtime, communication). Qualifying events: school shootings, suicide clusters, terrorism, natural disasters, school bus accidents, student homicides, hate crimes (non-exhaustive). (U.S. Department of Education - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Safe and Supportive Schools)
Recurring program, confirm the current cycle at the sourceListing: 84.184S[4]

See full details on each federal funding program, including eligibility, deadlines, and how each can apply to responder-ready mapping.

How schools comply

From paper plans to a map responders can actually use

The state already funds the mapping itself: SB98 bars charging any district or agency a fee to access the data, and ALEA approved production contracts in January 2026. A single-day LiDAR and drone scan delivers a live 3D digital twin that meets the true-north, gridded, fully-labeled standard the statute demands. Static PDFs go stale the moment a building changes, and they cannot be shared live with arriving units.

Ark Strategic builds a live 3D digital twin of a campus from a LiDAR and drone scan, often completed in a single day though larger campuses can take longer, with every room, exit, utility shutoff, AED, and access point labeled. Responders reach it two ways, neither of which requires anything new to install: through RapidSOS, the platform already connected to the vast majority of US 911 centers, or in any web browser, since the twin runs in the cloud. Either way, your 911 center and on-scene units see the campus inside tools they already have.

A flat floor plan tells responders where the walls are. A digital twin shows them where to go. The platform and setup are bundled into one deployment, often grant-funded, so there is no separate software line item for the district. See how the K-12 platform works.

FAQ

Alabama school safety, answered

Does Alabama require school safety mapping?
Yes. Alabama's 2024 School Security Act (SB98) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program inside ALEA, requiring walk-through-verified digital floor plans of every public school, overlaid on aerial imagery and made interoperable with first-responder software at no cost to schools. Alabama's 2024 School Security Act (SB98) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program inside ALEA that requires accurate, walk-through-verified digital floor plans of every public school (with rooms, doors, utilities, AEDs, trauma kits, grounds and x/y grid) overlaid on aerial imagery, made interoperable with first-responder and school security software at no cost to schools or agencies.
What does Alabama School Security Act (Senate Bill 98, 2024 Regular Session) require?
Establishes a School Mapping Data Program within the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), which collaborates with local boards of education to produce accurate digital mapping data for every public K-12 school (subject to appropriation). Section 4(b)(1) requires the data to include accurate floor plans of each school overlaid on current, verified aerial imagery of the campus and to: (a) be oriented true north; (b) be verified by a walk-through of school buildings and grounds; (c) contain site-specific labeling matching the building structure, including room labels, hallway names, external door/stairwell numbers, and locations of hazards, critical utility locations, key boxes, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and trauma kits; (d) contain site-specific labeling of school grounds, including parking areas, athletic fields, surrounding roads, and neighboring properties; and (e) be overlaid with gridded x and y coordinates. Data must be compatible with the software platforms used by local, county, state, and federal public-safety agencies that serve the school, and compatible with the school's own security software platform (Section 4(d)(1)). It must be available in printable format and, on request, in a digital format integratable into interactive mobile platforms (Section 4(d)(2)). Mapping data is provided to each local board of education, local law enforcement agency, and public-safety agency for emergency response (Section 4(c)). Section 4(e) bars requiring any entity (law enforcement, local board, or public-safety agency) to purchase additional software or pay a fee to view or access the data.
When must Alabama schools comply?
Act effective October 1, 2024 (Section 7). The mapping program is implemented as funds are appropriated and via ALEA rulemaking; ALEA contracted statewide mapping production (GeoComm) in January 2026. The statute sets no single per-school district compliance date; updates are completed as ALEA deems necessary in consultation with the State Board of Education and the applicable local board (Section 4(b)(2)). Alabama School Security Act (Senate Bill 98, 2024 Regular Session). Districts should confirm current timelines with their state education agency.
What grants help Alabama schools pay for safety mapping?
Alabama districts may be eligible for programs including Statewide School Mapping Data Program (ALEA-administered, state-funded mapping contracts), School Security and Fire Safety Fund (grants to local boards of education), COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP), Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence). Eligibility, amounts, and deadlines vary by program and should be confirmed at each program's official source.
What is critical incident mapping?
Critical incident mapping is the practice of giving first responders accurate, current digital maps of a building, with rooms, exits, utility shutoffs, AEDs, and access points labeled and shareable in real time, so police, fire, and EMS can navigate an unfamiliar campus during an emergency.

New to the terms? See the school safety mapping glossary for plain-language, sourced definitions, or the national FAQ for the questions districts ask most.

Sources

Every claim, cited

We do not ask you to take our word for any of this. Each numbered citation above links to its primary government source below, with the date we last verified it. Programs and deadlines change, so confirm current rules at the source. How we verify.

  1. Alabama Legislature (ALISON) - SB98 Enrolled (2024 Regular Session) verified 2026-06-23
  2. Alabama Reporter - 'Alabama approves $6.48 million in school safety mapping, software contracts' (Jan 9, 2026) verified 2026-06-23
  3. COPS Office - School Violence Prevention Program (official program page) verified 2026-06-23
  4. U.S. Department of Education - Project SERV (official program page) verified 2026-06-23
Compare across state lines

Neighboring states

School safety mapping varies by state line. See where the states next door stand.

See how the rest of the South region compares on school safety mapping.

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