School safety mapping laws & grants in Kentucky

Yes. Kentucky's 2024 Senate Bill 2 (KRS 158.4433) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program requiring standardized, walk-through-verified, true-north digital floor plans, interoperable with first-responder software and shared free, with the law effective since July 15, 2024.

Kentucky's 2024 Senate Bill 2 (KRS 158.4433) created a statewide School Mapping Data Program, run by the Center for School Safety, requiring standardized, true-north, gridded, walk-through-verified digital floor plans and aerial imagery (with labeled rooms, doors, hazards, AEDs, etc.) that are interoperable with public-safety software and shared free with first responders. It is a clear mandate/framework, though statewide rollout depends on funding, which the legislature was still addressing in the 2026 session.^[1]

Why Kentucky schools need this now

Kentucky already requires this: KRS 158.4433 set a true-north, gridded, walk-through-verified standard across all 1,477 public schools, and the legislature was still working the funding in its 2026 session. Districts that move while dollars are being allocated get accurate data into responders' hands first, rather than queuing behind 171 districts for a funds-dependent statewide rollout. The mandate is live; only the money is catching up.

What Kentucky law requires

What schools must provide: Establishes the statewide School Mapping Data Program, administered by the Kentucky Center for School Safety, to develop a single verified source of standardized school mapping data for each participating public, public charter, and (on request) private school. 'School mapping data' is electronic/digital mapping information to assist first responders. Per KRS 158.4433(3), the data must: (a) be compatible with software platforms used by local, county, state, and federal public safety agencies serving the school, with no additional software purchase or fee to view/access; (b) be compatible with the school's/district's own security software platforms at no added cost; (c) be in a printable format and, on request, a digital file format that integrates into interactive mobile platforms; (d) be verified for accuracy by a walk-through of buildings and grounds; (e) be oriented to true north; (f) include accurate floor plans overlaid on current verified aerial imagery; (g) carry site-specific labeling matching building structure (room labels; hallway names/identifiers; external door or stairwell numbers; locations of hazards; critical utility locations; key boxes; AEDs; trauma kits); (h) carry site-specific labeling of grounds (parking areas; athletic fields; surrounding roads; neighboring properties); (i) be overlaid with a gridded coordinate system; (j) not be modified independently without corresponding updates within the public-safety-agency platforms; and (k) be provided to public safety agencies and participating schools/districts perpetually and at no cost. Under KRS 158.4433(2)(b), the Center provides the data to the state school security marshal, participating schools and districts, and local law enforcement and public safety agencies for emergency response and for drills required under KRS 158.162(5); the data is exempted from open-records disclosure (KRS 61.870-61.884).^[1]

Grants that help Kentucky 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.

Kentucky state programs

Federal programs (available nationwide)

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

From paper plans to a map responders can actually use

KRS 158.4433 sets a long checklist: labeled rooms, doors, hazards, utilities, AEDs and trauma kits, gridded and oriented to true north, viewable inside public-safety platforms at no added fee. Ark captures all of it in one LiDAR and drone scan, then keeps the live 3D twin synced so school and responder views never drift apart. 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.

Kentucky school safety, answered

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.

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. Kentucky Legislature - KRS 158.4433 (Legislative Research Commission) verified 2026-06-23
2. COPS Office - School Violence Prevention Program (official program page) verified 2026-06-23
3. U.S. Department of Education - Project SERV (official program page) verified 2026-06-23

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