North Carolina school safety

School safety mapping laws & grants in North Carolina

Yes. Every North Carolina public school unit must give local law enforcement and the state Division of Emergency Management digital schematic diagrams and emergency response information, which feed the statewide SERA platform responders rely on (G.S. 115C-105.53 and 115C-105.54).

North Carolina law requires every public school unit to give local law enforcement and the state Division of Emergency Management digital schematic diagrams (floor plans) and emergency response information for the School Risk Management Plan, which feeds the statewide State Emergency Response Application (SERA) used by first responders. Diagrams must be kept updated and are exempt from public-records disclosure.[1]

Why this matters in North Carolina

Why North Carolina schools need this now

North Carolina's mandate is never finished: every building change resets the obligation to refresh the digital diagrams feeding SERA, and static drawings drift out of date the moment a door or wall moves. With the School Safety Grants Program oversubscribed last cycle at $86.8 million requested against $35 million awarded, the districts that deploy an always-current twin now both satisfy the statute and compete strongest for limited funds.

The mandate

What North Carolina law requires

Law
North Carolina School Risk Management Plan statutes (Article 8C, School Risk and Response Management System) - codified via S.L. 2018-5 / S.L. 2019-222 and predecessors[2]
Statute
N.C. Gen. Stat. 115C-105.53 and 115C-105.54 (Chapter 115C, Article 8C)[1]
Compliance
No single statewide deadline date specified in statute; the obligation is ongoing/continuous - public school units must provide diagrams and emergency response information and must provide updates whenever substantial building modifications or access-control changes are made.[1]

What schools must provide: Two complementary requirements. (1) G.S. 115C-105.53: Each public school unit must provide local law enforcement agencies with schematic diagrams, INCLUDING DIGITAL schematic diagrams, of all school buildings, plus either keys to main entrances or emergency access to key-storage devices such as KNOX boxes; updated diagrams must be provided when substantial modifications (new facilities, changes to doors/windows) are made. (2) G.S. 115C-105.54: Each public school unit must provide the Division of Emergency Management (Dept. of Public Safety) with (i) schematic diagrams, including digital schematic diagrams, and (ii) emergency response information requested by the Division for the School Risk Management Plan (SRMP), with updates when made. The Division securely stores and distributes the diagrams/info to first responders, emergency personnel, and school personnel as provided in the SRMP and approved by DPI. The data is collected statewide into the State Emergency Response Application (SERA), which gives law enforcement, emergency managers and first responders access to school floorplans and critical building-asset data. Diagrams and emergency response information are exempt from public-records disclosure under G.S. 132-1 and 132-6.[1]

Funding

Grants that help North Carolina 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.

North Carolina state programs

North Carolina School Safety Grants Program (administered by the NC DPI Center for Safer Schools)Annual
Funding $35 million awarded in the 2023-24 (FY24) cycle; more than $150 million awarded cumulatively since 2018. Demand exceeded supply: school units requested over $86.8 million in the cycle. Individual award amounts vary by applicant (one district received ~$700,000).
North Carolina public school units - traditional public school districts (LEAs), charter schools, lab schools, and regional schools - apply through the Center for Safer Schools / Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Recurring program, confirm the current cycle at the source[3]

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[4]
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[5]

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

North Carolina's requirement is continuous: diagrams must be digital, kept current, and updated whenever a building changes. Ark's single-day LiDAR scan produces a live 3D twin that stays accurate as your campus evolves, feeds the digital schematic data the SERA system expects, and is frequently covered by the state's School Safety Grants Program rather than a separate software line item. 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

North Carolina school safety, answered

Does North Carolina require school safety mapping?
Yes. Every North Carolina public school unit must give local law enforcement and the state Division of Emergency Management digital schematic diagrams and emergency response information, which feed the statewide SERA platform responders rely on (G.S. 115C-105.53 and 115C-105.54). North Carolina law requires every public school unit to give local law enforcement and the state Division of Emergency Management digital schematic diagrams (floor plans) and emergency response information for the School Risk Management Plan, which feeds the statewide State Emergency Response Application (SERA) used by first responders. Diagrams must be kept updated and are exempt from public-records disclosure.
What does North Carolina School Risk Management Plan statutes (Article 8C, School Risk and Response Management System) - codified via S.L. 2018-5 / S.L. 2019-222 and predecessors require?
Two complementary requirements. (1) G.S. 115C-105.53: Each public school unit must provide local law enforcement agencies with schematic diagrams, INCLUDING DIGITAL schematic diagrams, of all school buildings, plus either keys to main entrances or emergency access to key-storage devices such as KNOX boxes; updated diagrams must be provided when substantial modifications (new facilities, changes to doors/windows) are made. (2) G.S. 115C-105.54: Each public school unit must provide the Division of Emergency Management (Dept. of Public Safety) with (i) schematic diagrams, including digital schematic diagrams, and (ii) emergency response information requested by the Division for the School Risk Management Plan (SRMP), with updates when made. The Division securely stores and distributes the diagrams/info to first responders, emergency personnel, and school personnel as provided in the SRMP and approved by DPI. The data is collected statewide into the State Emergency Response Application (SERA), which gives law enforcement, emergency managers and first responders access to school floorplans and critical building-asset data. Diagrams and emergency response information are exempt from public-records disclosure under G.S. 132-1 and 132-6.
When must North Carolina schools comply?
No single statewide deadline date specified in statute; the obligation is ongoing/continuous - public school units must provide diagrams and emergency response information and must provide updates whenever substantial building modifications or access-control changes are made. North Carolina School Risk Management Plan statutes (Article 8C, School Risk and Response Management System) - codified via S.L. 2018-5 / S.L. 2019-222 and predecessors. Districts should confirm current timelines with their state education agency.
What grants help North Carolina schools pay for safety mapping?
North Carolina districts may be eligible for programs including North Carolina School Safety Grants Program (administered by the NC DPI Center for Safer Schools), 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. North Carolina General Assembly - N.C. Gen. Stat. 115C-105.53 (Enacted Legislation) verified 2026-06-23
  2. North Carolina General Assembly - N.C. Gen. Stat. 115C-105.53 (Enacted Legislation) verified 2026-06-23
  3. NC Department of Public Instruction - Center for Safer Schools (press release, 2024-01-24) verified 2026-06-23
  4. COPS Office - School Violence Prevention Program (official program page) verified 2026-06-23
  5. 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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