Legislation enacted by the 2013 General Assembly, HB 2343 and Item 139 C.13. of the 2013 Appropriation Act, created a school security equipment grant program for school divisions and regional programs. The legislation and appropriation act provision authorized $6 million per year in funding for school security equipment grants through five-year equipment notes issued by the Virginia Public School Authority (VPSA), with the debt service paid from the Literary Fund. In subsequent years, program funding was increased to $12 million per year, which was continued by the General Assembly for the 2024-2025 school year, the 12th year of the program.

The purpose of the Public School Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013 is to help school divisions purchase and install security equipment inside their school buildings, including non-structural building modifications for erecting security vestibules, security-related devices located outside of the school building on school property, and security-related devices installed inside school buses to improve and ensure the safety of students attending public schools in Virginia.

School divisions and regional programs apply annually for grants for their individual schools and facilities. School divisions must identify the security equipment for which grant funds are being requested from the approved list found in the application, as well as the estimated costs to purchase and install the security equipment. Applications are evaluated and funding is awarded based on competitive criteria developed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).