Enumclaw, White River and Carbonado are among 80 Washington school districts who will share nearly $7 million in grant money, all aimed at installing emergency response systems.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction announced the monetary awards last week. A press release issued by OSPI noted the new systems will decrease the time it takes for police and other first responders to arrive and react to incidents at schools.

Enumclaw is to receive $28,000 for eight projects; White River will get $29,370 for three projects; and Carbonado will receive $5,449 for its one project.

“Student safety is a top priority,” State Superintendent Randy Dorn said. “We’ve all seen school tragedies play out across the country. While these projects won’t eliminate safety risks at our schools, they will help us be better prepared. Many of the emergency response systems funded by these grants are first-of-their-kind.”

These grants were the result of Senate Bill 5197, passed in 2013. The intent of the bill was to encourage school districts to develop new emergency response systems using evolving technology.