Tusky Valley Schools awarded more than $50,000 in state safety grants
ZOARVILLE (Feb. 12, 2026) – The Tuscarawas Valley Local School District has been awarded two state safety grants aimed at improving both student transportation and campus security.
The district received just under $25,000 through the Ohio School Bus Safety Grant Program, which provided funding to 371 schools, districts, and boards of developmental disabilities statewide. Superintendent Derek Varansky said the money will be used to upgrade several safety features on district buses.
“We’ll be using that money to upgrade the stop arms on the buses, adding additional cameras, the school bus signs will be illuminated, and then what they call ground wash light,” Varansky explained. “When the bus is making a stop and its reds are on and its doors are open, the lights shine out from underneath to illuminate the entire area around it.”
In addition to transportation upgrades, the district was awarded a separate $30,000 school safety grant designated for improvements inside school buildings. Varansky noted that the details of those upgrades will not be made public.
“One was $30,000. I can’t share many of those details because that money will be used for some part of our school safety initiatives here in the district which are confidential,” he said.