LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A nearly $646,000 federal grant will pay for research into how law enforcement works with rural schools across Nebraska on safety and emergency preparedness.

The research will be led by the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, working with the Nebraska Department of Education.

Researchers will use Education Department data, crime statistics, census data and survey results from law enforcement and personnel from more than 150 Nebraska schools to examine strategies being used and develop ways to increase engagement and safety.

Mario Scalora is director of the Public Policy Center, and he says rural schools face many of the same safety issues as their urban and suburban counterparts but with fewer resources.