Harrisburg – Senator John DiSanto (Dauphin/Perry) today announced the approval of competitively awarded school safety and community violence reduction grants for the 15th Senatorial District.
School safety grants were awarded today to the following area school districts:
- Halifax Area School District ($34,000)
- Lower Dauphin School District ($24,750)
- Newport School District ($31,883)
- Susquenita School District ($224,069)
- Upper Dauphin Area School District ($77,760)
- West Perry School District ($46,308)
- Williams Valley School District ($225,000)
The grants were awarded by the School Safety and Security Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) as part of the School Safety and Security Grant Program, which was created by lawmakers in 2018.
“I supported the establishment of this grant program because each school district has different security needs depending on their circumstances and their buildings, and any assistance must recognize that,” said DiSanto. “These grants will help ensure a safe learning environment for students, teachers and staff.”
Eligible uses for the grants include hiring school security officers, purchasing security-related technology, completing safety and security assessments, implementing violence prevention curricula, offering counseling services for students, and creating other programs to protect students.
Every school district in the state that submitted a meritorious application was awarded a $25,000 grant last October to improve school safety. The grants announced this week were awarded on a competitive basis to schools that were seeking additional funding beyond the original grant.
In addition, a total of $7.5 million in grants were also awarded statewide for community violence reduction initiatives. Locally, the Community Action Commission of Harrisburg was awarded $346,749 to reduce violence and improve safety for middle school students in the Camp Curtain (Uptown) neighborhood.
The Commission sought the grant to address community violence and school safety by: identifying and eradicating crime hotspots and blight via improvements to the physical environment; addressing the need for transformative trauma-informed educational practices and preventive mental health services in the public schools; and mobilizing community coalitions of parents and youth to work together on solutions for crime hotspots.
CONTACT: Chuck Erdman cerdman@pasen.gov (717) 787-6801