Fourteen local schools will receive a combined $4,103,231 in state funds to support programs related to student mental health and school safety.
The awarded amounts are as follows:
Bristol Borough School District: $240,422
Bristol Township School District: $410,042
Central Bucks School District: $721,540
Council Rock School District: $510,470
Morrisville Borough School District: $229,175
New Hope-Solebury School District: $239,821
Pennridge School District: $404,212
Pennsbury School District: $507,549
Bucks County Intermediate Unit 22: $140,000
Bucks County Technical High School: $140,000
Middle Bucks Institute of Technology: $140,000
Upper Bucks County Technical School: $140,000
Bucks County Montessori Charter School: $140,000
Center for Student Learning Charter School at Pennsbury: $140,000.
In an Oct. 12 press release announcing the grants, Sen. Steve Santarsiero, (D-10), said he has been advocating for this funding, in partnership with Sandy Hook Promise, to provide schools across the Commonwealth with the resources necessary to keep children safe and prevent acts of violence in school.
The program is based on Santarsiero’s Senate Bill 1263, the Safety and Violence Education (SAVE) Students Act, which would require schools to implement at least one hour, or a standard class period, per year of suicide prevention training, violence prevention training, and social inclusion training to students in grades 6 through 12. Sandy Hook Promise advocates across the country for this training to be mandatory.
“We really do need to have these programs across the Commonwealth, in every school. I’d like to see a uniform approach spearheaded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, which is why passing SB 1263 is still important,” he said.
Information about the School Mental Health and Safety and Security Grant funds can be found at pccd.pa.gov/schoolsafety/.
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