Deasy: $1 million coming for school safety improvements
Local grants part of $5.5 million-plus awarded to county schools, orgs
Rep. Dan Deasy February 26, 2020 | 5:25 PM
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 26 - State Rep. Dan Deasy announced that the Pittsburgh, Sto-Rox and Keystone Oaks school districts were selected to receive a total of $999,578 in safety grants, part of more than $5.5 million awarded to Allegheny County schools and organizations.
“Providing our kids and their teachers a safe environment to learn in is fundamental,” Deasy said. “These grants, along with other initiatives outside the classroom, will work together to better avoid a tragedy in our schools. I’ll continue to fight in Harrisburg for school resources like these, and other community investments we desperately need.”
The $929,578 grant for Pittsburgh public schools will help fund training programs, security planning and equipment purchases, guidance counselors and social workers and trauma-informed approaches to education. Grants of $35,000 each were awarded to Sto-Rox and the Keystone Oaks school districts for security planning and equipment purchases.
Act 44 of 2018 created a School Safety and Security Fund for the purposes of providing funding to school districts for school safety and security concerns and addressing community violence. Today, $60 million was distributed for school safety, including $7.5 million for community anti-violence programs.
The grants are awarded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, which receives hundreds of applications for these awards. Act 44 created the School Safety and Security Committee, which reviews the grants. Funds can be used for a wide variety of items, based on the needs of the entity. These uses can include the purchase of equipment, trainings, programs, counseling services, planning and screenings, and to secure behavioral health care professionals and support.