Most Somerset County school districts received awards from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC), which approved $47 million statewide for competitive safety and security grants schools to improve safety and mental health. health support for students and staff.
The funds will further SSSC’s goal of ensuring that all Pennsylvania students can learn in safe and healthy school environments by helping school entities meet the basic safety needs and mental health services identified in the Revised Core Criteria Standards recently adopted by the committee.
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“We appreciate the availability of these funds and the recognition our state has given to the new needs in our buildings,” Conemaugh County Superintendent Nicole Dull said in an email. “The funds help us as we implement programs and supports to ensure campus safety and mental health support, two items that have been brought to the forefront in recent years. The challenges we face as an educational institution continue to grow and these positions/ programs impact students, faculty, staff and the community in many ways.”
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Awards for the 2023-24 fiscal year are divided into:
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Berlin Brothersvalley: Meritorious Award, $30,000; Mental Health Award, $108,953; Total School Safety Award, $138,953.
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Conemaugh Township: Meritorious Award, $30,000; Mental Health Award, $111,232; Total School Safety Award, $141,232.
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Meyersdale Area: Meritorious Award, $30,000; Mental Health Award; $109,779; Total School Safety Award $139,779.
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North Star: Meritorious Award, $30,000; Mental Health Award, $112,689; Total School Safety Award, $142,689.
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Rockwood Area: Meritorious Award, $30,000; Mental Health Award, $108,137; Total School Safety Award, $138,137.
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Salisbury-Elk Lick: Meritorious Award, $30,000; Mental Health Award, $103,314; Total School Safety Award, $133,314.
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Shade-Central City: Meritorious Award, $30,000; Mental Health Award, $104,465; Total School Safety Award, $134,465.
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Shanksville-Stonycreek: Meritorious Award, $30,000, Mental Health Award, $103,398; Total School Safety Award, $133,398.
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Somerset Area: Meritorious Award, $35,000, Mental Health Award, $125,121; Competitive Prize, $432,470; Total School Safety Award for FY 23-24, $592,591.
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Somerset County Technology Center Career and Technical Center: Mental Health Award, $70,000; Total School Safety Award, $70,000.
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Turkeyfoot Valley Area: Meritorious Award, $30,000; Mental Health Award, $103,427; Total School Safety Award, $133,427.
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Windber Area: Meritorious Award, $35,000; Mental Health Award, $115,552; Total School Safety Award, $150,552.
Dull said Conemaugh Township will utilize the grant funds in the following ways:
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$30,000 School Safety Award: Helps partially fund the employment of a school police officer in the district.
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Mental Health Award $111,232: Help partially fund two full-time mental health clinicians in the district through REACH, https://www.reachschoolmentalhealth.com/
“Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District considers the safety and well-being of our children to be our top priority. Therefore, when the opportunity arose to obtain additional funding for safety and support programs, the district reached out for the funding,” he said. Nicole Dice, Turkeyfoot. Valley School District Superintendent, via email. “The district plans to use the funds to provide support services to the district’s children through behavioral health services, emotional support programs, counseling, school safety and social skills programs. Our goal is to put every dollar of the funding into direct support safety and our children to improve and maintain positive mental and behavioral health throughout the district.”
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The awards complete the $155 million school safety grant program package appropriated in the bipartisan 2023-24 budget and issued by the SSSC in January.
These awards are part of the $155 million 2023-24 budget package that supports improved safety and security and mental health support for students and staff in Pennsylvania’s public and private K-12 schools.
“As a parent, I understand how much Pennsylvania parents care about keeping their children safe at school and healthy in body and mind,” said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, president of PCCD and SSSC, in a press release . “Our children are facing many pressures and our schools are dealing with significant challenges. The Shapiro-Davis Administration is committed to ensuring our schools have the resources they need to keep their facilities safe from threats and provide the mental health services and supports our children need.”
Madolin Edwards can be reached at medwards@dailyamerican.com.
This article originally appeared in The Daily American: County districts receive about $47 million in school safety grants
