Lancaster County Schools Receive School Safety Grants

HARRISBURG – School safety grants totaling more than a million dollars were awarded today to eight school districts and entities that serve Lancaster County students, according to Senators Scott Martin (R-13) and Ryan Aument (R-36).

School districts and other entities that were awarded grants include:

  • Columbia Borough School District.
  • Conestoga Valley School District.
  • Conrad Weiser Area School District.
  • Ephrata Area School District.
  • Lampeter-Strasburg School District.
  • Manheim Township School District.
  • Solanco School District.
  • Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13.

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.

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.

A total of approximately $40 million was awarded for 234 projects throughout the state in the current round of funding. In total, the School Safety and Security Grant Program will provide $52.5 million in school safety grants and $7.5 million in community violence prevention grants in the current Fiscal Year.

“When a child’s sense of safety is compromised, it clouds their ability to learn, forcing students, teachers, and parents alike to become preoccupied with something other than the child’s education,” Aument said. “I am pleased that these Lancaster County schools were chosen to receive critical funds to help build up their safety and security measures, allowing schools to refocus their attention on what matters most:  Providing a quality education to Pennsylvania children.”

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 today were awarded on a competitive basis to schools that were seeking additional funding beyond the original grant.

“These are important investments in the safety of young people, teachers and school personnel,” Martin said. “Ideally, we would have liked to see every school district in Lancaster County receive additional school funding, but we are grateful that a number of local schools received grants based on their security needs.”

PCCD received a total of 638 applications totaling $177.6 million for school safety projects in the current Fiscal Year.

A total of $7.5 million in grants were also awarded for community violence prevention initiatives.

CONTACT:

Terry Trego (717) 787-6535 (Senator Martin)
Ryan Boop (717) 787-4420 (Senator Aument)

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