Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way also Receives Violence Prevention Funds
HARRISBURG – Two school safety grants totaling $856,721 were awarded today to Lewisburg Area School District and Mifflinburg Area School District, according to Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23).
Lewisburg School District will receive $371,721.00 and Mifflinburg School District will receive $485,000.00.
“No parent, teacher or student should have to worry if they are going to get home safely from school each day,” Sen. Yaw said. “Protecting our schools is paramount, and that is why I am happy to support this grant funding.”
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.
Additionally, the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way will receive up to $19,500 in Community Violence Prevention/Reduction funds to improve available services to children and families that have experienced traumatic stress by bringing a tiered approach of trauma informed continuum of care. Through this initiative, Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way will implement ARC (Attachment, Regulation and Competency, Parents as Teachers (PAT), as well as Afterschool programming.
A total of approximately $53.7 million was awarded for 524 projects throughout the state in the current round of funding. PCCD received a total of 970 applications totaling $134.5 million for school safety projects in the current Fiscal Year.
In spite of the popularity and importance of the program, Governor Wolf’s 2020-21 budget proposed to cut $45 million from the program next year — a 75-percent reduction. Senate Republicans have made restoring this funding a top priority in budget negotiations.
CONTACT:
Rita Zielonis (Sen. Yaw)
(717) 787-3280