Lawmakers announce Safe School Grants for Greene, Washington counties
Seven school districts in Greene and Washington counties will share in more than $155,000 in Safe Schools Initiative Targeted Grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, according to state Sen. Timothy Solobay (D-Washington) and Reps. Brandon Neuman (D-Washington) and Pam Snyder (D-Greene).
“I am very pleased that the grants were approved for these districts and that are taking the initiative to develop anti-violence programs,” Solobay said. “The schools are working to make sure the classroom environment is safe and conducive to learning.”
The school districts receiving the grants include Central Greene ($25,000), Southeastern Greene ($25,000), and Jefferson-Morgan ($25,000) in Greene County; and Washington ($25,000), Fort Cherry ($25,000), Ringgold ($23,500) and Burgettstown ($6,965) in Washington County.
Safe Schools Initiative Targeted Grants can be used to fund anti-violence programs including conflict management and dispute resolution, peer helpers and risk management in addition to developing student codes of conduct and training.
“Our schools need to be prepared for all situations, and these grants will help assure that our local schools are a safe environment for our children,” Neuman said. “This helps school administrators develop long-term programs that protect our children.”
Snyder said a critical aspect of the grant is that schools have latitude to use it for training to identify at-risk behavior and bullying, and for the purchase of security-related equipment such as metal detectors and lighting.
“As we have seen tragedies in other schools, there is no question that there is a wide-array of safety-related issues that need to be addressed in our schools,” Snyder said.
Solobay, who serves as Democratic chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, said that the grants may also be used to facilitate the development of emergency plans and preparedness drills.