IU1 receives Safe Schools grant
State Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, and state Rep. Pete Daley, D-California, announced Friday that Intermediate Unit 1 (IU1) and another Washington County public school have received state grants to implement programs to prevent and reduce incidents of violence.
Thirty-seven Safe Schools Targeted Grants, two of which were awarded to IU1 and Fort Cherry School District in Washington County, were announced Friday by Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis.
“With the unspeakable tragedy that unfolded (Friday) at an elementary school in Connecticut, the importance of preventing violence in our schools is even more apparent,” Solobay said. “A safe learning environment is essential to the educational experience of our children and we need to do everything in our power to protect our children and keep violence out of the classroom.”
Intermediate Unit 1 in Coal Center received $12,000 of the nearly $480K in Safe Schools Targeted Grants. Schools were eligible to receive up to $15,000.
Fort Cherry School District in McDonald received $14,658.
The focus of the Safe Schools Targeted Grant program is to assist schools by reducing unnecessary student disciplinary actions and promoting an environment of greater productivity, safety and learning; providing professional development to staff using research-based violence prevention and classroom management programs; and enhancing antiviolence efforts between schools and parents, local governments, law enforcement and community organizations.
“The events that unfolded (Friday) in the elementary school in Connecticut are truly senseless and tragic. It serves as a stark reminder of the importance of establishing programs to foster safe schools. The better prepared our education community is, the safer our young people will be,” Daley added. “These grants are a good investment of state money and I credit the districts who will receive them for placing an emphasis on the value of safety in providing students with a quality education.”