HARRISBURG – School safety grants were awarded to 11 school districts and other entities in Bedford, Cambria and Clearfield counties, according to Senator Wayne Langerholc Jr. (R-35).
School districts and other entities that were awarded grants include:
- Bedford Area School District.
- Everett Area School District.
- Tussey Mountain School District.
- Ferndale Area School District.
- Portage Area School District.
- Richland School District.
- Clearfield Area School District.
- Curwensville Area School District.
- Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District.
- West Branch Area School District.
- Central Intermediate Unit 10.
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.
“This grant program has already proven to be very successful in helping local school districts take the steps they need to make our students safer and our school buildings more secure,” said Langerholc, who serves on the School Safety and Security Committee.
“I’m cognizant some school districts didn’t receive funding in this cycle. I will continue to advocate for additional dollars as we move forward given the importance of school safety.”
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. PCCD received a total of 638 applications totaling $177.6 million for school safety projects in the current Fiscal Year.
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.
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 Wednesday were awarded on a competitive basis to schools that were seeking additional funding beyond the original grant.