Harrisburg, PA – October 2018 – Sen. Wayne Fontana (D- Allegheny County) is pleased to announce that $300,000 in School Safety and Security grants were awarded to school districts in the senatorial district through the School Safety and Security Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
“Through this program, districts will have additional tools to ensure that our schools provide a safer environment for learning,” said Fontana. “I am hopeful these newly dedicated investments assist in improving security and reduce potential risks to students and employees.”
Each school district received a $25,000 grant allocation:
- Avonworth School District
- Baldwin-Whitehall School District
- Carlynton School District
- Chartiers Valley School District
- Cornell School District
- Fox Chapel Area School District
- Keystone Oaks School District
- Montour School District
- Northgate School District
- Pittsburgh School District
- Shaler Area School District
- Sto-Rox School District
After Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 44 into law in June of 2018, the School Safety and Security Committee was established. The Committee develops the criteria schools use when performing school safety and security assessments, issues surveys that allow schools to measure their safety and security preparedness and administers grants to schools to improve safety and security.
The Committee established criteria for conducting a security assessment, which is a strategic evaluation of a school’s facilities and programs used to identify potential safety and security threats. Assessments include consideration of the safety and security of a school’s physical environment, climate and behavioral health environment, and related school safety policies and trainings.
Across Pennsylvania, a total of $52.5 million has been allocated to the School Safety and Security Grant Program for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.
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