Travels With The Post

Local Schools to Get Safety, Mental Health Grant Money

Local Schools to Get Safety, Mental Health Grant Money

Local Schools to Get Safety, Mental Health Grant Money

HARRISBURG PA – Fifteen school districts and career and technical centers in western Montgomery, eastern Berks, and northern Chester counties received a total of nearly $4.5 million in grant money Friday (April 26, 2024). Two local non-public schools also won commission grants, with a value totaling $92,000.

The money from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (at top) is intended to address basic safety needs or help improve school safety, and support or supplement mental health programs, it said.

Grant recipients identified

Local grant recipients in Montgomery County were the:

  • Pottstown School District, $631,874;
  • Pottsgrove School District, $612,496;
  • Spring-Ford Area School District, $242,295;
  • Perkiomen Valley School District, $206,961;
  • Upper Perkiomen School District, $630,930;
  • Methacton School District, $200,009;
  • North Montco Career and Technical Center, $70,000; and
  • Western Montgomery Career and Technical Center, $70,000.

In Berks County, the:

  • Boyertown Area School District, $525,607;
  • Daniel Boone Area School District, $178,978;
  • Oley Valley School District, $153,473; and
  • Berks Career and Technical Center, $498,188.

In Chester County, the

  • Owen J. Roberts School District, $212,471;
  • Phoenixville Area School District, $198,893; and
  • Chester County Career and Technical Center, $70,000.

Earning non-public school awards were St. Aloysius Parish School in Pottstown, Montgomery County, $47,000; and Pine Forge Academy in Pine Forge, Berks County, $45,000.

The commission’s School Safety and Security Committee collectively approved about $155 million in federal and state school safety funding, under the state’s 2023-24 budget. Depending on four grant categories, it will be distributed among districts, charter schools, area career and technical centers, intermediate units, non-public schools, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and approved vendors for specific safety and mental health uses.

“Our kids are facing so many pressures, and our schools are dealing with significant challenges,” commission Chair and state Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said. Pennsylvania “is committed to making sure our schools have the resources they need to keep their facilities secure from threats, and provide the mental health services and support that our kids need,” he added.

Photo by Team Rudy on Google Images, used by Travels With The Post