ALTOONA – Districts in the 79th Legislative District will receive a combined $697,069 in funding to improve safety for students, Rep. Lou Schmitt (R-Blair) and Sen. Judy Ward (R-30) announced today. The funding is through Pennsylvania’s School Safety and Security Grant Program created two years ago.
“Since its inception, the program has provided funds to local school districts to improve security for students,” Schmitt said. “This latest round of funding will continue our mission of improving safety of our children when they are at school.”
The School Safety and Security Grant Program was created by Act 44 of 2018 and aims to provide funding to school districts in order to improve safety measures to further protect students.
Districts received the following funding amounts:
- Altoona Area School District: $45,000.
- Appalachia Intermediate Unit #8: $449,945.
- Penn Cambria School District: $202,124.
“These grants will help further protect children as they go to school each day. Investing in the protection of our children is a priority and I am glad this money will be put to good use in addressing the unique security needs of each school district,” Ward said.
Eligible uses of the funding 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.