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Harrisburg, PA − October 30, 2018 − Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery counties) announced that $75,000 in School Safety and Security Grants were awarded to school districts in the 7th Senatorial District.

The Philadelphia School District (Philadelphia County), Colonial School District (Montgomery County), and Upper Dublin School District (Montgomery County) each received $25,000 in grants, which were awarded through the School Safety and Security Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

“I am pleased these grants will help ensure improve safety at schools across the state, but this should not be the end of our efforts,” Sen. Hughes said. “We must continue to prioritize student safety and continue to protect our schools, and this is a major step in that direction. I am thankful Governor Tom Wolf quickly signed this into law, signaling the importance of school safety and the cooperation of the General Assembly on the issue.”

After Gov. 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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