Langhorne, PA – Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08) announced several new grant opportunities provided by the U.S. Justice Department focused on school safety. The grants are a result of the Fitzpatrick-backed STOP School Violence Act, which became law earlier this year. 

The STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program and the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program are open for applications and will close on July 23, 2018.

“We must respond to the senseless violence occurring in our children’s schools. After meeting with concerned students, parents, and teachers, all options must be on the table to keep our kids safe. We must address this problem from all pressure points, to include the legislative component, the mental health component, and the school safety component,” said Fitzpatrick. “These grant opportunities are one way to make schools safer. By delivering much-needed federal support, students, teachers, and law enforcement officers will have the resources to recognize and respond quickly to warning signs. These grants provide funding for technology to keep schools secure and help create an anonymous reporting system to provide tips about potential attacks and persons who may be inclined to commit acts of violence.”

The STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program supports state and local efforts to reduce violent crime through the creation of school threat assessment teams and the utilization of technology for anonymous reporting of suspicious activity related to school violence.

The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program supports state and local efforts to reduce violent crime by creating school safety training and mental health programs for school personnel and students as it related to school violence.

Additionally, the FY18 COPS School Violence Prevention Program will be accepting grant applications later this month. This program will provide grants to directly to states and local governments to improve security at schools and on school grounds through evidence-based school safety programs.

The STOP School Violence Act, co-sponsored by Fitzpatrick, became law as part of the FY18 Omnibus. It created a grant program administered by the Department of Justice to train students, teachers, school personnel, and local law enforcement how to identify and intervene early when signs of violence arise, creates an anonymous reporting system, and implements school threat assessment protocols to curb school violence.