PDE Announces Availability of Grant Applications for the Safe Schools Initiative Grant Progra
September 11, 2015
The PA Department of Education announces the release of the opportunity for public school entities, nonpublic and private school entities, police agencies and municipalities to submit an application for funding for the training and compensation of school resource officers and school police officers through a $3.9 million targeted grant program and public school entities can submit an application to fund programs or security-related equipment that addresses school safety and violence through a $2.6 million Safe Schools Initiative Targeted Grant program.
Applicants are eligible for a maximum individual grant of $60,000 for a School Resource Officer and $40,000 for a School Police Officer. The Safe Schools Initiative Targeted Grant for Equipment and Programs maximum is $25,000.
School entities, police agencies and municipalities that have not employed a school police officer within the prior three years will receive priority. Priority will also be given to schools entities, police agencies and municipalities that employ school resource and police officers who have completed additional training recommended by the department related to interaction with all children and adolescents within a school setting.
Local police agencies and municipalities can apply and receive a grant but they must have prior consent of the governing board of the school to place school resource officers on the school’s premises. Police agencies and municipalities are not eligible to receive any grant funds for any purpose other than for costs associated with school resource officers. When assigning school resource officers, police agencies and municipalities must take into consideration the proportion of students enrolled in each school.
IF YOUR SCHOOL ENTITY WAS AWARDED A SCHOOL POLICE OFFICER OR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER GRANT IN SY 2013-2014, YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY THIS YEAR. BUT, IF YOUR SCHOOL ENTITY WAS AWARDED A SCHOOL POLICE OR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER GRANT IN 2014-2015 YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY THIS YEAR.
Applications will be accepted from September 14, 2015 through October 15, 2015, and school entities must be submit their application through the department’s eGrant system, http://www.egrants.pa.gov/. Police agencies and municipalities need to submit their application through the mail since they will not be able to access the eGrant system this year. They can download the Request for Application by visiting the department’s website at www.education.pa.gov and clicking on “Safe Schools” under the “PDE Quick Links” section.
Nonpublic and private school entities may apply for a school police officer. Nonpublic schools are eligible to apply for funding to be used for the costs associated with obtaining the services of a school police officer from a list of approved vendors certified by the PA Department of Education Office for Safe Schools. Grant awards for this purpose are paid directly to the approved vendor with which the nonpublic school contract for services. The maximum individual grant will be $40,000 and the funds may be expended on contracted services only.
In addition, the Office for Safe Schools is pleased to issue two Request for Applications (RFA) for public school entities to fund:
(1) Equipment to address school safety and violence through the use of security related equipment including: student, staff and visitor identification systems; metal detectors; protective lighting; surveillance equipment; special emergency communications equipment; electronic locksets; deadbolts and theft control devices; and training in the use of the security-related technology, and
(2) Programs which address school safety and violence in the following areas:
- Conflict resolution or dispute management;
- Positive behavior support;
- Risk assessment or violence prevention curricula;
- Classroom management;
- Development of Student Codes of Conduct;
- Training to undertake a district-wide assessment of risk factors that increase the likelihood of problem behaviors among students;
- Development and implementation of research-based violence prevention programs addressing risk factors to reduce incidents of problem behaviors among students including, but not limited to bullying;
- De-escalation and behavior interventions; and
- Comprehensive, district-wide school safety, violence prevention, emergency preparedness and all-hazards plans, including revisions or updates to such plans and conducting emergency preparedness drills and related activities with local emergency responders including risk assessment and training.
Grant applications, with the exception of the municipal and police agency grant, must be submitted via the PDE’s eGrants system.
All Safe School Initiative Targeted Grants are awarded on a competitive basis. The awarding of these grants is contingent on the allocation of the funds and the passage of the budget.
For additional information or questions related to the grant application contact via email Pat Tamanini at ptamanini@pa.gov or Marc Bender at marbender@pa.gov .
Below you will find the Requests for Application links.