York County districts receive more than $1M in school safety grants

All 16 of York County's school districts were awarded state safety grant money, totaling about $1.2 million.

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency released a complete list of approved applicants in late February. Grants were approved by the School Safety and Security Committee, established under the PCCD through Act 44 of 2018.

Statewide, $53.7 million in school safety and security grants was awarded to 524 educational entities, and $7.5 million in community violence prevention/reduction grants was awarded to 30 organizations, according to a news release.

PCCD received a total of 970 applications totaling $134.5 million, state Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York Township, said in a statement Feb. 26.

Among county districts, York City received the most, at $473,479, followed by Southern York County, at $353,460; Dover Area at $323,644; Spring Grove Area at $237,004; and Hanover Public at $140,500.

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Dover’s share is for security planning or security-related technology, according to the PCCD award list, and York City’s funds will cover positive behavior support, classroom management and trauma-informed education.

The district with the most categories covered under its lump sum is Southern, which had its money split among 12 categories recognized under the public school code.

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They included a number of risk assessments, research-based violence prevention, student discipline, classroom management and compensation or training for mental health professionals.

The rest of the county's districts were awarded either $40,000 or $45,000 each.

"With such a big investment in our local schools and our children’s safety, parents can rest easier at night and worry less during the day,” state Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, D-York City, said in a statement Feb. 27.

In addition to public districts, the Youth Advocate Program was awarded a $170,037 grant for an intervention program for York County youth ages 10-18 who have an increased risk of becoming violent or becoming victims of violence, according to PCCD. 

Lincoln Charter School and York County Children, Youth & Families will serve as referral sources for that program and provide spaces for group sessions during the school year.

Phillips-Hill said, however, that Gov. Tom Wolf is seeking a $45 million cut to the school safety and security fund — which would decrease from $60 million to $15 million in 2020-21, according to Wolf's budget proposal