Monroe County News

Four public school entities within the 176th Legislative District have received School Safety and Mental Health Grants, as announced by Representative Jack Rader of Monroe. These grants are part of a statewide initiative to enhance security measures and mental health resources in schools.

"Ensuring students are safe at school is one of our top priorities as lawmakers and something I strongly support," stated Rader. "This state funding will be used by school officials to upgrade security systems and provide behavioral health programs, which helps to reduce the threat of violence."

The grants were distributed as follows: Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 received $70,000; Monroe Career and Technical Institute also received $70,000; Pleasant Valley School District was awarded $183,539; and Pocono Mountain School District received $261,801.

These noncompetitive grants were sanctioned by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. In total, they awarded $100 million across the state to various educational institutions including 500 school districts, 176 charter schools, 29 intermediate units, and 74 area career and technical schools. Additionally, nearly $20 million in competitive safety grants were allocated to 367 nonpublic schools.

This funding is part of a larger $120 million school safety grants program included in the bipartisan 2024-25 state budget passed by the General Assembly.