Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-18th, announced recently that $250,000 in school safety and security grants were awarded to school districts in the 18th District through the School Safety and Security Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

“I am pleased that all the school districts in my district took advantage of this important school safety grant through Act 44,” Boscola stated. “We have made assisting our school districts in ensuring a safe learning environment for our children and our educators a priority, and these grant awards will aid in those efforts.”

Each of the following school districts received a $25,000 grant allocation:

•Whitehall-Coplay School District

•Northampton Area School District

•Catasauqua Area School District

•Bethlehem Area School District

•East Penn School District

•Salisbury Township School District

•Saucon Valley School District

•Easton Area School District

•Nazareth Area School District

•Wilson Area School District

Act 44, which created the School Safety and Security Committee, was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf in June. 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.