A little more than $1 million has been awarded in state grants to private and public schools in Lower Bucks County for mental health and safety improvements, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) recently announced.
A total 18 Lower Bucks schools (10 private 8 public) were awarded grants.
The $46.7 billion budget for current fiscal year included a “historic $1.11 billion increase” in K-12 public education funding which called for increases targeting mental health and safety. $20 million of which was distributed from the PCCD statewide to 367 faith-based schools statewide. $100 million was awarded to 779 public school entities including school districts, charter schools, intermediate units and career and technical schools.
The investments are a part of the General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro’s approved 2024-2025 state budget.
“I’ve listened to our kids as they’ve told me about their mental health struggles – that’s why my Administration is getting real help to students all across Pennsylvania quickly,” Shapiro said in a statement, noting funds from the grants has already paid for mental health resources and allowed law enforcement and security vendors to address safety concerns in schools. Shapiro reiterated this commitment during a first day of school visit to Morrisville Middle/Senior High School in September.
Student mental health has been a focus of Commonwealth officials. 40% of students who participated in the PCCD’s 2021 Pennsylvania Youth Survey reported symptoms of depression. About 75% of calls to the state’s Safe2Say Something anonymous school safety tip line were from students requesting help for themselves or on behalf of someone else.
The School Safety and Security Grants Program was originally established in 2018 to provide for school entities of the Commonwealth to be safer places for students, staff and visitors. The School Safety and Security Fund (SSSC) was established in the State Treasury to provide ongoing support to schools for safety and security purposes. Funding, eligible activities, and items are determined on an annual basis. Later amendments to Article XIII-B, including Act 18 of 2019, Act 67 of 2019, Act 30 of 2020, Act 55 of 2022, Act 33 of 2023, and Act 55 of 2024 created additional responsibilities for the SSSC. Grant /Awards are listed below.
Public Schools Grants Totaling About 1.41 Million
Bensalem Township School District – $243,796
Bristol Borough School District – $123,719
Bristol Township School District – $229,490
Bucks County Technical High School – $70,000
Center for Student Learning Charter School at Pennsbury – $70,000
Morrisville Borough School District – $116,967
Neshaminy School District – $282,852
Pennsbury School District – $286,611
Private Schools Grants Totaling $511,500.00
Abrams Hebrew Academy (Yardley) – $75,000
Conwell Egan Catholic High School (Fairless Hills) – $10,000
Faith Baptist Christian School (Fairless Hills) – $75,000
Holy Family Regional Catholic School (Levittown) – $45,000
Holy Ghost Preparatory School (Bensalem) – $75,000
Our Lady of Grace Catholic School (Penndel) – $4,000
Pen Ryn School (Fairless Hills) – $37,500
Springtime School (Newtown) – $75,000
St Ephrem School (Bensalem) – $40,000
St. Charles Borromeo School (Bensalem) – $75,000