Luzerne Times

Nine educational institutions in the 116th Legislative District have received state grants to enhance school safety and student mental health, as announced by Representative Dane Watro and Senator Dave Argall. The grants are part of a broader effort to create secure learning environments for students, faculty, and staff.

Watro emphasized the importance of ensuring safe schools, stating, “We have made it a priority to ensure our schools provide a safe and secure learning environment for student, faculty and staff. No parent should have to worry about their children’s safety when they send them off to school.”

Argall highlighted Pennsylvania's significant investment in school safety measures following his roundtable discussions on the matter. He expressed gratitude for the grant support: “Since I chaired 10 roundtable discussions of the Senate Majority Policy Committee to protect our students and teachers, Pennsylvania has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in school safety measures. I’m thankful these grants will help our local schools.”

The recipients include Hazleton Area Career Center with $70,000; Hazleton Area School District with $331,036; Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18 with $70,000; Mahanoy Area School District with $121,155; MMI Preparatory School with $75,000; North Schuylkill School District with $140,139; Shenandoah Valley School District with $123,289; Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 with $70,000; and Schuylkill Technology Center also receiving $70,000.

These noncompetitive grants were approved by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency as part of a statewide allocation totaling $100 million across various educational entities. Additionally, nearly $20 million in competitive Targeted School Safety Grants were distributed among 367 nonpublic schools. These initiatives form part of a comprehensive $120 million funding package from the bipartisan 2024-25 state budget passed by the General Assembly.