Hundreds of private schools across Pennsylvania will receive nearly $20 million in state grants for mental health programs and building safety improvements, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) announced Tuesday.
The awards to the 367 schools, including Catholic and other religious schools, complete a $120 million educational mental health and safety grant program approved by the General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro as part of the 2024-2025 state budget.
The program under the PCCDâs School Safety and Security Committee includes $100 million in awards to 779 public school entities including school districts, charter schools, intermediate units and career and technical schools.
âIâve listened to our kids as theyâve told me about their mental health struggles â thatâs why my Administration is getting real help to students all across Pennsylvania quickly,â Shapiro said in a statement, which noted money from the grants has already paid for mental health resources and allowed law enforcement and security vendors to address safety concerns in schools.
Student mental health has been a priority for lawmakers and the Shapiro administration in the first half of his term. In May 2023, Shapiro announced a plan to allocate $500 million over five years to increase mental health support for students through school-based resources.
The Shapiro administration noted that 40% of students who participated in the PCCDâs 2021 Pennsylvania Youth Survey reported symptoms of depression. About 75% of calls to the stateâs Safe2Say Something anonymous school safety tip line were from students requesting help for themselves or on behalf of someone else.
Examples of how the grant funding is being used include Conemaugh Township in Somerset County hiring school police officers and mental health clinicians and the Bellefonte Area School District in Centre County purchasing radios and equipment for security staff and social workers, according to the PCCD.
âOur kids canât focus on learning if we arenât meeting the basic need for safety within the walls of their schools and making sure studentsâ mental health needs are met,â Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who is chairperson of PCCD and the School Safety and Security Committee, said.
READ: âEducators Risingâ Is Preparing the Next Generation of Pennsylvania Teachers
âThis program is more than fundingâitâs about investing in the well-being of our kids and giving peace of mind to their families and school staff who are dedicated to helping them learn and grow. The Shapiro-Davis Administration is committed to helping schools create spaces where students feel protected, valued, and ready to learn,â Davis said in the statement.
The $120 million grant funding package was part of a $1.1 billion increase in education funding that includes the first installment of money for the stateâs less wealthy school districts. That came after a 2023 Commonwealth Court ruling that declared Pennsylvaniaâs education funding system unconstitutional because its reliance on property taxes puts students in poorer areas at a disadvantage.
Under the education bill, each school is required to have a security guard who may be armed and which the grant money can be used to pay for.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star, where this article was originally published, is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and Twitter.
