Westmoreland County school districts land state safety grants

Westmoreland County’s 17 school districts were awarded almost $1.1 million in state grants to improve school safety through a variety of measures, including hiring school resource and police officers, conducting school safety assessments, buying security-related equipment and hiring counselors and psychologists.

The money is being allocated though the state’s School Safety and Security Committee to reduce community violence, improve health services and intervention strategies, according to a school safety committee statement on Wednesday. Supporting safety-related and behavioral-health training, developing all-hazards plans, improving school security, and hiring school social workers and psychologists, are among expenditures eligible for the grants.

Belle Vernon Area, which straddles Fayette and Westmoreland counties, received the largest single grant — nearly $488,000. Belle Vernon Area can use the money for a variety of safety actions, including buying security-related technology such as metal detectors, protective lighting, surveillance equipment, special emergency communications equipment, deadbolts and trauma kits, according to the safety committee.

The Westmoreland County Intermediate Unit, which serves school districts throughout the county, was awarded the second largest grant — $239,000 — by the state’s School Safety and Security Committee, which outlined the awards in a news release Wednesday.

Franklin Regional and Mt. Pleasant Area both received $40,000 to cover the costs associated with training and paying for school resource officers and school police officers. Hempfield Area received $45,000, part of which can be used to cover costs associated with the training and paying for school resource officers and school police officers.

Other area school districts receiving grants were:

• Burrell: $35,000

• Derry Area: $35,000

• Greater Latrobe: $40,000

• Greensburg Salem:$40,000

• Jeannette: $30,000

• Kiski Area: $40,000

• Ligonier Valley: $35,000

• Monessen: $30,000

• New Kensington-Arnold: $35,000

• Norwin: $45,000

• Penn-Trafford: $45,000

• Southmoreland: $35,000

• Yough: $35,000

Westmoreland County’s school districts were awarded the grants as part of the $53.7 million distributed in safety-related grants to 524 schools districts, career and technology centers, charter schools and intermediate units. Schools applied for the grants, which were awarded based on the school district’s average daily attendance. Additional grants were awarded on a competitive basis, the state said.

The School Safety and Security Committee was established under the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in 2018 following a mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla. that left 17 dead.