“The safety of our children and our teachers is critically important to the success of our learning environments,” Blake said. “Our school districts need adequate resources to properly assess and address the security needs of their facilities and the well-being of our students. I was proud to support the creation of this grant program in 2018 and applaud the Wolf administration for their continued work to improve all facets of our education system.”

The following school districts in the 22nd Senatorial District received funding:

• Abington Heights School District: $40,000
• Carbondale Area School District: $35,000
• Dunmore School District: $35,000
• East Stroudsburg Area School District: $494,969
• Forest City Regional School District: $122,535
• Lackawanna Trail School District: $30,000
• Lakeland School District: $35,000
• Mid Valley School District: $35,000
• North Pocono School District: $40,000
• Old Forge School District: $221,253
• Pittston Area School District: $40,000
• Pocono Mountain School District: $471,240
• Riverside School District: $35,000
• Scranton School District: $368,507
• Valley View School District: $75,900

Blake noted that the grants awarded will be used for a wide variety of school safety needs across the region. Projects include performing school safety assessments; purchasing security-related technology and equipment; supporting school safety-related and behavioral-health trainings; preparing all-hazards plans; hiring school resource officers, school police officers, school counselors, social workers and school psychologists; and providing for trauma-informed approaches to education.