HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) - Pennsylvania's education system is getting a big boost.
The Department of Education recently released $1 billion to schools across the country. Pennsylvania received nearly $49 million of the package.
The bi-partisan bill known as the "Safer Communities Act," which was signed into law by President Biden in June, is aimed at increasing the number of mental health professionals available for students. It comes in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 children and two teachers.
"We're realizing as a country it shouldn't be talked about in the shadows anymore," Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said. "Mental health support and access should be something that we talk about regularly."
The majority of the money distributed to the Commonwealth will go towards the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Block Grant, which provides safe and healthy school programs, according to Gov. Tom Wolf.
“Our children deserve safety in their schools, families deserve safety in their homes – our communities deserve safe grocery stores, movie theaters, malls, and places of worship,” Gov. Wolf said. “President Biden knows that together, we can solve this. He knows that the actions we take today will make our communities safer tomorrow and that we can avoid the pain brought by gun violence.”
Schools across the country can also use the money to hire more resource officers, improve active shooter drills and update school security systems.
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