McConnell Announces $3.2 Million to Promote Safety in Kentucky Schools / 10 Districts Receive Funding ‘To Help Stop School Violence Before It Occurs’

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today 10 Kentucky school districts received a total of $3,169,388 to keep students safe in school. The competitive federal grant funding was distributed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services’ (COPS Office) School Violence Prevention Program.

According to the COPS Office, the funding can be used for coordinating with local law enforcement, training for officers to prevent school violence, and to purchase notification technology as well as deterrent measures like metal detectors, locks, and lighting.

“Violence has no place in our schools, and we have a responsibility to help create a safe environment for Kentucky’s young people to learn and prepare for their future,” said Senator McConnell. “I congratulate these school districts for their innovative efforts to help stop school violence before it occurs. As Senate Majority Leader, I’ll continue prioritizing the safety of Kentucky’s next generation, especially while they’re in school.”

Senator McConnell was an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act, which authorized the Department of Justice to provide grants for training students, school personnel, and law enforcement to identify signs of violence and intervene to prevent people from hurting themselves or others. In addition to prevention efforts, the legislation authorized funds for evidence-based technology and equipment to improve school security and prevent school violence.

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator McConnell secured $125 million for STOP School Violence Act grants, including $50 million for the School Violence Prevention Program in 2019.

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