PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Placerville Union School District has received nearly $220,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to further support recovery efforts following a shooting that occurred at the school.
In February 2011, a disgruntled janitor at Louisiana Schnell School fatally shot the school’s principal. Through the Education Department’s Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program and administered through the Office of Safe and Healthy Students, the district will receive an additional $219,720, which also has two other schools. The funding will allow the district to continue restoring a safe and healthy school environment that is critical to teaching and learning. Placerville received its first Project SERV grant for $45,222 in June 2011.
“We want to do whatever we can to support ongoing recovery efforts,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “These grants will help ensure that the school district has the resources necessary to meet the continued needs of its students, school staff and the community that were impacted by this terrible tragedy.”
The grant will financially support additional services such as counseling, staff development aimed at helping staff understand the impact of trauma on students and the hiring of a school resource officer.
The Department’s Project SERV grants provide funding for school districts, colleges and universities that have experienced a significant traumatic event and need resources to respond, recover, and re-establish safe environments for students. The Office of Safe and Healthy Students has awarded more than $33.7 million through 112 grants, including Placerville, since the program began in 2001.
For more information about the Project SERV program, visit: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/dvppserv/index.html.
Related Articles:
