COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr. announced a $495,323 Department of Justice carry-over grant to the Lancaster County School District to address violence occurring at the nation’s schools.
The grant, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, is part of more than $87 million to bolster school security, support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident and conduct research on school safety.
STOP School Violence, a program of OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, improves school security by providing students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to and help prevent acts of violence. In addition to STOP School Violence Act funding, OJP’s National Institute of Justice is investing in research on school violence.
“Only by removing the threat of violence from our schools can we expect our kids to reap the full benefits of their education, and only after making our places of learning safe can we ask our teachers to instruct and inspire as they are trained to do,” said OJP’s Principal Deputy Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “The Department of Justice is committed to securing our schools from danger and giving our kids the support they need to learn, grow and thrive.”
“This office is committed to stopping school violence,” U.S. Attorney McCoy said. “These funds go a long way to those ends, and I look forward to seeing these grant programs grow across South Carolina.”
The carry-over funds awarded to the Lancaster County School District specifically provides funds to develop and implement threat assessment and intervention teams, and to operate technology solutions such as anonymous reporting systems for threats of school violence, including mobile telephone applications, hotlines and websites.
