U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal has announced a $159,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for the Guadalupe Union School District to improve school safety.
The federal funding allocated from the DOJ’s School Violence Prevention Program will support construction of a new entryway at Kermit McKenzie Intermediate School, the purchase of new radios for school administrators, and the implementation of improved identification systems for school visitors.
“As a father and grandfather, I know the concern that every parent feels sending their child off to school – especially as school violence and campus shootings have become all-too-common in our nation,” Rep. Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said in a news release. “That’s why I voted to help deliver federal grants to schools so that they can take steps to improve the safety procedures and processes on our campuses, and why I’m proud to see some of that funding coming back to the Central Coast this year. Each and every student deserves to have a safe and supportive learning environment, and every parent deserves the peace of mind that their children are protected.”
“The federal Community Oriented Policing Services Grant will provide the Guadalupe Union School District with the funds needed to significantly improve the safety and security of our schools,” Dr. Emilio Handall, the district superintendent, said. “These funds will be used specifically to construct a more secure entry to McKenzie Intermediate School, as well as purchase emergency communication devices for all staff.
“Additionally, each school will now have a device that will create ID badges for all guests and digitally track each guest’s entrance and exit from each school,” Dr. Handall said. “We are incredibly excited to receive this funding that will be put to use immediately to protect our staff and students.”
In 2018, Rep. Carbajal helped create the School Violence Prevention Program by voting to pass the bipartisan Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018. This law made annual grants available to states, school districts, and tribal organizations to bring evidence-based programs and strategies to schools to prevent acts of violence.
Earlier this year, Rep. Carbajal joined a bipartisan majority in Congress to allocate an additional $200 million to the School Violence Prevention Program through the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which is the federal gun safety legislation signed into law earlier this year.
The act included multiple provisions to reduce gun violence and keep American schools and communities safe, including $750 million set aside for states to create and administer ‘red flag’ laws and other measures that can keep guns out of the hands of those who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others which was an investment first proposed through Rep. Carbajal’s Extreme Risk Protection Order Act.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
