Gardner-Backed STOP School Violence Act Delivers Safety Grants to Two Colorado Schools
Press Release
U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) announced today that two school districts in Colorado will receive a combined total of $239,893 in grants from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services' (COPS Office) School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). This funding is authorized by the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act of 2018, which Gardner cosponsored and was signed into law in March 2018. Senator Gardner has consistently supported funding for the program, which aims to improve school security and enhance school violence intervention and prevention programs, including the $100 million secured for this year's grants.
"Congress passed the STOP School Violence Act in 2018 because horrific school violence has made clear that the federal government can do more to ensure law enforcement and schools are coordinating on any risks or threats they may face," said Senator Gardner. "I'm glad these grants are going toward school safety in Colorado, including for rural schools, because we need more resources to help stop school violence. I will keep working to ensure schools in Colorado have what they need to keep our students safe."
The STOP School Violence Act is part of Senator Gardner's efforts to address the national epidemic of school violence and student suicide.
In September 2019, Senator Gardner introduced the Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention (STANDUP) Act along with U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL), legislation supported by Sandy Hook Promise to address rising youth suicide rates. The STANDUP Act requires states, public schools, and Tribes to implement evidence-based policies to prevent suicides in order to receive certain 520A grants, including Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) grants, which promote youth mental health awareness among schools and communities and improve connections to services for school-age youth.
Gardner is also a cosponsor of the EAGLES Act, which would reauthorize the National Threat Assessment Center and expand it to establish a national program targeted on school violence.
The following school districts will receive funding:
Elizabeth School District No. C-1 -- $224,234
Cheraw 31 -- $15,659
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