Reps. Beatty, Stivers Secure Ohio School Safety Grant Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a nearly $700,000 grant to the State of Ohio under the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) and Congressman Steve Stivers (OH-15) led a letter on July 30, 2018, along with the entire Ohio Delegation, to the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance in support of the grant application.

Passed in March, the STOP School Violence Act created grant programs to train students, teachers, school officials, and local law enforcement how to identify and intervene early when signs of violence arise, create a coordinated reporting system, and implement FBI and Secret Service-based school threat assessment protocols to prevent school shootings before they happen.

"We owe it to every student, in every classroom across America, to do everything in our power to minimize the threat of gun violence," Beatty said. "Unfortunately, many children and their parents are rightly concerned and are calling on Congress to act." Beatty continued, "That is why I am proud to help lead the effort to secure the needed resources and support to ensure that Ohio's schools are safer places of learning."

"As a father, I want to ensure the safety of all of our kids as we send them off to school, and I was proud to be a supporter and cosponsor of the STOP School Violence Act when it was considered in March," Stivers said. "This grant will provide critical resources for students and teachers to recognize and prevent acts of violence to keep our kids safe. I was proud to support this grant application, and look forward to continue supporting Ohio schools as they strive to create safer environments for students."

"We are proud to work with Ohio's Department of Education to help keep Ohio's students safe and prevent violence before it happens," said Mark Barden, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sandy Hook Promise and father of Daniel who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. "The funding available under the STOP School Violence Act will build on our work in the state to train every school in our Safety Assessment and Intervention program that has proven to save lives. We are also thankful for the leadership of Representatives Stivers and Beatty, as well as the entire Ohio delegation, for their strong support of Ohio's application."

Specifically, the STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program provides funding to develop threat assessment and crisis intervention teams, anonymous reporting systems, and training for students, school personnel and local law enforcement officers so they can partner in preventing violence events.

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