The Department of Justice (DOJ) selected Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) as a recipient of a grant from the STOP School Violence Program.
The funds, totaling $990,927, are aimed to advance school safety by instituting safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools across the country.
According to a press release from the DOJ, the grant is a portion of a large giveaway, gifting $126 million to school systems and organizations throughout the U.S.
“The Justice Department has no greater responsibility than protecting Americans from harm,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Schools must be safe places to learn, and today’s investment of more than $125 million under the STOP School Violence Act will help ensure that they are.”
According to information provided by the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, the status of the funds have been “awarded, but not yet accepted.”
MNPS will utilize the extra funding to implement a “Help App” to allow students and families greater access to resources and ask for assistance when needed.
“The app will have several functions and resources, but the two primary purposes are: 1. To make it easier for students and parents to find resources they need to reduce adverse childhood experiences/trauma; and, 2. To become comfortable with the help app so that—should they ever need help in a crisis—they automatically feel safe turning to the district and this resource. Children with a history of adverse childhood experience exposures (ACEs) are at increased risk of becoming involved in crime and violence. MNPS seeks to disrupt this trajectory by providing innovative technology to make all available resources easily accessed with the dignity and privacy all people deserve,” the school system explained.
Two other organizations in the state received funds from the same program: the Hamilton County Development Foundation and Learning Forward Tennessee.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Metro Nashville Public Schools” by Metro Nashville Public Schools.
