Senator Brewster Announces Education Bill Aimed at Improving Student Mental Health

Senator Brewster Announces Education Bill Aimed at Improving Student Mental Health

June 16, 2022

Harrisburg − June 15, 2022 − Senator Jim Brewster announced today that he is the prime co-sponsor of legislation aimed at improving student mental health. This bill seeks to put more school-based mental health care programs and professionals into classrooms.

Senator Brewster and Senator Williams are co-sponsoring SB 1285, which will focus the majority of grants awarded through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s School Safety and Security program for the 2022-23 school year on funding applications for projects that support students’ behavioral and mental health.

“As a member of Pennsylvania’s School Safety and Security Committee, I have been a leading advocate for more resources for mental health services in our schools,” Brewster said. “This legislation will direct a majority of funding for 2022-2023 to school districts for additional mental and behavioral health programming.”

This legislation is modeled after a similar step that the General Assembly took in 2020, when it temporarily focused these grants on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even before the pandemic, students have been telling us that there is a growing youth mental heath crisis,” said Senator Williams. “Safe2Say reports let us know that bullying, suicide, and self-harm are three of the biggest problems facing our students right now, and it’s time for the General Assembly to take action to address these. We’ve talked about how the pandemic has caused a mental health crisis in our students for over two years—it’s long past time we start taking action to fund the services that can provide immediate assistance to those students.”

 

Brewster Comments on Safe Schools Grants for Area School Districts

November 17, 2017

Harrisburg – November 17, 2017 – State Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny/Westmoreland) said today he was pleased that more than $380,000 in Safe Schools grants have been awarded to several school districts in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. 

“The funding is critical in providing a safe learning environment for our children,” Brewster said.  “The grants can be used for training and compensating school resource and police officers, plus pay for safety programs and equipment.”

Brewster said that the wide range of funding will augment local efforts and enhance education opportunities for all students, while bolstering safety programs that protect students, faculty, staff and visitors to area school districts.

School Districts that received School Police/Resource Officer grants which are used for training and compensation of school resource officers and school police include:

  • McKeesport Area School District ($30,000);
  • South Allegheny School District ($20,000);
  • Baldwin-Whitehall School District ($60,000);
  • Plum Borough School District ($60,000);
  • Elizabeth Forward School District ($60,000);
  • Allegheny Township Police Department on behalf of Kiski Area School District ($60,000);
  • West Jefferson Hills School District ($40,000).

Brewster said the West Mifflin Area School District was awarded a Safe Schools Grant of $15,000 to address school safety, conflict resolution, dispute management, behavior support, risk assessment, training for risk-assessment and the development of research-based violence prevention programs. 

The senator said Penn-Trafford and Gateway were awarded Safe Schools Equipment Grants.  Penn-Trafford will receive $18,384 and Gateway $19,274 to assist in reducing unnecessary student disciplinary actions.

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