Senator Brewster Announces Education Bill Aimed at Improving Student Mental Health

Senator Brewster Announces Education Bill Aimed at Improving Student Mental Health

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 Announces $450,000 in School Safety and Security Grants

Brewster Announces $450,000 in School Safety and Security Grants

McKeesport – Oct. 30, 2018 – Sen. Jim Brewster (D- Allegheny/Westmoreland) announced today that $450,000 in School Safety and Security grants were awarded to various school districts in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.  The grant funding was authorized by the School Safety and Security Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

“Pushing resources out to schools quickly was one of the top priorities of the School Safety and Security Committee,” Brewster said. “Districts can use the funds to help protect students and make our school buildings safer and more secure.” 

Brewster is a member of the School Safety and Security Committee.  He was appointed earlier this year.

Local school districts that received the $25,000 grant allocation include:

  • Baldwin-Whitehall School District (Allegheny County)
  • Brentwood Borough School District (Allegheny County)
  • Clairton City School District (Allegheny County)
  • Duquesne City School District (Allegheny County)
  • East Allegheny School District (Allegheny County)
  • Elizabeth Forward School District (Allegheny County)
  • Gateway School District (Allegheny County)
  • McKeesport Area School District (Allegheny County)
  • Plum Borough School District (Allegheny County)
  • South Allegheny School District (Allegheny County)
  • West Mifflin Area School District (Allegheny County)
  • Woodland Hills School District (Allegheny County)
  • West Jefferson School District (Allegheny County)
  • Burrell School District (Westmoreland County)
  • Kiski Area School District (Westmoreland County)
  • New Kensington-Arnold School District (Westmoreland County)
  • Leechburg Area School District (Westmoreland County)
  • Penn-Trafford Area School District (Westmoreland County)

Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 44 into law in June of 2018 which established the School Safety and Security Committee. The committee was charged with developing criteria for school safety and security assessments along with issues surveys to measure their safety and security preparedness.  It also administers grants to schools to improve safety and security.

There was a total of $52.5 million allocated to the School Safety and Security Grant Program for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

-30-