In a press release, U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, all D-Conn., "applauded a $1.9 million School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the Newtown Public School District to support further recovery efforts in the wake of the December 14, 2012 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School."

This is the release, shared unedited here: 

“What happened in Newtown on December 14, 2012 was an unimaginable tragedy that has touched people across the country. As a nation, we have a solemn obligation to help this community rebuild and heal,” the members said. “This grant is another critical step in meeting that obligation and in making sure that Newtown teachers, students and families have the resources they need to restore a safe and healthy learning environment. We will continue to work with the Administration to ensure that the Newtown community has the support they need to heal, and we will advocate for them every step of the way.”

 

Today’s $1.9 million grant will go toward additional grief support services for siblings and those who lost their peers; classroom-based psycho-education and skill-building strategies; skill-based interventions for affected students identified as needing assistance for posttraumatic stress reactions, traumatic grief, separation anxiety and other behavioral and functional problems; tutoring for students demonstrating academic decline since the incident; additional security; and additional nursing services.

 

The U.S. Department of Education previously awarded a $1.3 Million SERV grant to the Newtown Public School District in May 2013. The previous grant supported both the actions taken by the district immediately following the shootings, as well as the district’s comprehensive school-based behavioral and academic recovery program. Those services included support groups for parents, siblings, students and teachers; creative expression and wellness activities; counseling; training for educators and school personnel; and additional support staff.

 Also in May 2013, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Murphy, and Congresswoman Esty introduced the Helping Communities Rebuild After Deadly School Shootings and Other Traumatic Events Act, which would authorize schools to apply for future funding through the existing SERV grant program for site construction in the wake of mass tragedies, and allow for federal assistance to Sandy Hook Elementary School for its reconstruction project.

 For more information about the Project SERV program, visit: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/dvppserv/index.html.  
 

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