WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2021) The US Department of Justice� has awarded nearly $126 million to the country's schools to combat a growing wave of violence, Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Thursday.
"The Justice Department has no greater responsibility than protecting Americans from harm," Garland said in a press release. "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."
The grants will help institute safety measures in and around Primary and secondary schools, bolster school violence prevention efforts, offer training to students and school personnel and employ evidence-based threat assessments, the release said.
The grants are designed to improve security at schools and on school grounds through evidence-based school safety programs, the Justice Department said. The funding also provides grants to ensure a positive school climate by helping students and teachers recognize, respond quickly to and help prevent acts of violence.
�The funding comes amid an apparent spike in school violence, including deadly shootings. The US NGO Everytown for Gun Safety documented at least 149 incidents of gunfire on US school grounds this year, resulting in 32 deaths and 94 injuries nationwide.
