Weymouth To Receive $20,000 Grant for School Safety

The following is a news release.

The Patrick Administration announced on Monday that the Weymouth Public Schools will be one of 15 school districts across the Commonwealth to receive grants to help enhance school safety and security. The grants, totaling close to $200,000, were awarded following a request for proposals from the Administration this fall.

Governor Patrick announced the new grant program last summer when he released the report of the Massachusetts School Safety and Security Task Force. Nearly 100 school districts applied for funding.

“These grants became reality because Governor Patrick and I heard directly from the field there was a need for this,” said Secretary of Education Matthew Malone. “We are proud that these grants will help fund not just the upgrading of outdated or nonexistent technology, but also some innovative and critically important behavioral health initiatives.”

Weymouth Public Schools will receive a grant of $20,000.

In January, through Executive Order No. 548, Governor Patrick established a cross-Secretariat Task Force on School Safety and Security. The Task Force was charged with developing school safety and security guidelines that school districts could adapt and implement to ensure that students and educators are safe in the event of an emergency situation. Members of the task force appointed by the Governor included, among others, representatives of the education, behavioral health and law enforcement communities. The Task Force met regularly since January across the Commonwealth, hearing from a wide variety of experts on best practices and guidelines related to school safety and security. The Task Force was co-chaired by the Secretaries of Education, Health and Human Services and Public Safety. The report issued 29 recommendations aimed at enhancing school district safety and security.