California Accepting Applications for $118 Million School Safety Grant

By Campus Contingency

The State of California Department of Education has just announced it is accepting applications through Sept. 12 for the state’s $118 million share of the BSCA Stronger Connections Grant Program (BSCA-SCG).

The goals of the BSCA-SCG are to support evidence-based programs, structures, approaches, and practices that will increase school safety, better meet the increasingly urgent mental health needs of identified youth and to increase the safety and emotional well-being of all students.

The funding was part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act signed on June 25, 2022, to address the impact that gun violence has had on our nation’s schools and communities. As part of the legislation, Congress authorized $1 billion in funding under Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to state educational agencies (SEAs) to provide students with safer and healthier learning environments. The BSCA directs SEAs to award these funds competitively to high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) to fund activities allowable under section 4108 of the ESEA.

For more information, call the School Health and Safety Office at (916) 319-0914 or email Tom Herman at BSCA-SCG@cde.ca.gov.