The Linn Benton Lincoln Education Service District and its community partners have been awarded a grant of $6 million over four years from the federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative.

The grant is to be used to reduce youth violence, increase mental health services, and create a safe environment for all children in Linn County schools, said Scott Perry, director of Student Services at the ESD.

"We are excited and grateful for this opportunity to provide violence prevention and school safety resources to our community's schools and families," Perry said. "The Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant will help us reduce barriers to learning and teach our children positive social skills that will accompany them throughout their lives and enable them to make wise choices."

The federal government is in the process of refining and discussing elements of the grant with the ESD before funding goes out to agencies for hiring staff and putting together specific programs, Perry said.

Building on the initiative's collaborative framework, the education service district's mission brings together students, parents, educators, mental health agencies, local law enforcement and other community-based organizations to talk about violence prevention.

In turn, Linn Benton Lincoln ESD and its partners will work to create a safe school environment that addresses prevention and intervention needs for violence and substance abuse issues, provides mental health services to students in need, offers early childhood development services, and establishes safe school policies.

Linn Benton Lincoln ESD and its partner agencies intend to use funding from the federal grant to improve child and family access to needed early childhood, mental health, drug and alcohol prevention and positive behavior support in schools.

Funding from the grant also will assist in providing training to schools and other child and family-serving agencies in the prevention of bullying and gang-related behavior in the district's schools and community.

Democrat-Herald