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DeVos Approves $1M Grant to Help Florida District Cope With Shooting Aftermath

By Alyson Klein — March 02, 2018 1 min read
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Broward County Public Schools will receive a $1 million federal grant to help cope with the aftermath of the mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Friday.

The grant will be financed through the Project School Emergency Response to Violence, or SERV, which helps communities recover from significant, traumatic events. The district could use it to cover the cost of mental health and counseling services; overtime for teachers, counselors, and security staff; substitutes; and other expenses.

Project SERV grants have also been used in Newtown, Conn., after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, after unrest in Baltimore in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray, and in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

DeVos and her team have been in contact with school and district officials over the past two weeks to assess their needs, according to the department.

“My heart is broken for the students, teachers and families who have had to endure this unthinkable tragedy,” DeVos said in a statement. “I am committed to helping identify solutions to prevent another tragedy like this one from happening again.”

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