WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Dan Maffei today announced that the Lyons Central School District has been awarded $723,102 through the Department of Education and $100,000 through the U.S Department of Health and Human Services as part of an initiative to improve school safety and expand mental health services for students and young adults.
“This much-needed funding will allow the Lyons Central School District to improve school safety by expanding the mental health services available to its students,” said Senator Schumer. “This funding will be an investment in the health of an entire community, and I will continue to fight for this kind of funding for our local schools and community programs that aim to increase the detection of and awareness surrounding mental health.”
“Every student in New York deserves to get a quality education in a safe environment,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Providing students with more behavioral resources and support will help address their mental health needs so we can prevent violence from erupting in our schools. These federal investments in the Lyons Central School District will help bridge the gap for students in need and will help keep our children safe.”
“We must do all that we can to prevent gun violence and help those suffering from mental illness get the help they need,” said Rep. Maffei. “It is critical that we increase access to mental health services and provide our local schools with resources to help make them safer. I am proud to support this federal funding to support and promote healthy school climates within the Lyons Central School District.”
“These grants are a great win for our community,” said Jay Roscup, Project Administrator for Lyons Central School District. “This funding will support our efforts to build collaborative prevention and early intervention programs for our students. Too often we wait until something is really wrong. With these grants, we can work together to intervene early and often and keep kids on track for success.”
The funding is part of the President’s “Now is the Time” initiative designed to reduce the threat of violence schools following the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.