U.S. Attorney for Arizona Michael Bailey announced on Friday that more than $2 million in Department of Justice grants to address violence in schools will go to Arizona organizations. 

The five entities that will receive funding are: 

• Page Unified School District: $709,293
• Santa Cruz County School Superintendent’s Office: $672,024
• Tempe Union High School District: $492,632
• Wickenburg Unified School District: $231,907
• Casa Blanca Community School: $93,558

The grants are part of more than $87 million dedicated to school security, first responders and research on school safety. They come from the department’s Office of Justice Programs, according to a statement. 

“Only by removing the threat of violence from our schools can we expect our kids to reap the full benefits of their education, and only after making our places of learning safe can we ask our teachers to instruct and inspire as they are trained to do,” Deputy Attorney General Katharine Sullivan said. 

Congress passed the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018, or STOP, which authorizes DOJ to manage grant programs that support states, local governments and federally recognized Native American tribes to prevent and reduce school violence, according to the Justice Department.

“The Department of Justice is committed to securing our schools from danger and giving our kids the support they need to learn, grow and thrive,” Sullivan said.

Santa Cruz County School Superintendent’s Office and Wickenburg Unified School District can use its funds to train school personnel and educate students on preventing student violence against others and themselves, including anti-bullying training, according to the statement.

Casa Blanca Community School and Page Unified School District can use their funds to operate technology solutions like anonymous reporting systems for threats of school violence, the statement said. 

Tempe Union High School District will receive its money funds as part of carry-over funds from school safety grants.

In the 2018-19 school year, more than 3,434 threats and violent incidents occurred in K-12 across the U.S., according to a report by the Educator’s School Safety Network.

Actual incidents of violence also increased by 34% from the previous year, or 374 incidents of violence in the 2018-19 school year, the report found.

In addition, the most frequent incidents in the school year were false reports, mock attacks, suspicious person, and gun found, according to the report. 

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