Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala has announced that the district has received a $60,000 state school safety grant from the Student, Teachers and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence grant program.
The funding will support the development of a crisis intervention team (CIT) at the high school. The undertaking will be conducted in partnership with the City and the Peabody Police Department.
“The safety of students and staff is our top concern and we are grateful to receive this funding, which will have a significant impact on our work to prevent violence and support the needs of our entire school community,” Vadala said. “This grant will enable us to expand our capacity to develop systems and protocols that we can implement to identify and mitigate potential threats.”
The funding will also be used to conduct a school threat assessment that will help identify threats before they materialize, including those from individuals experiencing mental health crises. Students, school personnel, and local first responders will be trained to become partners in preventing school violence.
“The STOP grant will enable us to undertake a full and comprehensive school threat assessment at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School that can then be expanded to all schools in the city,” said Peabody Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt, Jr.
The district will partner with a consultant to complete the threat assessment for the high school, which will facilitate the development of school-based and districtwide threat assessment teams.
The grant is managed and administered by the Massachusetts Office of Grants and Research. Peabody is one of 14 districts to receive the grant.
“Massachusetts remains deeply committed to working with our partners across state and local agencies to ensure our schools offer a safe and healthy learning environment for our children and educators. These grants will provide the resources that school officials need to enhance safety and mitigate potential threats,” said Gov. Maura Healey.
