September 30, 2022 3:00 a.m. 

On Thursday, Governor Kate Brown announced that she has dedicated $3.3 million for school safety and violence prevention throughout Oregon.

A release said the funding will come from federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund dollars, which was reserved for allocations by governors through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education recently informed the Oregon Department of Education that Oregon is eligible for over $8.2 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Brown said Oregon schools should be safe, welcoming, and inclusive places for every student who walks through their doors. Brown said, “Every student in Oregon deserves to be safe from gun violence. Every parent should be able to send their child to school knowing they will come home safe. Every teacher and school employee should be able to go to work without fear for their safety or that of the students under their care”.

The release said combined with Student Success Act dollars and funding from Adi’s Act, the GEER funds will be used to fund new School Safety and Prevention System specialist positions in education service districts serving all 197 school districts across the state. These positions will continue to expand support to bolster the areas of the state in need of additional resources. The overall result includes an increase from 2 full time positions and 9 part time positions across the state to the equivalent of 19 full time positions at all 19 education service districts that service Oregon districts and schools statewide.

The release said this network of care, relational trust and support are the cornerstones of Oregon’s School Safety and Prevention System.