Two private schools in Schuylkill County will be made safer for students and staff, thanks to recently awarded grants from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
Nativity BVM High School in Pottsville and River Rock Academy in Cressona were approved for funding through the Targeted School Safety for Nonpublic Schools program.
Nativity received $36,555 and River Rock Academy was awarded $50,840 from the program, which provides funding to nonpublic schools to address school violence prevention and student mental health needs.
Nativity plans to use the money for numerous initiatives for the upcoming school year, principal Michael Grabowski said.
The school plans to revise its cellphone policy, and will therefore purchase individual pouches that all students will keep their phones locked in throughout the school day.
Nativity has had cases of students using their phones in school for cyberbullying or in other harmful ways, and wants to be proactive about cellphone use before a more serious incident occurs, Grabowski said.
The intent of the policy is also to lessen classroom distractions for students, and to encourage them to speak with each other more instead of spending so much time engaged with their screens, said assistant to the principal Jennifer Daubert.
The school will also use the grant to pay a part-time guidance counselor it will contract with.
That counselor will work with the full-time counselor the school already employs through Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29.
The new counselor will work 15-20 hours per week beginning this coming school year, focusing on students struggling with anxiety or other mental or emotional issues, Grabowski said, which will free up the current counselor to focus on helping students with career and college planning, scholarships and student loans.
Nativity will use the remainder of the grant to assess its school climate and behavior, and also its building security.
Those assessments will help the school learn ways that it can improve in both areas, whether it’s in assisting the growing number of students who require mental health support, or making physical improvements to the building so it is more secure, Grabowski said.
Once those assessments are completed, the school will be more likely to be approved for further grants to finance those improvements, he said.
River Rock Academy describes itself as an alternative education facility for disruptive youth in grades six through 12.
Academy said it would use the money to support several important safety and security initiatives across its Cressona campus.
They include:
-Upgrading the school’s emergency communications systems to improve internal communication among staff and enhance coordination with first responders during emergencies.
-Expanding video surveillance coverage to strengthen campus security and improve situational awareness.
– Enhancing visitor management and campus monitoring capabilities to better track and manage visitor access and movement throughout school grounds.
“The investments will help improve our overall preparedness, strengthen security measures, and further our commitment to providing a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for all students, staff, and visitors,” said Stephen Humphrey, River Rock Director of Safety and Security.
State legislators representing Schuylkill County spoke about the importance of the grants, including state representatives Tim Twardzik (R-123), Jamie Barton (R-124), Dane Watro (R-116) and JoAnne Stehr (R-107), and state Sen. Dave Argall (R-29).
“Every student deserves to learn in a safe and secure environment,” Twardzik said. “These grants will help Nativity BVM High School and River Rock Academy strengthen their safety and security measures, providing greater peace of mind for students, families, educators and staff. Investing in school safety is an investment in our children and our communities, and I am pleased to see these resources coming to Schuylkill County.”
“This investment will make a meaningful difference in creating safer, more supportive learning environments for our students, staff and families,” Barton said. “We are deeply grateful for the well‑being of our school community and for the chance to empower schools to take important steps toward prevention and early intervention.”
“Every student deserves to learn in an environment where they feel safe, supported and protected,” Watro said. “These grants will help our nonpublic schools strengthen security, address mental health needs and take proactive steps to prevent violence.”
“Keeping our schools safe is fundamental to supporting student success,” Stehr said. “These grants provide important resources to help schools and safety partners strengthen security measures and expand supports that promote a healthy learning environment. I am grateful to see continued investment in protecting students, educators and school communities across Pennsylvania.”
“Every student and educator deserves to feel safe at school,” Argall said. “I am pleased this highly competitive funding was awarded to Nativity BVM High School and River Rock Academy.”
Funding from the Targeted School Safety for Nonpublic Schools program is also available to municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and approved school security personnel vendors that provide school security services to public and nonpublic schools.
