Newtown Schools Superintendent Joseph Erardi Jr.
In an effort to continue helping Newtown’s students, staff and parents recover from the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre of 26 first-graders and educators on Dec. 14, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday the district has been awarded another $3.1 million Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence) grant.
The funds will be used to put additional counselors, psychologists and social workers into the district to help with on-going efforts for resiliency essential for academic and personal growth, officials said.
Since the tragedy, Newtown has received two other SERV grants, totaling some $6.4 million, one of the largest awards to a district suffering from an act of violence. In total, the district has received over $16 million, including federal Department of Justice grants to help with additional safety and security measures, including financial coverage of unarmed security guards at all the schools and new building safety features.
The district’s federal delegation have proved steadfast in helping the district secure these funds because the enormity of the losses will reverberate through this community for many years to come. These dollars are intended to help provide the resources critical to that recovery, officials said.
Newtown Schools Superintendent Joseph Erardi Jr. praised the efforts of all federal lawmakers and administrators who have worked so diligently on the district’s behalf, and he assured that every dollar will be used wisely. The efforts to move forward are beginning, and with adeqauate resources he believes the district will be poised to do what the community wants for all of its children, staff and families.
“For those who believe, from the outside looking in, that Newtown has moved forward, Newtown has moved forward; they (district staff and students) are back and they are strong,” Erardi said. “However, that does not mean by any stretch that recovery or rebuilding is complete. We’re still in the beginning stages of it. That’s why this funding stream is so vital to us moving forward.”