FORT WORTH, Texas — Three school districts in the North Texas area were awarded a combined more than $1 million in federal grants totaling to reportedly improve school safety measures, U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced Thursday.
Fort Worth ISD, Lake Worth ISD and Farmersville ISD were all chosen for this federal grant money. The funding comes through the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
These two programs were recently authorized by Cornyn’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law on June 25, 2022. Cornyn's office says this legislation addresses specific concerns that have led to recent mass shootings, including the need for additional mental health services and school safety resources.
This announcement comes a couple of weeks after Governor Greg Abbott announced a new chief of school safety and security within the Texas Education Agency.
The title was given to John P. Scott, a former assistant special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service Dallas/North Texas District.
“No parent should fear for the safety of their student when they drop them off at school, and no student should be afraid when they walk into the classroom,” Cornyn said. “In the aftermath of the tragedy in Uvalde, I’m grateful that meaningful solutions are starting to be delivered through this funding to prevent violence, provide training to school personnel and students, and apply evidence-based threat assessments in Texas schools.”
Farmersville ISD received $500,000, Fort Worth ISD received $359,591 and Lake Worth ISD received $273,217.
