PA Gov. Schweiker Announces More Than $26 Million In Alternative-Education Grants To Make Schools Safer.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Gov. Mark Schweiker today announced more than $26 million in alternative-education grants to make Pennsylvania's schools safer and to improve student learning.

"Soon, parents across Pennsylvania will start getting their children ready to head back to school," Gov. Schweiker said. "We expect our kids to learn in school -- and we expect them to be safe.

"These grants can help schools get disruptive students out of regular classrooms and into settings where they can get counseling and extra help. And that means the rest of the children can focus on learning."

The Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth Program is a key component of the Administration's landmark safe-schools initiative. Schools can use the funds to remove chronically disruptive students from regular school programs and place them in alternative-education programs. Alternative-education programs offer specialized instruction and counseling to help disruptive students change their behavior.

All school districts, career and technical schools, charter schools, and intermediate units are eligible to apply for the grants. Funds are awarded to all eligible applicants on a proportional basis.

Gov. Schweiker's 2002-03 budget earmarks $30 million for alternative- education, safe-schools and education-mentoring programs. Including today's announcement, the Administration has invested $105 million in alternative- education programs since 1995.

The Administration's Act 48 of 1999 gave schools a new tool to help them deal with chronically disruptive students. Under this law, schools are able to contract with private alternative-education providers.

Such efforts to prevent violence and protect children have helped Pennsylvania earn national distinction as the "uncontested leader in juvenile crime prevention," according to the National Center for Juvenile Justice.

All told, through this year, the Administration and the General Assembly will have invested more than $468 million in state and federal funds to prevent youth violence and keep Pennsylvania's children and their teachers safe.

 
  Other safe-school initiatives include: 
  --  Establishing the Office of Safe Schools in the Department of 
      Education to help coordinate anti-violence efforts between schools 
      and community organizations and to help schools develop programs to 
      combat school violence; 
  --  Creating a safe-schools website that provides links to school-safety 
      and violence-prevention resources and organizations in Pennsylvania 
      and across the country; 
  --  Providing hands-on training for educators, giving them the critical 
      skills and information they need to implement successful programs in 
      their schools; 
  --  Convening the award-winning Pennsylvania Safe Schools Summit to 
      enable schools and communities across the state to share successful 
      prevention and intervention strategies to reduce violence in our 
      schools and communities; and 
  --  Creating the Governor's Community Partnership for Safe Children to 
      encourage community-based initiatives that promote the reduction of 
      child abuse, academic failure, illiteracy and other factors that make 
      children more vulnerable to crime. 
  A complete list of alternative-education grant recipients follows. 
  County Name   Applicant Name        Program Name            Grant 
  Adams       Bermudian Springs SD    AEP                      $16,650 
              Conewago Valley SD      HOPE Classrooms          $39,960 
              Lincoln IU 12           Adams Co Manito          $96,570 
              Lincoln IU 12           Adams,Frank, 
                                       York Jails             $129,870 
              Lincoln IU 12           Phoenix Project          $19,980 
              Lincoln IU 12           Preeminence, Inc.        $39,960 
              Littlestown ASD         BOLTS                    $18,315 
              Littlestown ASD         Maple Avenue 
                                       MS AEP                  $18,315 
  Allegheny   Allegheny IU3           AEP-Academic Inst        $58,275 
              Allegheny IU 3          AEP-Community 
                                       Schools                  $8,325 
              Allegheny IU 3          AEP-Regional Ed Sup      $33,300 
              Allegheny IU 3          AEP - Shuman Center      $49,950 
              Allegheny Valley SD     Opportunity Center       $21,645 
              Avonworth SD            AEP                      $21,645 
              Baldwin-Whitehall SD    CIS                     $149,850 
              Baldwin-Whitehall SD    The Learning Center HS   $54,945 
              Baldwin-Whitehall SD    The Learning Center MS   $31,635 
              Bethel Park SD          Bethel Park AEP          $83,250 
              Career Connect CHS      Steeler Prog             $56,610 
              Carlynton SD            Carlynton SD AEP         $28,305 
              Chartiers Valley SD     Chartiers Valley AEP      $6,660 
              Deer Lakes SD           HS AEP                   $16,650 
              Deer Lakes SD           MS AEP                   $16,650 
              Duquesne City SD        Duquesne Alt HS           $6,660 
              Duquesne City SD        Duquesne Alt MS           $4,995 
              Fox Chapel ASD          MERGE                    $39,960 
              Hampton Township SD     Alt Resource Room         $8,325 
              Highlands SD            Highlands SD Alt         $41,625 
              Keystone Oaks SD        Keystone Oaks Opport     $29,970 
              McKeesport ASD          McKeesport ASD Alt Ed    $66,600 
              North Allegheny SD      LINC                     $41,625 
              Northern A Spec Pur     Northern A Alt HS       $141,525 
              Northgate SD…