Today, U.S. Congressmen Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (D-TX-28) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23) announced $315,809 in federal funds to improve school safety at Lytle Independent School District (Lytle ISD). The funds, provided by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) School Violence Prevention Program, will be used for a variety of evidence-based school safety programs, including:

• Training for local law enforcement officers to prevent school violence;
• Placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures; and,
• Acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency.

“The COPS School Violence Prevention Program helps equip our schools with the safety measures they need to protect our students. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to keep this program fully funded. We’re seeing the results of that today right here in Lytle,” said Dr. Cuellar. “In Congress, I will continue to fight to improve school safety in South Texas. Thank you to my colleague and fellow Appropriator, Congressman Tony Gonzales, Lytle ISD Superintendent Michelle Carroll Smith, and the Lytle ISD Board of Trustees for working with me to secure these federal dollars.”

“I am pleased that Lytle ISD will receive funding through the COPS School Violence Prevention Program to enhance school safety,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales. “As Co-Chair of the School Safety and Security Caucus, it’s been a key priority of mine to encourage school districts to apply for grants that bolster school safety initiatives. It is critical that we continue to move funding out of Washington and back into our communities to curtail violence in our schools.”

To read more about the COPS School Violence Prevention Program, click here.

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