FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Nancy L. Soscia
Date: 10/13/04	Phone: 757.263.1820
News Release No. 47	Fax: 757.263.1011
	E-mail: nsoscia@vbschools.com

Virginia Beach City Public Schools Awarded Safe Schools Grant

Virginia Beach City Public Schools received a grant totaling $466,967.00 from the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools to strengthen the school division’s emergency preparation and response plan in order to effectively deal with a wide range of crises. This significant grant will enable the school division, for the first time, to develop a sustainable joint emergency response plan – coordinated by Virginia Beach City Public Schools and the City of Virginia Beach. The DOE sponsors this grant to emphasize the importance of collaboration between local school divisions and other first responders – fire, police, health, mental health and community groups – during emergency situations. “In this era when there is much emphasis on the need to ensure schools across the nation are a safe haven for students and staff, the funding from this grant will enable the school division’s Office of Safe Schools and Risk Management to improve all phases of crisis management for nearly 76,000 students and 12,000 employees,” said superintendent Tim Jenney. “Funding from this grant presents an opportunity to partner with city agencies and their respective resources as it relates to emergency preparedness in our schools.” During the next 18 months, both school and city staff will work together to evaluate current safe schools plans, develop training, purchase equipment, review policies/procedures, and ultimately implement a comprehensive safe schools plan to be reviewed and updated on an annual basis. Virginia Beach City Public Schools is one of two school divisions in the state to receive this 18-month grant. School divisions, across the nation, compete annually for funding made available through the Emergency Response and Crisis Management Grant Program. Approximately 109 school divisions across the nation received grants ranging from $55,000 to $500,000.

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