In December, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools gave $50,000 each to three districts recovering from multiple student suicides. The grant, Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SER V), funds recovery projects in districts after a traumatic event has occurred that disrupts the learning environment.
- Shannon County (S.D.) School District received a Project SER V grant following the suicide deaths of nine students during the 2009-2010 school year.
- Anoka Hennepin (Minn.) Independent School District 11 received assistance for ongoing recovery efforts following nine student suicide deaths since September 2009.
- Marin County (Calif.) Office of Education received grant money to cope with two student suicide deaths, an automobile accident and a gang-related stabbing.
In response to a heightened awareness of student mental health concerns and increasing requests for guidelines on bullying, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a memo to state leaders on Dec. 16 outlining key elements for strong anti-bullying policies.
For more information, visit www2.ed.gov/programs/dvppserv.
