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# U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Statement on One Year Since the Uvalde Shooting

# U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Statement on One Year Since the Uvalde Shooting

May 24, 2023

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

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Exactly one year since the mass shooting at  Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel  Cardona issued the following statement: 

  “One year ago, in Uvalde, Texas, families experienced the  horror of learning their precious loved ones were among the 19 fourth graders  and two educators killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, along  with 17 others seriously injured.  “In the wake of this tragedy, the U.S. Department of  Education pledged that Uvalde would not have to shoulder this burden alone, and  that we would use every resource available to support them in every way  possible. One year later, the needs in Uvalde remain significant. In addition  to the $1.5 million we provided last year to support their immediate needs, we  are continuing our commitment with another $1.5 million Project SERV grant to  help students, families, and educators continue coping with this grief and  trauma as the district works to restore a sense of safety in their schools.

  “We cannot fathom the unspeakable pain these families and  the community have endured over the last year. We cannot accept a status quo in  which our educators have to teach our children how to run, hide, and fight  before they learn to read. We cannot ignore that America is the only country  where guns are the number one killer of children and teens.

  “I am proud of the long overdue investments in school  safety and mental health made possible by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,  which President Biden signed into law last year. We as a nation, must do more.  Military-style weapons have turned far too many schools and communities into  battlefields, and as President Biden has made clear, we need stronger,  commonsense gun violence prevention laws.

  “I will never forget my visit to Uvalde, mourning with  the families and teachers, and listening to their desperate pleas for action. I  pray for them, and I pray for our nation’s lawmakers to put the lives of  children ahead of the gun industry.”  To continue support for the Uvalde community, the U.S.  Department of Education (Department) is awarding an additional $1.5 million in School Emergency  Response to Violence (Project SERV) grant funding to the Uvalde  Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) to support the district’s  ongoing recovery efforts. The funding will help sustain activities currently  funded by the $1.5 million Project SERV grant the district received last year in the immediate wake of the tragedy.

  Following last year’s tragedy, Secretary Cardona visited  Uvalde and initiated  emergency funding to meet critical needs in the district and broader  community. Since the tragedy, Secretary Cardona and other Department staff  communicated with UCISD leadership and their Texas Education Agency colleagues  and pledged to support district recovery efforts in the district and community  with a range of technical assistance, including direct access to Department  personnel and partners who have helped other school districts navigate, respond  to, and recover after acts of school violence.  Project SERV funds are authorized under the Elementary  and Secondary Education Act and may be used for activities that help restore a  sense of safety and security for the district’s students, teachers, staff, and  families, and that address specific needs of those individuals directly  affected by the shooting. Such activities include providing mental health  services for staff and students; overtime pay for teachers, counselors, and  security staff; and the activities may take place over the summer in the form  of additional summer programming.

  Because of lives lost in Buffalo and Uvalde and the  courageous advocacy of the victims’ families and survivors of these shootings,  and so many other acts of gun violence, President Biden worked with Congress to  enact the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most significant gun  safety legislation in nearly 30 years. Among other investments, BSCA provides  $1 billion in Stronger Connections Grant Program funding to support  states, districts, and schools in establishing safe, healthy, and supportive  learning environments. With this funding, states must develop competitions for  high-need local educational agencies to apply for funding, which they may use  for purposes such as expanding school-based mental health services, providing  safety and violence prevention programs, addressing the physical security of  schools, and creating and implementing emergency operating plans. Most states  are in the process of running these competitions and awarding these grants now.

  The Department has also made nearly $300 million in awards to date for school-based mental  health supports for schools, which are projected to prepare an additional  14,000 mental health professionals for America’s schools. And, on May 18, 2023,  the Department and HHS announced  additional actions that will make it easier for schools to bill Medicaid to  deliver necessary health services, including mental health services, to  students.
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