School Violence Prevention Act

Targeted Assistance for High-Risk Youth: The bill provides grants to assist youth at highest risk for involvement in gun violence within local communities and schools (Section 2(a)(b)).

Comprehensive Support Strategies: Programs can use evidence-based strategies to promote healing from trauma, strengthen emotional skills like empathy and problem-solving, and connect youth to mental health professionals or mentors (Section 2(a)(b)(1)).

Professional Development for Educators: The program allows for increasing access to trauma support services, social and emotional learning, and mental health services for teachers and school personnel (Section 2(a)(b)(4)).

Community and Family Engagement: Grants can be used to facilitate partnerships among youth, families, schools, and local businesses (Section 2(a)(b)(3)).

Equitable Distribution: The Secretary is required to ensure that grants are distributed equitably among the different regions of the United States (Section 2(a)(d)).

Strict Eligibility Requirements for Localities: To qualify, a local government must have met specific, high thresholds regarding homicides, violent injury rates, or juvenile arrest rates for the preceding two to three years (Section 2(a)(c)(1)(A)).

Grant Funding Limitations: Grantees are restricted in how they use funds for evaluation, specifically not being able to use more than 20 percent of the total grant amount for those activities (Section 2(a)(i)(2)(A)).