Giffords Urges the Dept. of Education to Use Funding to Reduce Gun Violence Among Children and Teens

Washington DC — Today, Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released a memo highlighting implementation recommendations for the US Department of Education regarding funding for school-based violence prevention and intervention programs provided by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). The BSCA appropriated $1 billion to support the Stronger Connections grant program, $50 million to expand 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and another $1 billion over five years to expand two programs within the National Activities for School Safety: School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) Grants and the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration (MHSP) Grants.

“For the first time in modern history, the leading cause of death for American children and teens is firearms. We as a country cannot let this epidemic continue. Gun violence is concentrated in under-resourced communities, disproportionately harming Black and Latino youth. This exposure to violence at a young age causes significant trauma and takes a heavy toll on children’s mental and physical health, impacting their ability to perform academically and putting them at increased risk of violence involvement. Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to reduce violence and save lives. The Department of Education must ensure they are prioritizing the right programs when investing this critical funding to help students impacted by violence and save another generation from experiencing the trauma of gun violence.”

Read the full memo here. 

Giffords recommends that the Department of Education update its Non-Regulatory Guidance: Student Support and Academic Enrichment by:

• Incorporating recent Department statements that clarify that Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant funding can be directed to community violence intervention (CVI) programs, identify the priorities for BSCA Stronger Connections funding, and provide specific information about how BSCA Stronger Connections funding can be used to support CVI programs.
• Clarifying that safe and secure gun storage notifications and state Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) implementation are an allowable use for BSCA Stronger Connections program funding.
• Clarifying that gun violence rates in schools, and in the community surrounding a school, can be used as a factor when identifying which schools are “persistently dangerous” and therefore eligible for SSAE funding for evidence-informed CVI programming and other gun violence prevention measures.

Giffords recommends that the Department of Education update its 21st Century Community Learning Centers Non-Regulatory Guidance by:

• Incorporating the Department’s October 25, 2021 Dear Colleague letter indicating that CVI programs are an allowable use for 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) funding.
• Incorporating the Department’s October 2022 21st CCLC BSCA memo, which encourages states to prioritize subgrantees that support family engagement, implement trauma-informed practices, and establish mentoring programs.

Giffords recommends that the Department of Education issue guidance on the use of SBMH and MHSP grants for trauma associated with gun violence that:

• Outlines the trauma associated with gun violence exposure and its impact on student health and academic success.
• Specifies that a high rate of gun violence demonstrates a significant need for additional school-based mental health services providers under the SBMH grant program.
• Specifies that a high rate of gun violence is sufficient for schools to be considered “high-need” under the MHSP grant program.
• Specifies that trauma-informed counseling programs that aim to reduce the trauma associated with gun violence exposure are an allowable activity under the SBMH grant program.

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