Rep. Crow Announces $2.8 Million Grant to Assist Colorado Victims of the 2019 Shooting at STEM School in Highlands Ranch
Nearly $3 million will go towards the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice’s Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Jason Crow announced the Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime will grant $2,878,767 to the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice to assist victims of the 2019 shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch.
"Our community has carried a heavy burden from gun violence and it is critical that we support our families, students, and educators in their path to recovery from the STEM shooting. This federal grant is tremendous news and will play a pivotal role in helping our survivors move forward," said Crow.
The grant will fund programs that will reimburse organizations for services provided to victims of the shooting. They will also provide ongoing healing and resiliency services to students, their families, employees, and first responders. The services include meetings with a national school crisis and bereavement expert for students, parents and staff. The grant will also reimburse STEM School Resiliency Center expenses, including mental health services and training for clinicians and a resiliency coordinator, supplemental victim compensation expenses, victim security at court proceedings, and mental health services for first responders.
In 2019 after the STEM shooting Crow proposed and secured an amendment in that year's education funding bill that would provide $5 million for Project SERV, a program that funds mental health services for students that experienced a traumatic event, noting at the time, "by increasing funding, we can increase our ability to address the mental health among our precious population: our children."
Since 1995, Office for Victims of Crime Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program grants have provided supplemental support to victims and jurisdictions that have experienced incidents of terrorism or mass violence. The funding comes from the Crime Victims Fund, financed by fines and penalties paid by convicted federal offenders.