Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, announced at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, November 17, that the Sandy Hook School Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to the school district.

The Sandy Hook School Foundation is a nonprofit organization run by the Sandy Hook Elementary School PTA. Its mission is to “support programs, resources, and enrichment that can make a positive difference in our school community,” according to its website, sandyhookschoolfoundation.org.

The foundation began in the wake of the events of 12/14, with the Sandy Hook School PTA receiving donations, according to the foundation, and to help manage the donations the state PTSA set up the Sandy Hook Fund, which went on to be called the Sandy Hook School Foundation.

Dr Erardi said the foundation offered the district administration and the Board of Education the opportunity to apply for the grant for next school year and “years to come.”

“We found out today through their executive board that we are extremely fortunate to have been awarded $500,000, with $239,000 and change earmarked for the next school year,” said Dr Erardi.

The superintendent told the school board the grant offers a transition from the School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grant, which will end this school year.

Dr Erardi said the new grant will “ensure the parent community and the student community of the mental health providers that must be in place.”

Dr Erardi also publicly thanked the Sandy Hook School Foundation for thinking of and extending the opportunity for the grant.

Sandy Hook School Foundation President Tracey Jaeger said on Wednesday, November 18, the foundation has been focusing on awarding smaller grants to support physical, mental, and emotional well-being of students, staff, and family. The long-term plan for the foundation, according to Ms Jaeger, is to help fill gaps in mental health funding. With the SERV grant coming to an end, Ms Jaeger said, the foundation approached the district with the option of applying for a grant.

Ms Jaeger said the grant will cover only what was in place under the SERV grant.

“It’s continuing existing services that would have been expired,” said Ms Jaeger. Later she added, “There is nothing new coming into this.”

The full $500,000 grant, according to Ms Jaeger, will be used at the district’s discretion year to year, with the roughly $239,000 of the grant marked for next school year’s use.