Daily News | Roxborough High School is getting $500,000 for security enhancements after the fatal shooting last month
The state funding, which is coming from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, was secured by state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, state Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio, and state Sen. Vince Hughes. The legislators did not elaborate on what the money will be spent on.found that thousands of people have been shot near schools in Philadelphia in recent years, and at least 528 people have been shot within 400 feet of a school in the past year alone.
“This for me is not a moment of celebration. Nicholas is gone and four other students will never be the same. This is the least we can do to help make students and families at Roxborough feel a tiny bit safer in light of this tragedy,” Kenyatta, who is , said in a press release. “We must do everything possible to make sure that another parent or guardian doesn’t have to grieve the loss of their child.”Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Sr. thanked the legislators.
“We have always viewed our schools as safe havens for our students and our Office of School Safety, alongside school administration and staff, work tirelessly to keep our students safe,” Watlington said in the press release. Inquirer reporters Aseem Shukla, Kristen Graham, Ellie Rushing, and Rodrigo Torrejón contributed to this report.