Boback Meets Discusses School Mental Health Initiative Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming) met recently with Mark Barden, co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund, who wanted to acknowledge her work to create a new School Mental Health Initiative for Pennsylvania’s public schools. Barden’s 7-year-old son, Daniel, was one of the 26 victims of the mass school shooting in Newtown, Conn., nearly 10 years ago. His nonprofit organization works to advance legislation that promotes gun safety, youth mental health and violence prevention training. “So at the Sandy Hook Promise, we have long been on a mission, plain and simple, to prevent other families from having to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence,” Barden said. “We know that evidence-based violence prevention programs are effective. We have a growing database of interventions, where school shootings have been prevented, along with other acts of violence such as suicides, so we know that this works.” Boback was the prime sponsor of House Bill 540, a proposal included in the 2022-23 state budget that provides $100 million for the initiative. “The School Mental Health Initiative is modeled after ideas developed by Mark’s organization, and I am proud of my role in bringing it to our schools,” said Boback. “Under the new program, every school district in the Commonwealth will receive a grant of at least $100,000 to address the mental health needs of students.” “When we can partner with champions and leaders like Rep. Boback to get this legislation done, it is from the bottom of my heart that I come here and offer my deepest appreciation,” added Barden.
PS Bank Supports Lackawanna Trail School District PS Bank is proud to support the Lackawanna Trail School District for the 2021-2022 academic year with a charitable contribution of $5,000. PS Bank is an ardent supporter of the district as well as the greater Factoryville, Nicholson, and Dalton community. In acceptance of the monetary donation, Business Manager Keith Glynn said, “The money provided by PS Bank over the past few years has helped to provide resources for sports and music in the classroom where budgets may not have been able to stretch. For this year, we will be using the funds to buy a district-wide license for Kami which is a digital learning platform tool to help our educators create engaging and interactive materials in a virtual environment.” The relationship between Lackawanna Trail and PS Bank extends beyond annual donations in support of students. “Lackawanna Trail is extremely grateful for the relationship with PS Bank. On top of the great financial services provided through the local branches, the bank has strived to meet the needs of our organization and has been a great tool for us in our financial planning strategies,” said Glynn. Anthony Gabello, President & CEO of PS Bank knows that supporting public schools is the foundation of a prosperous community and is proud to have such a great relationship with Lackawanna Trail. “PS Bank is proud to support the Lackawanna Trail School District again this year. Serving the students and faculty of the district with our annual sponsorship of the high school auditorium allows school leadership to continue to provide an outstanding educational experience,” stated Gabello. PS Bank serves the Lackawanna Trail community at 118 College Avenue, Factoryville. For more information about banking at this branch, please reach out to Janice Bevacqua, Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager at jbevacqua@psbanking.com.
Boback Announces Over $6 Million in Federal Funding Awarded to Area School Districts Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming) has announced additional funding made available to local school districts from the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CCRSA). “Ensuring that our students and teachers are provided for has been a priority during this pandemic,” explained Boback. “It is wonderful to see that federal funds were made available to our school districts from this program that plans for and covers those additional expenses sustained due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” In the 117th Legislative District, Dallas, Lackawanna Trail, Lake Lehman, Northwest Area and Tunkhannock School Districts all received funding as a part of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). As part of the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CCRSA), Congress and the Trump Administration established and appropriated a total of $54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. Funding is distributed to states based on each state’s proportionate share of Title I, Part A (Title I-A) funding. ESSER funds are intended to support COVID-19 response efforts and may be spent on a wide range of allowable activities. Pennsylvania’s share of this funding is approximately $2.22 billion, which will be distributed to the state’s school districts and charter schools based on the Title I-A formula. This funding is on top of the $471 million that was distributed to school districts last year through the CARES Act.
