Secretary DeVos Announces $1 Million Initial Recovery Grant to Santa Fe Independent School District

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced that the Department’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS) has awarded Santa Fe Independent School District a Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grant totaling $1 million. The grant will help with recovery efforts following the tragic shootings at Santa Fe High School in Texas, on May 18, 2018.

“No student, parent or educator should have to experience the trauma suffered by so many at Santa Fe High School and other schools throughout the country,” said Secretary DeVos. This initial SERV grant will help to provide essential services that will aid in the healing and recovery process. Every day, the work of the Federal Commission on School Safety grows more urgent. We continue to focus on identifying proven ways to prevent violence and keep our students safe at school.

The Department’s Project SERV grants provide critical funding for school districts, colleges and universities that have experienced significant traumatic events and need resources to respond, recover and re-establish safe environments for students. There are two types of Project SERV awards—Immediate Services and Extended Services. Immediate Services grants provide emergency, short-term assistance to affected school districts or colleges and universities. Extended Services grants assist school districts and colleges and universities in carrying out the long-term recovery efforts that may be needed following a significant, traumatic event. Santa Fe Independent School District received an Immediate Services grant.

Secretary DeVos and Department officials are in frequent contact with state and local education leaders in Texas as they assess their needs in the wake of this tragedy.

Featured

  • StarRez Releases 2025 State of Student Housing Report

    Student housing software solutions provider StarRez recently released its second State of the Student Housing Industry Report, according to a news release. The report is based on the results of survey data from more than 400 higher education institutions around the world, both StarRez clients and not.

  • ALAS Announces 2025–26 Award Winners

    The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) recently announced the winners of its 2025–26 leadership awards, according to a news release. Winners will be recognized at the ALAS 22nd National Summit on Education, scheduled for Oct. 15–17 in Chicago, Ill.

  • illustration of a school building under construction

    One District, One Way: Bringing Consistency to K–12 Construction Projects

    From budgeting to closeout, here's how a single playbook can turn chaos into clarity in school construction programs.

  • North Dakota State University Completes Music School Renovation

    North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D., recently announced that construction on the Challey School of Music has finished, according to a news release. The university partnered with Foss Architecture & Interiors for design and Kraus-Anderson for construction services, and construction began in July 2024.