The grant is from the U.S. Department of Education and will span for four years if positive results are seen. This school year, Pender County will cash in nearly one-and-a-half million dollars, which will fund after school programs, mental health services, and parent workshops.
Pender County Schools spokesperson Julie Askew, says the grant will also fund a gang unit.
"They will do parent trainings; they will do staff trainings on awareness and picking up on key signs of gang involvement."
Askew says the county has seen an increase in gang-related behaviors both in the schools and the community. The gang unit will include a detective, two officers, and a social worker.
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