Washoe schools get anti-violence grant

RENO — The Washoe County School District has received a $973,000 federal grant for anti-violence programs, nearly a year after a deadly schoolyard shooting rampage in the Reno suburb of Sparks.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, in announcing the U.S. Department of Education grant on Friday, said it would support programs designed to keep students safe and improve their learning environments.

“The safety of our children is second to none and it must remain a top priority within our communities,” he said in a statement.

The Sparks Middle School shooting on Oct. 21 was a factor in the award of the grant, and Washoe County was among only 21 school districts nationwide in communities with “pervasive violence” to receive the funding, said Katherine Loudon, the district’s director of counseling.

A 12-year-old student fatally shot a teacher and wounded two classmates before turning the gun on himself.

“We know that violence did impact our community and the schools,” Loudon said. “(Preventing another school shooting) is definitely something we’re all hoping for.”

Sparks Middle School earlier received a nearly $700,000 grant providing for an additional counselor, a school psychologist and a campus police officer.