It’s heartbreaking that violence and threats of it at U.S. schools has become so commonplace over the years — but it’s great to see county schools obtaining funds to combat this scourge.

This week, two school districts — Butler Area and Karns City Area — were awarded grants through the state Department of Education to improve school safety, while the Butler Area school board also approved a new analyst who will focus on behavioral issues.

Butler County has been no stranger to school-related threats. There have been several instances in recent years of students making threats at their schools, although most ended up being ones that weren’t actually accompanied by any planned action.

The most recent incident involved a Seneca Valley middle schooler who is alleged to have posted disturbing messages on TikTok.

Needless to say, the $20,000 grant for Butler and a $21,000 one for Karns City were good news.

Butler’s grant money will go toward installing cameras and access control systems at Broad Street Elementary School, while Karns City’s will be used to reimburse the Karns City Area Jr./Sr. High School for a new camera system installed last summer and to purchase new vapor detectors.

Meanwhile, the Butler school board voted Monday to approve the hiring of a board certified behavioral analyst following an increase in behavioral issues this past year, which superintendent Brian White said was likely a result of transitioning from remote to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The analyst would go from school to school in the district to work with students and teachers to cut down on behavioral issues. He would be deployed to any specific building where issues needed to be addressed.

No matter the place or time — whether it’s during a pandemic that led to isolation among students or our current era marked by constant violence at schools across the nation — it is inevitable that behavioral issues will exist at schools.

Considering that Butler County has seen its share of school-related threats or violent episodes — such as an attack last year on a 16-year-old boy in a locker room at the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School — additional security efforts at any county school are always welcome.

It’s easier for students to learn, teachers to instruct and parents to feel comfortable about their children’s well-being when our schools are safe environments. We hope this latest round of safety initiatives will be followed by others.

— NCD