A $3.4 million federal grant will fill support gaps at Peoria’s three public high schools.
Peoria Public Schools received a School Climate Transformation Grant it will use to start the “Lights On, Peoria” program at Richwoods, Manual and Peoria Central.
Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat said the grant will help vulnerable students and “ignite a fire” for their success.
“If you work hard and you play by the rules, for the most part, one should have the opportunity to succeed. But for some students, we have to provide intervention," Kherat said.
State Rep.Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) said this is how Peoria can tackle its problems before they end up in the news.
“It is getting to the very root cause of some of the issues that we’re seeing displayed much later in life," she said. "And so the work that’s happening and the visionary leadership of how you better help and support children and their families is exactly what we should be doing.”
The program will be tailored to the needs of students at each high school. Services will include tutoring, counseling, career mentoring, and access to justice advocates, opioid education and professional learning.
