Monterey County Office of Education gets nearly $3 million to address youth violence

A day after it was announced that, once again, Monterey County leads California in youth violence, the Monterey County Office of Education says it's received $2.8 million to tackle the problem.

The money comes from three grants. A $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's School Climate Transformation Grant to implement Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support -- PBIS -- in several schools. PBIS is a method that reinforces positive behavior as a way to decrease disruptions in the classroom, and therefore, student suspensions and expulsions. The funding will also address better understanding and response to the underlying causes for youth to act out and engage in violent behaviors (i.e., mental health and trauma).

A $100,000 grant comes from the National Forum to Prevent Youth Violence, also to support PBIS.

A $100,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Mental Health Services to offer a Youth Mental Health First Aid Program to train adults to identify and address the mental health problems and issues of Salinas’ students aged 12 to 18.

A cadre of politicians, educators and law enforcement officials will have an official announcement next week, with details about how it'll all work out.

Stay tuned.