Wes Hickman (202 224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864 250-1417)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced the South Carolina Department of Education will receive $2.48 million in federal funds to support the development of the South Carolina Truancy and Dropout Prevention Initiative. The funds will be used to develop innovative technologies to identify and track youth at risk for truancy, to establish alternative community and school-based programs, and to create the South Carolina Center for Dropout and Truancy Prevention Programs. “The development of South Carolina’s youth is the key to future success in our state,” said Graham. The funds were awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Congressional Earmark Program. ####