The U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education made a stop in Erie on Thursday, as part of the department's 2024 Back to School Bus Tour.

Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten met with officials from the Erie School District and United way, for a roundtable discussion on the Community Schools Model.

Marten's visit comes just one day after four people were killed and nine others were injured in a school shooting in Georgia.

Marten tells Erie News Now investments such as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act are aimed at preventing such tragedies.

"This is about full-service community schools' approach, in a way that is putting money into schools to figure out how to better support school climate and culture and safety," said Marten. "Every school district has to have their own conversation about what do we need to do as a whole community to create a sense of school safety, and that begins with a sense of belonging. When students know that they are seen and heard and there is a sense of belonging in school, that creates a climate of safety, among many other things that must happen."

The 2024 Back to School Bus Tour kicked off in Wisconsin and is ending its visits in western Pennsylvania.