In a nod to the sad reality that shootings at the nation’s schools are far too prevalent, the United States government will award a $1.8 million grant to create a program to teach high school students proper bleeding-control techniques.

The goal of the program, called School-Age Trauma Training, is “to enhance a bystander’s ability to take decisive, lifesaving action to assist victims with traumatic injuries,” according to the Department of Homeland Security, which posted notice of the grant online last month.

“Similar to how students learn health education and driver’s education, they must learn proper bleeding control techniques using commonly available materials,’’ according to the notice, “including how to use their hands, dressings and tourniquets.”

The grant notice was posted in July, and the program is being overseen by the department’s Science and Technology Directorate and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Independent school districts and nonprofit organizations are among the groups eligible for the grant, and they have until Aug. 27 to apply.

The development of the program could take about 36 months once a proposal is selected, John Verrico, a spokesman for the Science and Technology Directorate, said in an interview on Monday. He said it was too early to say how the program would be rolled out and expanded to the rest of the country.

The grant to develop a program is not tied to any one school shooting, but comes at a time when there have been more than 250 deaths of students and teachers in the country’s schools since 2000, according to Homeland Security. The bleeding-control program is also meant to address providing immediate help during natural disasters, Mr. Verrico said.