[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4891 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4891

 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to ensure 
              that services for students are coordinated.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 19, 2000

 Ms. Woolsey (for herself and Mr. Kind) introduced the following bill; 
   which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to ensure 
              that services for students are coordinated.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Child Opportunity Zone Family Center 
Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. COORDINATED SERVICES.

    Title XI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 8401 et seq.) is amended to read as follows:

                    ``TITLE XI--COORDINATED SERVICES

``SEC. 11001. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    ``(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            ``(1) Growing numbers of children are harmed by influences 
        outside of the classroom that increase their risk of academic 
        failure.
            ``(2) Factors such as poor nutrition, unsafe living 
        conditions, physical and sexual abuse, family and gang 
        violence, inadequate health care, unemployment, lack of child 
        care, and substance abuse harm families, and negatively affect 
        a child's ability to learn.
            ``(3) Parents and other caregivers in today's high-pressure 
        society often face heavy demands on their time that affect 
        their ability to adequately meet all the needs of their 
        children.
            ``(4) Access to health and social service programs in a 
        school-based or school-linked community service center may make 
        it easier for families to address the basic physical and 
        emotional needs of children and parents.
            ``(5) Services for families need to be more convenient and 
        less fragmented and duplicative.
            ``(6) Parents, school personnel, and service providers 
        should have access to services and activities to improve the 
        education, health, mental health, safety and economic well-
        being of children and their families.
            ``(7) School personnel, health care providers, mental 
        health care providers, child care providers, juvenile justice 
        workers and other family service providers could be of greater 
        assistance to children and their families if they had access to 
        a single school-based or school-linked community service 
        center.
            ``(8) Coordinating health and social services with 
        education will help to ensure that children come to school 
        ready to learn.
    ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this title is to encourage eligible 
partnerships to establish or expand child opportunity zone family 
centers in or near public elementary and secondary schools in order to 
provide students and their families better access to coordinated 
services which improve the education, health, mental health, safety, 
and economic well-being of students.

``SEC. 11002. COORDINATED SERVICES.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--A local educational agency may use not 
more than 5 percent of the amount of funds made available for transfer 
under section 14206 and a portion of funds awarded pursuant to a grant 
under section 11003 for the development, or the implementation or 
expansion, of a coordinated service project under this section.
    ``(b) Application.--Each local educational agency desiring to use 
funds described in subsection (a) to carry out this section shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner and 
accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require.
    ``(c) Uses of Funds.--Funds described in subsection (a) may be used 
to plan, implement, or expand activities which include--
            ``(1) hiring a services coordinator;
            ``(2) making minor renovations to existing buildings;
            ``(3) purchasing basic operating equipment;
            ``(4) improving communications and information-sharing 
        among entities participating in the coordinated services 
        project; or
            ``(5) providing training to teachers and appropriate 
        personnel concerning the role of such teachers and personnel in 
        a coordinated services project.

``SEC. 11003. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may award, on a competitive basis, 
grants to eligible partnerships to pay  for the Federal share of the 
cost of establishing and expanding child opportunity zone family 
centers.
    ``(b) Duration.--The Secretary shall award grants under this 
section for periods of 5 years.

``SEC. 11004. REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.

    ``Each eligible partnership receiving a grant under this title 
shall use the grant funds--
            ``(1) in accordance with the needs assessment described in 
        section 11005(b)(1), to provide or link children and their 
        families with information, support, activities, or services in 
        core areas consisting of--
                    ``(A) education, such as child care and education 
                programs for children below the age of compulsory 
                school attendance, before- and after-school care, and 
                school age enrichment and education support programs;
                    ``(B) health, such as primary care (including 
                prenatal care, well child care, and mental health 
                care), preventative health and safety programs, 
                outreach and referral, screening and health promotion, 
                and enrollment in health insurance programs; and
                    ``(C) family support, such as adult education and 
                literacy programs, welfare-to-work-programs, job 
                training, parenting skills programs, assistance that 
                supports healthy child development, and access to basic 
                needs, including food and housing;
            ``(2) to provide intensive, high-quality, research-based 
        instructional programs that--
                    ``(A) provide violence prevention education for 
                families and developmentally appropriate instructional 
                services to children (including children below the age 
                of compulsory school attendance), such as education and 
                services on nonviolent conflict resolution, pro social 
                skills and behaviors, and other skills necessary for 
                effectively relating to others without violence; and
                    ``(B) provide effective strategies for nurturing 
                and supporting the emotional, social, and cognitive 
                growth of children; and
            ``(3) to provide training, information, and support to 
        families to enable the families to participate effectively in 
        their children's education, and to help their children meet 
        challenging standards, including assisting families to--
                    ``(A) understand the educational accountability 
                systems, including content standards, performance 
                standards, and local assessments, in place for the 
                State involved, the participating local educational 
                agency, and the participating elementary school or 
                secondary school;
                    ``(B) understand their children's educational 
                needs, their children's educational performance in 
                comparison to State and local standards, and the steps 
                the school is taking to address the children's needs 
                and to help the children meet the standards; and
                    ``(C) communicate effectively with personnel 
                responsible for providing educational services to the 
                families' children, and to participate in the 
                development, amendment, review, and implementation of 
                school-parent compacts, parent involvement policies, 
                and school plans.

``SEC. 11005. APPLICATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--Each eligible partnership desiring a grant under 
this title shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require.
    ``(b) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to subsection 
(a) shall--
            ``(1) include a needs assessment, including a description 
        of how the partnership will ensure that the activities to be 
        assisted under this title will be tailored to meet the specific 
        needs of the children and families to be served;
            ``(2) describe arrangements that have been formalized 
        between the participating elementary school or secondary 
        school, and other partnership members;
            ``(3) describe how the partnership will effectively 
        coordinate and utilize Federal, State, and local educational 
        agency sources of funding, including funding provided under 
        part I of title X and under the Safe Schools/Healthy Students 
        Initiative (jointly funded by the Departments of Education, 
        Justice, and Health and Human Services), that provide 
        assistance to families and their children in the areas of job 
        training, housing, justice, health, mental health, child care, 
        and social and human services;
            ``(4) describe the partnership's plan to--
                    ``(A) develop and carry out the activities assisted 
                under this part with extensive participation of 
                parents, administrators, teachers, pupil services 
                personnel, social and human service agencies, and 
                community organizations and leaders; and
                    ``(B) connect and integrate the activities assisted 
                under this title with the education reform efforts of 
                the participating elementary school or secondary 
                school, and the participating local educational agency;
            ``(5) describe the partnership's strategy for providing 
        information and assistance in a language and form that families 
        can understand, including how the partnership will ensure that 
        families of students with limited English proficiency, or 
        families of students with disabilities, are effectively 
        involved, informed, and assisted;
            ``(6) describe how the partnership will collect and analyze 
        data, and will utilize specific performance measures and 
        indicators to--
                    ``(A) determine the impact of activities assisted 
                under this title as described in section 11008(a); and
                    ``(B) improve the activities assisted under this 
                title; and
            ``(7) describe how the partnership will protect the privacy 
        of families and their children participating in the activities 
        assisted under this title.

``SEC. 11006. FEDERAL SHARE.

    ``The Federal share of the cost of establishing and expanding child 
opportunity zone family centers--
            ``(1) for the first year for which an eligible partnership 
        receives assistance under this title shall not exceed 90 
        percent;
            ``(2) for the second such year, shall not exceed 80 
        percent;
            ``(3) for the third such year, shall not exceed 70 percent;
            ``(4) for the fourth such year, shall not exceed 60 
        percent; and
            ``(5) for the fifth such year, shall not exceed 50 percent.

``SEC. 11007. CONTINUATION OF FUNDING.

    ``Each eligible partnership that receives a grant under this title 
shall, after the third year for which the partnership receives funds 
through the grant, be eligible to continue to receive the funds if the 
Secretary determines that the partnership has made significant progress 
in meeting the performance measures used for the partnership's local 
evaluation under section 11008(a)(4).

``SEC. 11008. EVALUATIONS AND REPORTS.

    ``(a) Local Evaluations.--Each partnership receiving funds under 
this title shall conduct annual evaluations and submit to the Secretary 
reports containing the results of the evaluations. The reports shall 
include--
            ``(1) information on the partnership's activities that are 
        assisted under this title;
            ``(2) information on the number of families and children 
        served by the partnership's activities that are assisted under 
        this part;
            ``(3) information on the partnership's effectiveness in 
        reaching and meeting the needs of families and children served 
        under this title, including underserved families, families of 
        students with limited English proficiency, and families of 
        students with disabilities; and
            ``(4) the results of a partnership's performance assessment 
        of the partnership, including performance measures 
        demonstrating--
                    ``(A) improvements in student achievement, school 
                readiness, family participation in schools, and access 
                to health care, mental health care, child care, and 
                family support services, resulting from activities 
                assisted under this title; and
                    ``(B) reductions in violence-related problems and 
                risk taking behavior among youth, and reductions in 
                truancy, suspension, and dropout rates, resulting from 
                activities assisted under this title.
    ``(b) National Evaluations.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall reserve not more 
        than 3 percent of the amount appropriated under this title to 
        carry out a national evaluation of the activities assisted 
        under this title. Such evaluation shall be completed not later 
        than 3 years after the date of enactment of the Child 
        Opportunity Zone Family Center Act of 2000, and every year 
        thereafter.
            ``(2) Scope of evaluation.--In conducting the national 
        evaluation, the Secretary shall evaluate the effectiveness and 
        impact of the activities, and identify model activities, 
        assisted under this title.
            ``(3) Annual reports.--The Secretary shall submit an annual 
        report to Congress, regarding each national evaluation 
        conducted under paragraph (1), that contains the information 
        described in the national evaluation.
    ``(c) Model Activities.--The Secretary shall broadly disseminate 
information on model activities developed under this title.

``SEC. 11009. DEFINITIONS.

    ``For the purpose of this title--
            ``(1) the term `coordinated services project' means a 
        comprehensive approach to meeting the educational, health, 
        social service, and other needs of children and their families, 
        including foster children and their foster families, through a 
        communitywide partnership that links public and private 
        agencies providing such services or access to such services 
        through a coordination site at or near a school; and
            ``(2) Child opportunity zone family center.--The term 
        `child opportunity zone family center' means a school-based or 
        school-linked community service center that provides and links 
        children and their families with comprehensive information, 
        support, services, and activities to improve the education, 
        health, mental health, safety, and economic well-being of the 
        children and their families.
            ``(3) Eligible partnership.--The term `eligible 
        partnership' means a partnership--
                    ``(A) that contains--
                            ``(i) at least 1 elementary school or 
                        secondary school that--
                                    ``(I) receives assistance under 
                                title I and for which a measure of 
                                poverty determination is made under 
                                section 1113(a)(5) with respect to a 
                                minimum of 40 percent of the children 
                                in the school; and
                                    ``(II) demonstrates parent 
                                involvement and parent support for the 
                                partnership's activities;
                            ``(ii) a local educational agency;
                            ``(iii) a public agency, other than a local 
                        educational agency, including a local or State 
                        department of health and social services; and
                            ``(iv) a nonprofit community-based 
                        organization, including a community mental 
                        health services organization or a family health 
                        center that provides mental health services; 
                        and
                    ``(B) that may contain--
                            ``(i) an institution of higher education; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) other public or private nonprofit 
                        entities.

``SEC. 11010. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title 
$50,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and such sums as may be necessary for 
each of fiscal years 2002 through 2005.''.
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