[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 80 (Thursday, April 25, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20499-20503]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10173]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.184L]


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Safe Schools/
Healthy Students Initiative; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards in Fiscal Year (FY) 2002

    Purpose: Under this program, the Departments of Education (ED), 
Health and Human Services (HHS), and Justice (DOJ) will support the 
implementation and enhancement of comprehensive community-wide 
strategies for creating safe and drug-free schools and promoting 
healthy childhood development.
    For FY 2002 the competition focuses on projects designed to meet 
the priority we describe in the PRIORITIES setion of this notice.
    Eligible Applicants: Local educational agencies (LEAs) or consortia 
of LEAs. LEAs that have received a grant under this initiative in FYs 
1999, 2000, or 2001, or have received services under this initiative as 
part of a grant to a consortium of LEAs in those years, may not apply 
for funding in FY 2002.
    Applications Available: April 25, 2002.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 21, 2002.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 20, 2002.
    Estimated Available Funds: $79,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: Up to $1 million per year for LEAs or 
consortia in rural areas and tribal school districts; up to $2,000,000 
per year for LEAs or consortia in suburban areas; up to $3,000,000 per 
year for LEAs or consortia in urban areas.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $2,000,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 40.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Page Limit: The program narrative section of applications submitted 
under this competition may not exceed 30 pages in length. Each page 
must:
--Be 8.5" x 11".
--Be doubled spaced (no more than three lines per vertical inch).
--Have margins of one inch on the top, bottom and sides.
--Contain type on only one side.
--Use a type font that is either 12-point or larger or not smaller than 
10 pitch (characters per inch).
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that 
exceed the page limit if you apply these standards, or that exceed the 
equivalent of the page limit if you apply other standards. These 
requirements are designed to prevent an applicant from gaining an 
unfair competitive advantage by providing a more extensive discussion 
than the requirements permit and to facilitate evaluation of 
applications by peer reviewers by ensuring that applications are 
readable.
    Additional information about the structure and organization of the 
grant proposal is included in the application package for the program.
    Applicable Program Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 
98, and 99.
    Priority: This competition focuses on projects designed to meet a 
program priority established in this notice.

Implementing and Enhancing Comprehensive Community-Wide Strategies 
for Creating Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Promoting Healthy 
Childhood Development

    Applicants proposing a project under this priority must demonstrate 
how the funds they are requesting support or enhance a comprehensive, 
integrated strategy for an entire school district (or entire school 
districts in the case of a consortium) that is designed to create safe 
and drug-free schools and promote healthy childhood development. The 
applicant must propose evidence-based approaches and include, at a 
minimum, the following six elements: (1) Safe school environment; (2) 
alcohol and other drugs and violence prevention and early intervention; 
(3) school and community mental health preventive and treatment 
intervention programs; (4) early childhood psychosocial and

[[Page 20500]]

emotional development services; (5) educational reform; and (6) safe 
school policies. In circumstances where implementation of the strategy 
for an entire school district is not possible, applicants must provide 
a full explanation of how the chosen schools will receive services 
under all six elements of the plan and why district-wide implementation 
is not feasible or appropriate.
    Under element 1, no more than 10 percent of funds proposed for that 
element may be used to support costs associated with (1) security 
equipment and personnel, and (2) minor remodeling of school facilities 
to improve school safety.
    For FY 2002 this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3); Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (20 U.S.C. 
7131); Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa); Juvenile Justice 
and Delinquency Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. 5614(b)(4)(e) and 5781 et 
seq.); the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and 
Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002, January 10, 
2002, P.L. 107-116, 115 Stat. 2177; and the Departments of Commerce, 
Justice, and State Appropriations Act, 2002, November 28, 2001, P.L. 
107-77, 115 Stat. 748, we consider only applications that meet the 
priority.

Other Requirements

    We will award approximately 40 grants in FY 2002 to LEAs. To be 
eligible for funding, applicants must:
    (a) Develop and submit a Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/
HS)application that addresses the following six elements: (1) Safe 
school environment, (2) alcohol and other drugs and violence prevention 
and early intervention programs, (3) school and community mental health 
preventive and treatment intervention services, (4) early childhood 
psychosocial and emotional development services, (5) educational 
reform, and (6) safe school policies.
    The SS/HS application must show evidence of a partnership 
comprising the LEA, local public mental health authority, and local law 
enforcement agency. Applicants are strongly encouraged also to include 
other entities in the partnership. For example, community- and faith-
based organizations, juvenile justice and family court officials, and 
family members, teachers, and students could all play important roles 
in developing and implementing the initiative.
    (b) Include two formal written agreements. The first must describe 
the goals and objectives of the partnership and include a delineation 
of the roles and responsibilities of each partner. This agreement must 
contain the signatures of the school superintendent, the head of the 
local public mental health authority, and the chief law enforcement 
executive. If a consortium of LEAs is applying for funds, the 
superintendent of each participating LEA must sign this agreement.
    The second written agreement must contain the signatures of the 
school superintendent and the head of the local public mental health 
authority. This agreement must describe the procedures to be used for 
referral, treatment, and follow-up for children and adolescents with 
serious mental health problems. For this purpose, the local public 
mental health authority is the legally constituted entity closest to 
the community level that, directly or through contract with the State 
mental health authority, provides administrative control or oversight 
of mental health services delivery within the community. If a 
consortium of LEAs is applying for funds, the superintendent of each 
participating LEA must sign this agreement.
    (c) Include an assurance in their application that they are 
enforcing the requirements in the Federal Gun-Free Schools Act 
(regarding possession of firearms at school and reporting of firearms 
offenses to appropriate law enforcement officials) and the Pro-Children 
Act (regarding tobacco use in facilities used to provide educational 
services).
    (d) Develop and submit performance indicators for the grant. 
Performance indicators must link to proposed goals and objectives for 
the grant, include baseline data (if available), levels of performance 
for each indicator, timeframes for achieving levels of performance for 
each indicator, and source of data for measuring progress on each 
indicator. Applicants must select at least one performance indicator 
for each of the six required program elements. We intend that grantees 
use these indicators as a tool to assist in the management of the grant 
and to focus attention on progress being made by the grantee.
    Examples of indicators for the elements include:

Safe School Environment

--rates of school crime.
--student perceptions of the school environment as safe.

Alcohol and Other Drugs, Violence Prevention, and Early Intervention

--prevalence of alcohol and other drug use by students.
--rates of fighting, interpersonal injury, weapon carrying, and gang-
related crime in schools.

School and Community Mental Health Preventive and Treatment 
Intervention Programs

--incidence and prevalence of mental disorders among students (e.g., 
conduct and related problems, depression, anxiety disorders).
--presence of screening, assessment, and referral mechanisms for mental 
disorders in the school setting.

Early Childhood Psychosocial and Emotional Development Services

--incidence of adverse mental health outcomes (e.g., conduct problems 
and other antisocial behaviors, depression, and anxiety disorders) 
among young children.
--number and types of services for early childhood psychosocial and 
emotional development.

Educational Reform

--measures of interaction and coordination between academic staff, 
student support staff, and school security staff.
--use of interventions that teach positive behavior as a supplement or 
an alternative to other disciplinary approaches.
--measures of academic achievement for students.

Safe Schools Policies

--presence and enforcement of discipline codes and penalties/sanctions 
for infractions.
--awareness of established policies.
--penalties/sanctions for infractions that emphasize continuing 
connections to school.
--policies that establish zero-tolerance for drugs and weapons on 
school premises.

    (e) Provide a local plan for evaluating the community-wide strategy 
and agree to set aside at least 7 percent of the project budget to fund 
this local evaluation.
    (f) Select evidence-based programs and activities for 
implementation as part of the SS/HS Initiative. The application must 
include a rationale for the selection of programs and activities that 
will be implemented by the applicant. This rationale should include 
information about the research base that supports selected programs and 
activities, as well as a discussion about

[[Page 20501]]

why the selected programs or activities are appropriate for the target 
population and meet needs identified in the needs assessment process. 
Information about the research base for programs or activities may 
reference either specific program evaluations or accepted theory from 
youth development or human development research.

Determining Urbanicity

    The maximum amount of funds that an applicant is eligible to 
receive is based on the applicant's urbanicity. Urban districts may 
receive grants of up to $3,000,000 per year. Suburban districts may 
receive grants of up to $2,000,000 per year. Rural districts (including 
tribal school districts) may receive grants of up to $1,000,000 per 
year.
    Grants will not be awarded for amounts that exceed these 
established caps. Applicants should ensure that their budget requests 
do not exceed the caps.
    In order to determine its urbanicity, an LEA must use the National 
Public School and School District Locator to find the locale code for 
the district. The Locator is available online at: http://nces.ed.gov/ccdweb/school/index.asp.
    For the purposes of this competition, the following categories of 
urbanicity apply:
    Rural sites--(1) Large town [an incorporated place or a Census-
designated place (CDP) with a population of at least 25,000 and located 
outside a consolidated metropolitan statistical area (CMSA) or 
metropolitan statistical area (MSA)]; (2) small town [an incorporated 
place or CDP with a population between 2,500 and 24,999 and located 
outside a CMSA or MSA]; or (3) any incorporated place, CDP, or non-
place territory designated as rural by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
    Suburban sites--(1) Urban fringe of a large city [any incorporated 
place, CDP, or non-place territory within a CMSA or MSA of a large city 
and defined as urban by the U.S. Bureau of Census; or (2) urban fringe 
of a midsize city [any incorporated place, CDP, or non-place within a 
CMSA or MSA of a midsize central city and defined as urban by the U.S. 
Bureau of the Census].
    Urban sites--(1) Large city [a central city of a MSA or CMSA with a 
population of at least 250,000] or (2) midsize city [central city of an 
MSA or CMSA with a population of less than 250,000].

Participation by Private School Students and Teachers

    LEAs that receive a SS/HS grant are required to provide for the 
equitable participation of eligible private school children and their 
teachers or other educational personnel. In order to ensure that grant 
program activities address the needs of private school children, timely 
and meaningful consultation with appropriate private school officials 
must occur during the design and development of the program. 
Administrative direction and control over grant funds must remain with 
the grantee.

Maintenance of Effort

    An LEA may receive a SS/HS grant only if the State educational 
agency (SEA) finds that the combined fiscal effort per student or the 
aggregate expenditures of the agency and the State with respect to the 
provisions of free public education by the agency for the preceding 
fiscal year was not less than 90 percent of the combined fiscal effort 
or aggregate expenditures for the second preceding fiscal year.

Equitable Distribution

    In making awards under this grant program, we may (1) take into 
consideration the geographic distribution and diversity of activities 
addressed by the projects, in addition to the rank order of applicants, 
and (2) in accordance with Sec. 75.217(d) of the Education Department 
General Administrative Regulations, ensure equitable distribution of 
grants under this program among urban, suburban, and rural LEAs.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds, we may make additional 
awards in FY 2003 from the rank-ordered list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition.

Definitions

    For the purpose of this competition, the definition of the term 
``local educational agency'' is the definition at section 9101(26) of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended:
    (a) General. In general, the term ``local educational agency'' 
means a public board of education or other public authority legally 
constituted within a State for either administrative control or 
direction of, or to perform a service function for public elementary or 
secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or 
other political subdivision of a State, or of or for a combination of 
school districts or counties that is recognized in a State as an 
administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary 
schools.
    (b) Administrative control and direction. The term includes any 
other public institution or agency having administrative control or 
direction of a public elementary or secondary school.
    (c) BIA Schools. The term includes an elementary school or 
secondary school funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs but only to the 
extent that including the school makes the school eligible for programs 
for which specific eligiblity is not provided to the school in another 
provision of law and the school does not have a student population that 
is smaller than the student population of the LEA receiving assistance 
under the ESEA with the smallest student population, except that the 
school shall not be subject to the jurisdiction of any SEA other than 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
    (d) Educational service agencies. The term includes educational 
service agencies and consortia of these agencies.
    (e) State educational agency. The term includes the SEA in a State 
in which the SEA is the sole educational agency for all public schools.

Selection Criteria

    We use the following selection criteria to evaluate applications 
for new grants under this competition. The maximum total score for all 
of these criteria is 100 points.
    The maximum score for each criterion or factor under that criterion 
is indicated in parentheses.
    (a) Problems to be addressed (15 points).
    In assessing the extent to which the application is based on a 
clear and accurate statement of the significant problems faced by the 
target community, the following factors are considered:
    (1) The magnitude or severity of the problem(s) to be addressed by 
the proposed strategy;
    (2) The extent to which existing gaps in services, infrastructure 
and resources exist, and the magnitude of those gaps and weaknesses;
    (3) Evidence of community risk factors that may contribute to youth 
violence, drug use, and deliquency; and
    (4) The extent to which the problem statement includes an 
assessment of the community resources available for children and 
adolescents.
    (b) Goals and objectives (10 points).
    In assessing the goals and objectives of the proposed application, 
the following factors are considered:
    (1) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable; 
and
    (2) The extent to which the objectives identified are related to 
measurable action steps needed to achieve the goal(s).

[[Page 20502]]

    (c) Design of proposed strategy (30 points).
    In assessing the design of the proposed strategy, the following 
factors are considered:
    (1) The extent to which the proposed strategy represents a 
comprehensive, integrated approach that addresses the six elements of 
the SS/HS Initiative;
    (2) The extent to which the intervention is appropriate for the age 
and developmental levels, gender, and ethnic and cultural diversity of 
the target population, and demonstrates the ability to engage and 
respond to the needs of identified ethnic and racial minority 
populations;
    (3) The extent to which the application clearly describes the 
programs, activities, and services that comprise the proposed strategy, 
and details how they will be implemented;
    (4) The extent to which the proposed programs and activities are 
evidence based;
    (5) The extent to which the proposed strategy will be coordinated 
with similar or related efforts and will establish linkages with other 
appropriate agencies and organizations providing services to the target 
population;
    (6) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in system 
change or improvement; and
    (7) The potential for continued support of the strategy after 
Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated 
commitment of appropriate entities to such support.
    (d) Evaluation plan (15 points).
    In determining the quality of the evaluation plan, the following 
factors will be considered:
    (1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for 
examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies.
    (2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.
    (3) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project; and
    (4) The adequacy of the identified performance measures to 
demonstrate whether and to what extent the proposed strategy is meeting 
its short-term, intermediate, and long-term objectives.
    (e) Management and organizational capability (20 points).
    In determining the quality of management and organizational 
capability, the following factors are considered:
    (1) The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in 
the proposed strategy (as demonstrated in the written agreements) to 
the implementation and success of the strategy, and how they will 
participate in the proposed project;
    (2) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks;
    (3) The adequacy of procedures for communicating and sharing 
information among all partners to ensure feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed comprehensive plan;
    (4) The skills, experience, time commitments, and educational 
requirements of key staff and their relevance to the objectives of the 
proposed comprehensive plan; and
    (5) The extent to which staff qualifications and training represent 
diverse and relevant experience in engaging and providing services to 
underserved, underrepresented, and diverse racial and ethnic groups.
    (f) Budget (10 points).
    In determining the quality of the budget, the following factors 
will be considered:
    (1) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the 
number of students to be served and to the anticipated benefits and 
results;
    (2) The extent to which fiscal control and accounting procedures 
will ensure prudent use, proper and timely disbursement, and accurate 
accounting of funds received under the grant.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

    It is the Secretary's practice, in accordance with the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), to offer interested 
parties the opportunity to comment on proposed rules. Section 437(d)(1) 
of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), however, exempts from 
this requirement rules that apply to the first competition under a new 
or substantially revised program. This is the first competition for the 
SS/HS Initiative under the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 
2001.

FOR INFORMATION AND APPLICATIONS CONTACT: For information contact 
Kellie Dressler Tetrick, SS/HS Program Coordinator, Office of Juvenile 
Justice and Delinquency Prevention, US Department of Justice, 810 7th 
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20531. Telephone: (202) 514-4817 or via 
Internet: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-888-877-8339.
    Detailed information regarding the SS/HS Initiative is also 
available at the following sites on the Internet:

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS
http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org
http://www.samhsa.gov

    The application package is available on these three Web sites at 
the addresses indicated above. For printed applications contact: 
Education Publication Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 
20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. 
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 
(toll free): 1-877-576-7734 or via Internet: [email protected].
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR 
APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the 
application package in an alternative format by contacting that person. 
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative 
format the standard forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 
available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, 
call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll-free, at (888) 
293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131; 42 U.S.C. 290aa; 42 U.S.C. 
5614(b)(4)(e) and 5781 et seq.; the Departments of Labor, Health and 
Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations 
Act, 2002, January 10, 2002, Pub. L. 107-116, 115 Stat. 2177; the 
Departments of Commerce, State, and Justice Appropriations Act, 
2002, November 28, 2001, Pub. L. 107-77, 115 Stat. 748.


[[Page 20503]]


    Dated: April 22, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-10173 Filed 4-24-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P