[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21507-21510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-9052]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Training and Information for Parents of Children with 
Disabilities--Parent Training and Information Centers; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.328M.

DATES: Applications Available: April 22, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 26, 2004.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 26, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: Parent organizations. The full definition of 
Parent Organization is provided elsewhere in this notice in Section 
III. Eligibility Information.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,144,360.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $275,000.
    Maximum Award: For funding information regarding individual States, 
see the chart in the Award Information section of this notice.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 15.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose Of Program: The purpose of this program is to ensure that 
parents of children with disabilities receive training and information 
to help improve results for their children.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority 
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 
661(e)(2) and 682 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 
(IDEA)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2004 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    Background: In order to allocate resources equitably, create a 
unified system of service delivery, and provide the broadest coverage 
for the parents and families in every State, the Assistant Secretary is 
making awards in five-year cycles for each State. In FY 2004, 
applications for 5-year awards will be accepted for the following 
States: Arizona; Delaware; District of Columbia; Indiana; Iowa; 
Massachusetts; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; South Dakota; 
Virginia; Washington; and Wyoming. Awards may also be made to 
authorized entities in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, and the freely associated States. However, maximum funding 
levels have not been specified.
    In addition to the State awards, the Secretary intends to fund one 
award that focuses on the needs of Native-American families who have 
children with disabilities and one award that focuses on the needs of 
military families who have children with disabilities. Each of these 
projects must have a national focus with strategies for outreach to 
their specific populations and coordination with the Parent Training 
Information (PTI) Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) 
in the States.
    Statement of Priority: This priority is: Awards to PTI Centers.
    A PTI Center must--
    (a) Provide training and information that meets the training and 
information needs of parents of children with disabilities in the area 
served by the PTI Center, particularly underserved parents and parents 
of children who may be inappropriately identified as having a 
disability when the child may not have a disability;
    (b) Assist parents to understand the availability of, and how to 
effectively use, procedural safeguards under IDEA, including 
encouraging the use, and explaining the benefits, of alternative 
methods of dispute resolution, such as the mediation process described 
in IDEA;
    (c) Serve the parents of infants, toddlers, and children with the 
full range of disabilities;
    (d) Assist parents to--
    (1) Better understand the nature of their children's disabilities 
and their educational and developmental needs;
    (2) Communicate effectively with personnel responsible for 
providing special education, early intervention, and related services;
    (3) Participate in decisionmaking processes and the development of 
individualized education programs and individualized family service 
plans;
    (4) Obtain appropriate information about the range of options, 
programs, services, and resources available to assist children with 
disabilities and their families;
    (5) Understand the provisions of IDEA and the No Child Left Behind 
Act of 2001 (NCLB) relating to the education of, and the provision of 
early intervention services to, children with disabilities; and
    (6) Participate in school reform activities;
    (e) Contract with the State educational agency, if the State elects 
to contract with the PTI Center, for the purpose of meeting with 
parents who choose not to use the mediation process to encourage the 
use, and explain the benefits, of mediation consistent with section 
615(e)(2)(B) and (D) of IDEA;
    (f) Establish cooperative relations with the CPRC or PTI Centers in 
their State in accordance with section 683(b)(3) of IDEA;
    (g) Network with appropriate clearinghouses, including 
organizations conducting national dissemination activities under 
section 685(d) of IDEA, and with other national, State, and local 
organizations and agencies, such as protection and advocacy agencies, 
that serve parents and families of children with the full range of 
disabilities;

[[Page 21508]]

    (h) Annually report to the Assistant Secretary on--
    (1) The number of parents to whom the PTI Center provided 
information and training in the most recently concluded fiscal year, 
and
    (2) The effectiveness of strategies used to reach and serve 
parents, including underserved parents of children with disabilities; 
and
    (i) If there is more than one parent center in a particular State, 
coordinate its activities with the other center or centers to ensure 
the most effective assistance to parents in that State.
    An applicant must identify the strategies it will undertake--
    (a) To ensure that the needs for training and information for 
underserved parents of children with disabilities in the areas to be 
served are effectively met, particularly in underserved areas of the 
State; and
    (b) To work with the community-based organizations, particularly in 
the underserved areas of the State.
    A PTI Center that receives assistance under this absolute priority 
may also conduct the following activities--
    (a) Provide information to teachers and other professionals who 
provide special education and related services to children with 
disabilities;
    (b) Assist students with disabilities to understand their rights 
and responsibilities on reaching the age of majority, as stated in 
section 615(m) of IDEA; and
    (c) Assist parents of children with disabilities to be informed 
participants in the development and implementation of the State 
improvement plan under IDEA.
    (d) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, 
DC during each year of the project.
    (e) Include relevant information and documents in an accessible 
form on the project's Web site.
    In addition to the annual Project Directors' meeting discussed in 
paragraph (d) of this section, a project's budget must include funds to 
attend a regional Project Directors' meeting to be held each year of 
the project.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities. However, section 
661(e)(2) of IDEA makes the public comment requirements inapplicable to 
the priority in this notice.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1482.

    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,144,360.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $275,000.
    Maximum Award: For funding information regarding individual States, 
see the chart in the Award Information section of this notice.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 15.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Current funding levels and population of school age children were 
factors in determining the funding level for grants.

   Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Application Notice for
                            Fiscal Year 2004
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Maximum
                                                                 award
                     CFDA number and name                         (per
                                                                year)\2\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
84.328M Parent Training and Information Centers \1\:
    Arizona..................................................   $300,000
    Delaware.................................................    214,300
    District of Columbia.....................................    186,700
    Indiana..................................................    359,300
    Iowa.....................................................    226,200
    Massachusetts............................................    367,450
    Minnesota................................................    347,200
    Mississippi..............................................    244,050
    Missouri.................................................    288,430
    South Dakota.............................................    209,775
    Virginia.................................................    391,090
    Washington...............................................    331,365
    Wyoming..................................................    178,500
    Native American Families.................................    250,000
    Military Families........................................   250,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Awards may also be made to authorized entities in Guam, the
  Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the freely
  associated States. However, maximum funding levels have not been
  specified.
\2\ We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding the
  funding level for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant
  Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
  Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in
  the Federal Register.


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

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Parent organizations, as defined in section 
682(g) of IDEA. A parent organization is a private nonprofit 
organization (other than an institution of higher education) that:
    (a) Has a board of directors, the parent and professional members 
of which are broadly representative of the population to be served and 
the majority of whom are parents of children with disabilities, that 
includes individuals with disabilities and individuals working in the 
fields of special education, related services, and early intervention; 
or
    (b) Has a membership that represents the interests of individuals 
with disabilities and has established a special governing committee 
meeting the requirements for a board of directors in paragraph (a) 
under Eligible Applicants and has a memorandum of

[[Page 21509]]

understanding between this special governing committee and the board of 
directors of the organization that clearly outlines the relationship 
between the board and the committee and the decisionmaking 
responsibilities and authority of each.
    In addition, to demonstrate eligibility to receive a grant, an 
applicant must describe how its board of directors or special governing 
committee meets the criteria for a parent organization in section 
682(g) of IDEA. Any parent organization that establishes a special 
governing committee under section 682(g)(2) of IDEA must demonstrate 
that the bylaws of its organization allow the governing committee to be 
responsible for operating the project (consistent with existing fiscal 
policies of its organization).
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: General Requirements--(a) The projects funded under this 
notice must make positive efforts to employ and advance in employment 
qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of IDEA).
    (b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this notice must 
involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with 
disabilities in planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects 
(see section 661(f)(1)(A) of IDEA).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications 
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.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.328M.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section 
VII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit part III to 
the equivalent of no more than 60 pages, using the following standards:
     ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on 
one side only, with 1 margins at the top, bottom, and both 
sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per 
vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, 
headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as 
all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or 
no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to part I, the cover sheet; part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, the references, or the letters of support. 
However, you must include all of the application narrative in part III.
    We will reject your application if--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page 
limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the 
equivalent of the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: April 22, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 26, 2004.
    The dates and times for the transmittal of applications by mail or 
by hand (including a courier service or commercial carrier) are in the 
application package for this competition. The application package also 
specifies the hours of operation of the e-Application Web site.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 26, 2004.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Instructions and requirements for 
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier 
service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this 
competition.

Application Procedures

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the 
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to 
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make 
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. 
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined 
that proposed rulemaking is not required.

    Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications: We are 
continuing to expand our pilot project for electronic submission of 
applications to include additional formula grant programs and 
additional discretionary grant competitions. Special Education--
Training and Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities 
Program--Parent Training and Information Centers--CFDA Number 84.328M 
is one of the competitions included in the pilot project. If you are an 
applicant under the Special Education--Training and Information for 
Parents of Children with Disabilities Program--Parent Training and 
Information Centers competition, you may submit your application to us 
in either electronic or paper format.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application). If you use e-Application, you will 
be entering data online while completing your application. You may not 
e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. If you 
participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an 
application electronically, the data you enter online will be saved 
into a database. We request your participation in e-Application. We 
shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for its 
improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     When you enter the e-Application system, you 
will find information about its hours of operation. We strongly 
recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to 
initiate an e-Application package.
     You will not receive additional point value 
because you submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will 
we penalize you if you submit an application in paper format.
     You may submit all documents electronically, 
including the

[[Page 21510]]

Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
     Your e-Application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your 
application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will 
include a PR/Award number (an identifying number unique to your 
application).
     Within three working days after submitting your 
electronic application, fax a signed copy of the Application for 
Federal Education Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center 
after following these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    2. The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this 
form.
    3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
    4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 
260-1349.
     We may request that you give us original 
signatures on other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot 
for the Special Education--Training and Information for Parents of 
Children with Disabilities Program--Parent Training and Information 
Centers competition and you are prevented from submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because the e-Application 
system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business 
day in order to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or 
by hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
    1. You are a registered user of e-Application, and you have 
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
    2. (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or 
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time 
during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the 
application deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Special 
Education--Training and Information for Parents of Children with 
Disabilities Program--Parent Training and Information Centers 
competition at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
listed in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. The specific selection criteria to be 
used for this competition are in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the Department is currently developing measures 
that will yield information on various aspects of the quality of the 
Training and Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities 
program (e.g., the extent to which projects use high quality methods 
and materials, and the impact of services on helping parents improve 
results for their children). Data on these measures will be collected 
from the projects funded under this notice.
    As specified in section I of this notice, grantees must, in 
collaboration with the Office of Special Education Programs and the 
National Parent Technical Assistance Center, participate in an annual 
collection of program data for the PTI Centers and the CPRCs.
    Grantees will also be required to report information on their 
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (EDGAR, 34 
CFR 75.590).

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Grants and Contracts Services 
Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 
3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 1-202-
205-8207.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the Grants and Contracts Services Team listed 
in this section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have 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 1-888-293-6498; 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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: April 15, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-9052 Filed 4-20-04; 8:45 am]
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