[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 104 (Friday, May 28, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30760-30762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12075]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information; Safe 
Schools/Healthy Students; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards 
for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.184L.

    Dates: Applications Available: May 28, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 9, 2004.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 9, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: Local educational agencies (LEAs) or consortia 
of LEAs that have not received funds or services under the Safe 
Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) initiative during any previous fiscal 
year.
    Estimated Available Funds: $42,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: Up to $1,000,000 per year for LEAs or 
consortia in rural areas and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools; up 
to $2,000,000 per year for LEAs or consortia in suburban areas; and up 
to $3,000,000 per year for LEAs or consortia in urban areas.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $2,000,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 20.

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

    Project Period: 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program provides Federal financial 
assistance to LEAs to implement an integrated, comprehensive community-
wide plan designed to create safe and drug-free schools and promote 
prosocial skills and healthy childhood development in youth.
    Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority, 
selection criteria, requirements, and definitions, published elsewhere 
in this issue of the Federal Register.
    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.
    This priority is: The implementation of an integrated, 
comprehensive community-wide plan designed to create safe and drug-free 
schools and promote prosocial skills and healthy childhood development 
in youth. Plans must focus activities, curricula, programs, and 
services in a manner that responds to all of the following six 
elements:
     Element One--Safe school environment--Note: No more than 
10 percent of the total budget for each year may be used to support 
costs associated with (1) security equipment and personnel, and (2) 
minor remodeling of school facilities to improve school safety;
     Element Two--Alcohol and other drugs and violence 
prevention and early intervention programs;
     Element Three--School and community mental health 
preventive and treatment intervention services;
     Element Four--Early childhood psychosocial and emotional 
development programs;
     Element Five--Supporting and connecting schools and 
communities; and
     Element Six--Safe school policies.
    Program Authority: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act 
(20 U.S.C. 7131); Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa); and 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. 
5614(b)(4)(e) and 5781 et seq.).
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 98, 99, and 299. (b) The notice of final priority, 
selection criteria, requirements, and definitions, published elsewhere 
in this issue of the Federal Register.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $42,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: Up to $1,000,000 per year for LEAs or 
consortia in rural areas and BIA schools; up to $2,000,000 per year for 
LEAs or consortia in suburban areas; and up to $3,000,000 per year for 
LEAs or consortia in urban areas.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $2,000,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 20.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs or consortia of LEAs that have not 
received funds or services under the SS/HS initiative during any 
previous fiscal year.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: The applicant must include in its application two 
memoranda of agreement demonstrating the commitment of the required SS/
HS partners. Two agreements must be signed by the required partners (as 
described in paragraphs (a) and (b)) and dated no earlier than six 
months prior to the SS/HS application deadline. Applicants must also 
include information in the application that supports the selection of 
the identified local law enforcement and juvenile justice partner and 
describe how those partners' activities will support and be integrated 
in the SS/HS strategy. Applicants must contact their State Department 
of Mental Health to identify the relevant local public mental health 
authority. Mental health entities that have no legal authority in the 
administrative oversight of the delivery of mental health services are 
not acceptable as the sole mental health partner. Each SS/HS 
application must include the local public mental health authority as a 
partner. (The local public mental health authority is not required to 
provide mental health services to the target population but must 
provide administrative control or oversight of the delivery of mental 
health services.)
    (a) The first of these two agreements is the Memorandum of 
Agreement for the SS/HS Partners. This agreement must contain the 
signatures of the school superintendent and authorized representatives 
for the local public mental health authority and local law enforcement 
and juvenile justice agencies. This agreement must include the 
following information: A mission statement for the SS/HS partnership; 
the goals and objectives of the partnership; desired outcomes for the 
partnership; a description of how information will be shared among 
partners; and a description of the roles and responsibilities of each 
partner. Applicants submitting as a consortium

[[Page 30761]]

of LEAs must demonstrate partnership with the relevant local law 
enforcement agency (or agencies), public mental health authority (or 
authorities) and juvenile justice agency (or agencies) for each of the 
participating LEAs in the consortium. Applicants must indicate those 
instances where a local law enforcement agency, public mental health 
authority, or juvenile justice agency has authority or jurisdiction for 
one or more of the participating LEAs in the consortium.
    (b) The second of these two agreements is the Memorandum of 
Agreement for Mental Health Services. This agreement must contain the 
signatures of the school superintendent and the authorized 
representative of the local public mental health authority. The local 
public mental health authority must agree to provide administrative 
control and/or oversight of the delivery of mental health services. 
This agreement also must state procedures to be used for referral, 
treatment, and follow-up for children and adolescents with serious 
mental health problems. Applicants submitting as a consortium of LEAs 
must demonstrate partnership with the relevant public mental health 
authority (or authorities) for each of the participating LEAs in the 
consortium. Applicants must indicate those instances where a local 
public mental health authority has authority/jurisdiction for one or 
more of the participating LEAs in the consortium.
    4. Equitable Participation of Private Schools: LEAs that receive an 
SS/HS grant are required to provide for the equitable participation of 
private school children, their teachers, and other educational 
personnel in private schools located in areas served by the grant 
recipient. In order to ensure that grant program activities address the 
needs of private school children, the LEA must engage in timely and 
meaningful consultation with private school officials during the design 
and development of the program. This consultation must take place 
before any decision is made that affects the opportunities of eligible 
private school children, teachers, and other educational personnel to 
participate. Administrative direction and control over grant funds must 
remain with the grantee.
    In order to ensure equitable participation of private school 
children, teachers and other educational personnel, the LEA must 
consult with private school officials on issues such as: How children's 
needs will be identified; what services will be offered; how and where 
the services will be provided; who will provide the services; how the 
services will be assessed and how the results of assessment will be 
used to improve those services; the amount of funds available for 
services; the size and scope of the services to be provided; how and 
when decisions about the delivery of services will be made; and the 
provision of contract services through potential third-party providers.
    See Section 9501 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as 
reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
    5. Maintenance of Effort: An LEA may receive an SS/HS grant only if 
the State Educational Agency finds that the combined fiscal effort per 
student or the aggregate expenditures of the LEA and the state with 
respect to the provision of public education by the LEA 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.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: Karen Dorsey, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E347, 
Washington, DC 20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 708-4674 or by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    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 a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed in this section.
    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 program.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. An application's narrative must be limited to the 
equivalent of no more than 40 pages and must adhere to the following 
standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' by 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     All text in the application narrative must be double 
spaced (no more than three lines per vertical inch) including titles, 
headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as 
all text in charts, tables, figures and graphs.
     Text must be presented in a 12-point Courier New font.
     All pages must be consecutively numbered using the style 1 
of 40, 2 of 40, etc.
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet, project abstract, 
budget forms and worksheets, or the required attachments.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that--
     Exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or
     Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other 
standards.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: May 28, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 9, 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 program.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 9, 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 program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: No less than 7 percent of a grantee's 
budget for each year may be used to support costs associated with local 
evaluation activities. No more than 10% of the total budget for each 
year may be used to support costs associated with (1) security 
equipment and personnel, and (2) minor remodeling of school facilities 
to improve school safety.
    An applicant's request for funding must not exceed the maximum 
amount established for its defined urbanicity. The maximum amount for 
SS/HS funds is $3 million for urban schools for a 12-month period; $2 
million for suburban schools for a 12-month period; and $1 million for 
rural LEAs and BIA schools for a 12-month period. To determine 
urbanicity and the maximum amount they are eligible to apply for, all 
applicants except BIA schools must use the district locale code on the 
National Public School and School District Locator website (available 
online at www.nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch) and the definitions 
established in the notice of final priority, selection criteria, 
requirements, and definitions for the SS/HS program, published 
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, for rural, suburban 
and urban to determine urbanicity. A BIA school's request must not 
exceed $1 million.

[[Page 30762]]

    We reference additional 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 
program.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition 
are in the application package.
    2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in 
selecting an application for an award are: (1) Geographic distribution 
and diversity of activities addressed by the projects; and (2) 
equitable distribution of grants among urban, suburban, and rural local 
educational agencies.

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 Notice 
(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: Semi-annually, you must submit a performance report, 
which includes reporting on expenditures, as specified by the Secretary 
in 34 CFR 75.720. At the end of your project, you must submit a final 
performance and local evaluation reports.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), we have developed four measures for evaluating the 
overall effectiveness of the SS/HS initiative: (1) SS/HS grant sites 
will experience a decrease in the number of violent incidences at 
schools during the 3-year grant period; (2) SS/HS grant sites will 
experience a decrease in substance use during the 3-year grant period; 
(3) SS/HS grant sites will improve school attendance during the 3-year 
grant period; and (4) SS/HS grant sites will increase mental health 
services to students and families during the 3-year grant period.
    These measures constitute the Department's indicators of success 
for this initiative. Consequently, applicants for a grant under this 
program are advised to give careful consideration to these four 
measures in conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation 
for their proposed project. If funded, applicants will be asked to 
collect and report data annually to document their success in 
addressing these performance measures.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Karen Dorsey, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E347, Washington, DC 20202-
6450. Telephone: (202) 708-4674 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    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 program contact person 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: May 24, 2004.
Deborah A. Price,
Deputy Under Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. 04-12075 Filed 5-27-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P