[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 104 (Friday, May 28, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30789-30792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12171]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Overview Information, 
Emergency Response and Crisis Management Grant Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

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

    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). Grantees 
that received funding under this priority in FY 2003 are not eligible 
applicants for FY 2004.
    Estimated Available Funds: $27,000,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds, the Secretary may make additional awards in FY 
2005 from the rank-ordered list of unfunded applicants from this 
competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$500,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $100,000 for small districts (1-
20 school facilities); $250,000 for medium-sized districts (21-75 
school facilities); and

[[Page 30790]]

$500,000 for large districts (76 or more school facilities).
    Estimated Number of Awards: 100.

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

    Project Period: Up to 18 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Emergency Response and Crisis Management 
grant competition supports efforts by LEAs to improve and strengthen 
their school emergency response and crisis management plans, including 
training school personnel, students and parents in emergency response 
procedures and coordinating with local law enforcement, public safety, 
health, and mental health agencies.
    Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority for 
this program, 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 those applications 
that meet this priority.
    This priority supports LEA projects to improve and strengthen 
emergency response and crisis management plans, at the district and 
school-building level, while addressing the four phases of crisis 
planning: Prevention/Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. 
Plans must include training for school personnel, students, and parents 
in emergency response procedures and must include coordination with 
local law enforcement, public safety, health, and mental health 
agencies.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, 99, and 299. (b) The notice of final priority and 
other application requirements published elsewhere in this issue of the 
Federal Register.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants to Local Educational Agencies
    Estimated Available Funds: $27,000,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds, the Secretary may make additional awards in FY 
2005 from the rank-ordered list of unfunded applicants from this 
competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$500,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $100,000 for small districts (1-
20 school facilities); $250,000 for medium-sized districts (21-75 
school facilities); and $500,000 for large districts (76 or more school 
facilities).
    Estimated Number of Awards: 100.

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

    Project Period: Up to 18 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs. Grantees that received funding under 
this priority in FY 2003 are not eligible applicants in FY 2004.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other:
    (a) Required Partners and Agreement.
    In order to be considered for a grant award, an applicant must 
include in its application an agreement that details the participation 
of the LEA and the following five community-based partners from the 
local area: Law enforcement, public safety, health, mental health, and 
the head of the applicant's local government (for example the mayor, 
city manager, or county executive). The agreement must detail the roles 
and responsibilities that each of the required partners will have in 
improving and strengthening the plan. The agreement must also reflect 
each partner's commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement 
of the plan. Finally, the agreement must include an authorized 
signature representing the LEA and each community-based partner.
    If one or more of the five partners listed is not present in the 
applicant's community, or cannot feasibly participate, the agreement 
must explain the absence of each missing partner. To be considered 
eligible for funding, however, an application must include signed 
agreements from at least the LEA and two of the required five partners, 
and explanations for the absence of any of the remaining required 
partners.
    Applications that fail to include the required agreement, including 
roles and responsibilities and commitment to sustainability and 
continuous improvement (with signatures and explanations for missing 
signatures as specified above), will not be read.
    Although this program requires partnerships with other parties, 
administrative direction and fiscal control for the project must remain 
with the LEA.
    (b) Coordination with Homeland Security.
    All emergency response and crisis management plans must be 
coordinated with the Homeland Security Plan of the State in which the 
LEA is located. All States submitted such a plan to the Department of 
Homeland Security on January 30, 2004. To ensure that emergency 
services are coordinated within the State, the LEA must follow the 
requirements of the State Homeland Security Plan for informing and 
working with State personnel on emergency services and initiatives.
    (c) Individuals with Disabilities.
    The plan must also take into consideration the communication, 
transportation, and medical needs of individuals with disabilities 
within this community.
    (d) Equitable Participation by Private School Children and 
Teachers.
    SEAs, LEAs or other entities 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 SEA, LEA 
or other entity 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.
    In order to ensure equitable participation of private school 
children, teachers, and other educational personnel, an LEA must 
consult with private school officials on issues such as: Hazards/
vulnerabilities unique to private schools in the LEA's service area; 
and existing emergency management plans and crisis response resources 
already available at private schools.
    (e) Maintenance of Effort.
    Section 9521 of the ESEA requires that LEAs may receive a 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 free public education by the LEA 
for the preceding fiscal year was not less than 90 percent of the 
combined effort or aggregate expenditures for the second preceding 
fiscal year.

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

[[Page 30791]]

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 84.184E.
    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 competition. You 
may access the electronic version of the application at the following 
Web site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpemergencyresponse/index.html.
    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 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: August 9, 2004.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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: The Government Paperwork Elimination Act 
(GPEA) of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-277) and the Federal Financial Assistance 
Management Improvement Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-107) encourage us to 
undertake initiatives to improve our grant processes. Enhancing the 
ability of individuals and entities to conduct business with us 
electronically is a major part of our response to these Acts. 
Therefore, we are taking steps to adopt the Internet as our chief means 
of conducting transactions in order to improve services to our 
customers and to simplify and expedite our business processes.
    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.
    We are requiring that applications for grants under the Emergency 
Response and Crisis Management competition--CFDA Number 84.184E be 
submitted electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System 
(e-Application) available through the Department's e-GRANTS system. The 
e-GRANTS system is accessible through its portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    If you are unable to submit an application through the e-GRANTS 
system, you may submit a written request for a waiver of the electronic 
submission requirement. In your request, you should explain the reason 
or reasons that prevent you from using the Internet to submit your 
application. Address your request to: Sara Strizzi, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E320, Washington, DC 20202. 
Please submit your request no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    If, within two weeks of the application deadline date, you are 
unable to submit an application electronically, you must submit a paper 
application by the application deadline date in accordance with the 
transmittal instructions in the application package. The paper 
application must include a written request for a waiver documenting the 
reasons that prevented you from using the Internet to submit your 
application.
    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. Emergency Response and 
Crisis Management--CFDA Number 84.184E is one of the programs included 
in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the Emergency 
Response and Crisis Management competition, you must submit your 
application to us in electronic format or receive a waiver.
    The pilot project involves the use of 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. The data you enter online will be saved into a 
database. We shall continue to evaluate the success of e-Application 
and solicit suggestions for its improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
     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 must submit all documents electronically, including 
the 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 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

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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 Emergency 
Response and Crisis Management at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria 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. In addition, periodic interim performance reports, 
outlining progress on the grant, are also required.
    4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the 
following performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of the 
Emergency Response and Crisis Management Grant Program:
     Demonstration of increased number of hazards addressed by 
the improved school emergency response plan as compared to the baseline 
plan;
     Demonstration of improved response time and quality of 
response to practice drills and simulated crises; and
     A plan for and commitment to the sustainability and 
continuous improvement of the school emergency response plan by the 
district and community partners beyond the period of Federal financial 
assistance.
    These three measures constitute the Department's indicators of 
success for this program. Consequently, applicants for a grant under 
this program are advised to give careful consideration to these 
outcomes in conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation 
of their proposed project. If funded, applicants will be asked to 
collect and report data in their final performance report about 
progress toward these goals.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Sara Strizzi, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., room 3E320, Washington, DC 20202-
6450. Telephone: (202) 708-4850 or by email: [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 25, 2004.
Deborah A. Price,
Deputy Under Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. 04-12171 Filed 5-27-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P