[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 197 (Friday, October 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58066-58068]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20154]



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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.326P]


The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Paperwork Waiver 
Demonstration Program

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services 
(OSERS), Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice announcing application deadline.

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SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Waiver Demonstration Program (Paperwork 
Waiver Program), the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services will select up to 15 States to participate in a 
single, one-time only pilot program. State proposals approved under 
this program will create opportunities for participating States to 
reduce paperwork burdens and other administrative duties in order to 
increase time for instruction and other activities, while preserving 
students' civil rights and promoting improved educational and 
functional results for children with disabilities. In this notice we 
establish the deadline for submission of the Paperwork Waiver Program 
applications.
    Applications Available: October 12, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 11, 2008.
    Applications to participate in the Paperwork Waiver Program may be 
submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), 
or in paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including 
dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, 
or in paper format by mail or hand delivery, please refer to section I. 
5. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 9, 2008.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: The Paperwork Waiver Program is 
one of two demonstration programs authorized under the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act, as amended by the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (Act). These 
demonstration programs are designed to address parents', special 
educators' and States' desire to reduce excessive and repetitious 
paperwork, administrative burden, and non-instructional teacher time 
and, at the same time, increase the resources and time available for 
classroom instruction and other activities focused on improving 
educational and functional results of children with disabilities.
    Through the Paperwork Waiver Program, established under section 
609(a) of the Act, the Secretary may grant waivers to States (including 
Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and the outlying areas) of 
certain statutory and regulatory requirements under part B of the Act 
for up to four years. These waivers may not affect the right of a child 
with a disability to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) 
and must preserve the basic rights of students with disabilities.
    On December 19, 2005, we published a notice of proposed 
requirements and selection criteria for the Paperwork Waiver Program in 
the Federal Register (70 FR 75161). After consideration of the public 
comments received on this notice, we established final additional 
requirements and selection criteria for this program. On July 6, 2007, 
we published the notice of final additional requirements and selection 
criteria for this program in the Federal Register (72 FR 36970).

Who Is Eligible for an Award Under the Paperwork Waiver Program?

    Eligible applicants under the Paperwork Waiver Program are: State 
educational agencies (SEAs) in any State, including the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each of the outlying 
areas.
    Funding and Award Information
    Estimated Available Funds: $150,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $10,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 15.
    Project Period: 48 months.

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

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final additional 
requirements and selection criteria for this program, published in the 
Federal Register on July 6, 2007 (72 FR 36970).
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1408, 1463, and 1481.
    General Requirements: (a) The projects funded under this program 
must make positive efforts to employ and advance in employment 
qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of IDEA). (b) 
Each applicant and grant recipient funded under this program must 
involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with 
disabilities ages birth through 26 in planning, implementing, and 
evaluating the project (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of IDEA).

I. 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), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to 
identify this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.326P.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team 
listed under Alternative Format in section IV 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. We suggest that you limit 
Part III to the equivalent of no more than 65 pages, using the 
following standards:
     A ``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; the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, the references, or the letters of support.

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However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative 
section.
    3. 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.
    4. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice.
    5. Other Submission Requirements: Applications under this 
competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail 
or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    To comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are 
participating as a partner in the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site. 
Paperwork Waiver Program, CFDA Number 84.326P, is included in this 
project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov. 
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the 
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit 
your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of an 
application to us.
    You may access the electronic application for the Paperwork Waiver 
Program competition at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the 
downloadable application package for this program or competition by the 
CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your 
search (e.g., search for 84.326, not 84.326P).
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your application in paper format.
     If you submit your application electronically, you must 
submit all documents electronically, including all information you 
typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal 
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental 
Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs 
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note 
that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the Department of Education 
Supplemental Information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424 
(Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     If you submit your application electronically, you must 
attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC 
(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If 
you upload a file type other than the three file types specified in 
this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review 
that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support 
Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section III in this notice and 
provide an

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explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, 
along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will accept your 
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with 
the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to 
submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a 
determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the 
original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.326P), 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.
     or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.326P), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.

Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of 
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, 
to the Department at the following address:
    U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, 
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.326P), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, 
Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including 
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your application. If you do not receive 
this notification within 15 business days from the application 
deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education 
Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

II. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
from the notice of final additional requirements and selection criteria 
for this program, published in the Federal Register (72 FR 36970) on 
July 6, 2007, and are listed in the application package.

III. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Gonzalez, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4082, Potomac Center Plaza 
(PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2600. Telephone: (202) 245-7355.
    If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, 
at 1-800-877-8339.

IV. Other Information

    Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and 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, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC 
20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, 
toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    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: http://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: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: October 9, 2007.
William W. Knudsen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E7-20154 Filed 10-11-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P