27820 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 97 / Friday, May 18, 2001 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Elementary and Secondary

Education—Safe and Drug-Free

Schools and Communities National

Programs

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of final priority and

selection criteria for Fiscal Year 2001—

Safe Schools/Healthy Students

Initiative.

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education

(the Secretary) announces a final

priority and selection criteria for fiscal

year (FY) 2001. Under this priority, the

Departments of Education (ED), Health

and Human Services (HHS), and Justice

(DOJ) will fund the implementation and

enhancement of comprehensive

community-wide strategies for creating

safe and drug-free schools and

promoting healthy childhood

development.

To be funded, local comprehensive

strategies must address the following six

elements and may address other

elements as determined by the needs of

the community: (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 emotional

development services; (5) educational

reform; and (6) safe school policies.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This notice takes effect

May 18, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Detailed information regarding the Safe

Schools/Healthy Students Initiative is

available at the following sites on the

Internet:

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS

http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org

http://www.samhsa.gov

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–

8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: More than

a generation of research has provided a

solid knowledge base of the complex

risk processes that lead to violent

outcomes for children, families, schools,

and communities. Antisocial behaviors

of children and adolescents at highest

risk arise from the interaction of

multiple environmental and individual

antecedents that begin early in the

child’s life. They include (1) stressful

family environments; (2) lack of

parenting skills; (3) alienation between

family and school (and other

community institutions); and (4)

individual characteristics of the child

that may be biologically based (e.g.,

irritability, impulsivity), that interfere

with critical early attachment and

nurturing relationships and later make

the child’s behavior difficult to control.

This results in the early onset of

aggressive behaviors, an increase in

behavior problems at home, and the

continuation and escalation of problems

with peers and teachers when the child

reaches school age. Unless interrupted,

antisocial behavior persists throughout

the school career and on into adulthood.

High risk converges in middle school

and accelerates into adolescence. Risk is

exacerbated by exposure to negative

peer pressure and a noxious

environment where few protective

factors are available. This, in turn,

increases the likelihood of interpersonal

violence and other antisocial behavior,

substance abuse and addiction,

potential drug dealing, the emergence of

disorders such as depression and

anxiety, academic failure, risky sexual

behaviors leading to increased risk for

HIV and other sexually-transmitted

diseases, and teen pregnancy.

The Safe Schools/Healthy Students

(SS/HS) Initiative draws on the best

practices in the fields of education,

justice, social service, and mental health

to promote a comprehensive, integrated

framework for use by communities in

planning, designing, and implementing

programs to prevent school violence and

youth alcohol and other drug use. This

comprehensive framework includes: (1)

Establishing school-community

partnerships; (2) identifying and

measuring the problem; (3) setting

measurable goals and objectives; (4)

identifying appropriate research-based

programs and strategies; (5)

implementing the programs and

strategies in an integrated fashion; (6)

evaluating the outcomes of the programs

and strategies; and (7) revising the

comprehensive plan on the basis of

evaluation information.

The goal of the Safe Schools/Healthy

Students Initiative is to help students

develop the skills and emotional

resilience necessary to promote positive

mental health and engage in pro-social

behavior, thereby preventing violent

behavior and alcohol and other drug use

so that that all students who attend the

schools served by this initiative are able

to learn in a safe, disciplined, and drugfree environment. Successful applicants

will provide students, schools, and

families within the targeted geographic

area to be served a network of effective

comprehensive services, support, and

activities that promote healthy youth

development and safety.

Eligible Applicants: Local educational

agencies.

The Secretary, with the Secretary of

HHS and the Attorney General, will

award approximately 15 grants in FY

2001 to local educational agencies. To

be eligible for funding, applicants must:

(a) Develop a SS/HS comprehensive

plan 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 programs, (5) educational

reform, and (6) safe school policies.

The SS/HS comprehensive plan must

show evidence of a partnership

comprising, at a minimum, the local

educational agency, local public mental

health authority, local law enforcement

agency, family members, teachers,

students, juvenile justice officials, and

community organizations, including

faith-based organizations.

(b) Submit 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 adopting the SS/

HS comprehensive plan, and

commitments by each to accomplish all

objectives.

The second written agreement must

describe the procedures to be used for

referral, treatment, and follow-up by the

specialty mental health system for

children and adolescents with serious

mental health problems. This agreement

must be signed by the school

superintendent and the head of the local

public mental health organization.

(c) Provide documentation of the

community need and available

resources as follows:

—Baseline assessment of risk factors

among students, such as (1) students

engaged in alcohol and drug use and

violent behavior; (2) incidence and

prevalence of alcohol and drug use by

youth; (3) prevalence of weapons in

schools; (4) incidents of serious and

violent crime in schools; (5) truancy

and other unauthorized absences; (6)

suicidal behaviors; (7) student

suspensions and expulsions for drug

use or violent behavior; (8) students

on probation; (9) students in juvenile

justice placements; (10) students in

foster care and child protective

services; (11) students with emotional

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 97 / Friday, May 18, 2001 / Notices 27821

and behavioral disorders; (12)

children abused and neglected; and

(13) school attendance and

performance.

—An assessment of community risk

factors such as (1) socioeconomic

conditions as measured by the

percentage of families at or below the

poverty level and percentage of

students receiving free and reduced

price lunch at school; (2) population

turnover; (3) racial and ethnic

heterogeneity; (4) housing density; (5)

household composition; (6) crime and

delinquency rates including domestic

violence and rape; and (7) suicide

rates.

—An assessment of resources and

services available to students and

their families, such as (1) number of

afterschool programs; (2) number of

youth served by programs to build

social skills; (3) number and quality of

community mental health and social

service organizations available to

provide services to children,

adolescents, and families; (4) number

of youth participating in academic

readiness programs; (5) number and

types of early intervention services

and programs; (6) number and types

of law enforcement prevention

programs; (7) number of substance

abuse programs; (8) presence of a

community anti-drug coalition; and

(9) number and types of peer

mediation and community mediation

programs.

(d) Provide for mental health services

to all students in the SS/HS

comprehensive plan.

(e) Show that Federal regulations

regarding possession of firearms and

reporting of firearm offenses to

appropriate law enforcement officials

and regulations regarding tobacco use

are being enforced.

(f) Provide documentation (charter,

publications, meeting minutes, etc.) of

the existing partnership in operation

that will be enhanced and expanded.

In making awards under this grant

program, the Secretary, with the

Secretary of HHS and the Attorney

General, 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

34 CFR 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, the Secretary, with the Secretary

of HHS and the Attorney General, may

make additional awards in FY 2002

from the rank-ordered list of unfunded

applicants from this competition.

Note: This notice of final priority and

selection criteria does not solicit

applications. A notice inviting applications

under this competition is published in a

separate notice in this issue of the Federal

Register.

Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR

75.105(c)(3); the Safe and Drug-Free

Schools and Communities Act; and

Public Laws 106–554 and 106–553

enacted December 21, 2000, the

Secretary, with the Secretary of HHS

and the Attorney General, gives an

absolute preference to applications that

meet the following priority:

Implementing and Enhancing

Comprehensive Community-wide

Strategies for Creating Safe and Drugfree 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 that

includes, 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 emotion

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.

Selection Criteria

The Secretary, with the Secretary of

HHS and the Attorney General, uses 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 and resources exist, the

magnitude of those gaps and

weaknesses, and the extent to which the

community is ready to improve current

conditions;

(3) The factual basis for the problem

statement, based on data including, at a

minimum but not limited to, the rates of

the following:

—Students engaged in alcohol and drug

use and violent behavior;

—Incidence and prevalence of alcohol

and drug use by youth;

—Prevalence of weapons in schools;

—Incidents of serious and violent crime

in schools;

—Truancy and other unauthorized

absences;

—Suicidal behaviors;

—Student suspensions and expulsions;

—Students on probation;

—Students in juvenile justice

placements;

—Students in foster care and child

protective services;

—Child abuse and neglect;

—School attendance and academic

performance data;

—Students with emotional and

behavioral disorders;

(4) Evidence of community risk

factors that may contribute to youth

violence, drug use, and delinquency

such as the following:

—Socioeconomic conditions as

measured by the percentage of

families at or below the poverty level

and percentage of students receiving

free and reduced price lunch at

school;

—Population turnover;

—Racial and ethnic heterogeneity;

—Housing density;

—Household composition;

—Crime and delinquency rates

including domestic violence and rape;

—Suicide rates;

—Violent crime victimization rate for

youth under the age of 18;

(1) The extent to which the problem

statement includes an assessment of the

community resources available for

children and adolescents, including:

—Number of afterschool programs;

—Number of youth served by programs

to build social skills;

—Number and quality of community

mental health and social service

organizations available to provide

services to children, adolescents, and

families;

—Number of youth participating in

academic readiness programs;

—Number and types of early

intervention services and programs;

—Number and types of law enforcement

prevention programs;

27822 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 97 / Friday, May 18, 2001 / Notices

—Number and quality of substance

abuse prevention programs;

—Presence of a community anti-drug

coalition;

—Presence of community mediation or

victim-offender mediation programs;

and

(6) Extent of community readiness to

collaborate and improve current

conditions.

(b) Goals and objectives (10 points).

In assessing the goals and objectives

of the proposed comprehensive plan,

the following factors are considered:

(1) The extent to which the goals and

objectives for the proposed strategy are

clearly defined, measurable, and

attainable;

(2) The extent to which the proposed

strategy will meet the established goals

and objectives and lead to healthy

childhood development and positive

mental health, and safe, disciplined,

and alcohol- and drug-free learning

environments; and

(3) The extent to which the objectives

identified are related to measurable

action steps needed to achieve the

goal(s).

(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

network in which each element of the

Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative

is addressed and incorporated in an

integrated fashion;

(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/racial

minority populations;

(3) The extent to which the

application clearly describes the

programs, activities, and services that

comprise the proposed strategy;

(4) For Elements 2, 3, and 4 of the SS/

HS comprehensive plan described

under Eligible Applicants (above), the

extent to which the proposed programs

provide evidence that they are effective

and do no harm. (Up to 10 points out

of the maximum 30 points for this

criterion will be used to assess the

strength of the applicant’s design for

these elements);

(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 potential for continued

support of the strategy after Federal

funding ends, including, as appropriate,

the demonstrated commitment of

appropriate entities to such support;

(7) The extent to which the

implementation process is adequately

documented;

(8) The extent to which the program

selected is designed to help meet the

goals and objectives of the community’s

comprehensive plan.

(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 plan

provides information for increasing the

effectiveness of management and

administration of the SS/HS

comprehensive plan, documents that

objectives have been met, and

determines the overall effectiveness of

the plan, its programs, and strategies;

(2) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and

appropriate to the goals, objectives, and

outcomes of the proposed

comprehensive plan;

(3) The adequacy of the identified

performance measures to demonstrate

whether and to what extent the

proposed strategy is meeting its shortterm, intermediate, and long-term

objectives;

(4) Adequacy and appropriateness of

the plan to collect data related to

violence from a variety of sources such

as mental health services, social

services, schools, law enforcement

agencies, and the juvenile justice

system;

(5) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation address data needs for

sustainability of the SS/HS

comprehensive plan after Federal

support has ended.

(e) Management and organizational

capability (20 points).

In determining the quality of

management and organizational

capability, the following factors are

considered:

(1) The level of commitment proposed

by the written agreements signed by the

school superintendent, the head of the

local public mental health authority,

and the chief law enforcement

executive, as well as written agreements

with other community partners;

(2) The relevance and demonstrated

commitment of each partner in the

proposed strategy to the implementation

and success of the strategy, and how

they will participate in the proposed

project;

(3) 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;

(4) 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;

(5) The skills, experience, time

commitments, and educational

requirements of key staff and relevance

of those qualifications to the objectives

of the proposed SS/HS comprehensive

plan;

(6) The extent to which staff

qualifications and training represent

diverse and relevant experience in

engaging and providing services to

underserved, underrepresented, and/or

diverse racial/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.

Congressional action that provided

Department of Labor funds in 2001 for

the Safe Schools/Healthy Students

constituted a significant change in the

initiative. As a result of this change, the

Assistant Secretary, in accordance with

section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, has decided

to forego public comment in order to

ensure timely awards.

Intergovernmental Review

This program is subject to Executive

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34

CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the

Executive order is to foster an

intergovernmental partnership and a

strengthened federalism. The Executive

order relies on processes developed by

State and local governments for

coordination and review of proposed

Federal financial assistance.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 97 / Friday, May 18, 2001 / Notices 27823

This document provides early

notification of our specific plans and

actions for this program.

Applicable Program Regulations: The

Education Department General

Administrative Guidelines in 34 CFR

parts 74, 75 (except 75.102), 77, 79, 80,

81, 82, 85, 98, and 99.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.

Electronic Access to This Document:

You may view this document in text

or Adobe Portable Document Format

(PDF) on the Internet at the following

site: http://www.ed.gov/legislation/

FedRegister

To use PDF you must have the Adobe

Acrobat Reader, which is available free

at the previous site. If you have

questions about using PDF, call the U.S.

Government Printing Office (GPO), tollfree, 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

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number 84.184L, Safe and Drug-Free Schools

and Communities Act National Programs—

Federal Activities Grants Program)

Dated: May 14, 2001.

Thomas M. Corwin,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for

Elementary and Secondary Education.

[FR Doc. 01–12557 Filed 5–17–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

(CFDA No: 84.184L)

Safe and Drug-Free Schools and

Communities National Program; Notice

Inviting Applications for New Awards

for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and

Secondary Education—Safe and DrugFree Schools and Communities National

Programs, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for

new awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001.

Purpose of Program: To fund the

implementation and enhancement of

comprehensive community-wide

strategies for creating safe and drug-free

schools and promoting healthy

childhood development.

Eligible Applicants: Local educational

agencies (LEAs).

Applications Available: May 18, 2001.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: July 16, 2001.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: September 14, 2001.

Estimated Available Funds: $31

million.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

Awards will range from up to $3 million

for LEAs in urban areas; up to $2

million for LEAs in suburban areas; and

up to $1 million for LEAs in rural areas

and tribal school districts.

Estimated Number of Awards: 15.

Note: The Department of Education is not

bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

34 CFR parts 74, 75 (except 75.102), 77,

79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 98, and 99; and (b)

the notice of final priority and selection

criteria as published elsewhere in this

issue of the Federal Register.

For Applications and Further

Information Contact:

For applications and further

information, please contact the agencies

as follows:

U.S. Department of Education, Safe and

Drug-Free Schools Program

Internet: http://www.ed.gov./offices/

OESE/SDFS

Phone: (202) 260–3954

U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services

Administration

Internet: http://www.samhsa.gov

Phone: (800) 789–2647

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention

Internet: http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org

Phone: (202) 307–5911

If you use a telecommunications

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call

the Federal Information Relay Service

(FIRS) at (800) 877–8339.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain a copy of this document in an

alternative format (e.g., Braille, large

print, audiotape, or computer diskette)

upon request. Individuals with

disabilities may also obtain a copy of

the application package in an alternative

format by contacting that person.

However, the Departments are not able

to reproduce in an alternative format the

standard forms included in the

application package.

Instructions for Transmittal of

Applications

All applications must be received by

5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on or

before the deadline date. Applications

received after that time will not be

eligible for funding. Postmarked dates

will not be accepted. Applications by

mail should be sent to: Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, c/o Juvenile Justice

Resource Center, 2277 Research

Boulevard, Mail Stop 2K, Rockville, MD

20850; 301–519–5535. In the lower lefthand corner of the envelope, clearly

write ‘‘Safe Schools/Healthy Students

Initiative.’’

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document in text

or Adobe Portable Document Format

(PDF) on the Internet at the following

sites:

http://ocof.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.htm

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS

http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org

http://www.samhsa.gov

To use PDF, you must have the Adobe

Acrobat Reader, which is available free

at any of the previous sites. 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.access.gpo.gov/nara/

index.htm

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.

Dated: May 14, 2001.

Thomas M. Corwin,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for

Elementary and Secondary Education.

[FR Doc. 01–12558 Filed 5–17–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–U