`[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34670-34671]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-16835]


      

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Part VI





Department of Education





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Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Federal Activities Grants 
Program (Hate Crimes Prevention); Final Priority and Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1996; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 2, 1996 / 
Notices  

[[Page 34670]]



DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Federal Activities 
Grants Program (Hate Crimes Prevention)

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Final Priority for Fiscal Year 1996.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces a final priority for fiscal year (FY) 
1996 under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Federal 
Activities Grants Program. The Secretary takes this action to focus 
Federal financial assistance on unmet national needs. Under this 
priority, the Department will fund the development and implementation 
of innovative, effective strategies for preventing and reducing the 
incidence of crimes and conflicts motivated by hate in localities 
directly affected by hate crimes. Strategies may include, but need not 
be limited to: (1) Developing and disseminating curricula or other 
instructional materials on the causes and consequences of hate-
motivated behavior and effective measures of intervening with youth to 
prevent such behaviors; (2) school-community partnerships that provide 
opportunities for youth to engage in service learning activities 
designed to reduce the incidence of crimes and conflicts motivated by 
hate; and (3) training of school personnel, parents, and community 
members on issues related to crimes and conflicts motivated by hate.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This priority takes effect August 1, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charlotte Gillespie, U.S. Department 
of Education, 600 Independence Ave., SW., Room 604 Portals, Washington, 
DC 20202-6123. Telephone: (202) 260-3954. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The seventh National Education Goal provides 
that, by the year 2000, all schools in America will be free of drugs 
and violence and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol and 
will offer a disciplined environment that is conducive to learning. The 
State grant portion of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities 
Act (SDFSCA) provides funding to 97 percent of school districts in the 
Nation to assist them in preventing violence in and around schools, 
promoting safety and discipline for students, and preventing the 
illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. The SDFSCA Federal 
Activities Grants Program reinforces that effort by supporting the 
development of innovative programs that (1) Demonstrate effective new 
methods of ensuring safe and drug-free schools and communities, and (2) 
ultimately will provide models of proven effective practice that will 
assist schools and communities around the Nation to improve their 
programs under the SDFSCA.
    This notice contains one absolute priority to be applied to this 
competition under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities 
Federal Activities Grants Program.
    The Secretary will award approximately 10 grants in fiscal year 
1996 to public and private nonprofit organizations and individuals, 
including local educational agencies, for applications that address the 
absolute priority in a particularly innovative and effective manner. 
Grants will be for a period of one year; however, because of the urgent 
national need for effective programs to address violent behavior 
motivated by hate, applications must clearly demonstrate an ability to 
begin service delivery to the target audience within four months of the 
grant award.
    In making awards under this grant program, the Secretary may take 
into consideration the geographic distribution and diversity of 
activities addressed by the projects, in addition to the rank order of 
applicants.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds, the Secretary may make 
additional awards in fiscal year 1997 from the rank-ordered list of 
unfunded applicants from this competition.

    Note: This notice of final priorities does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition 
is published in a separate notice in this issue of the Federal 
Register.

    Applications for this competition must be received at the address 
specified in the notice inviting applications for this competition no 
later than 4:30 p.m. on August 2, 1996. Applications received after 
that time will not be eligible for funding. Postmarked dates will not 
be accepted.

Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities Act, the Secretary gives an absolute preference to 
applications that meet the following priority. The Secretary funds 
under this competition only applications that meet this absolute 
priority:
    Absolute Priority--Developing and implementing innovative, 
effective strategies for preventing and reducing the incidence of 
crimes and conflicts motivated by hate in localities directly affected 
by hate crimes.
    Applicants proposing a project under this priority must--
    (1) Describe the problem that will be addressed, including an 
assessment of the number of persons who will benefit from the project;
    (2) Demonstrate that the community to be served by the project has 
a significant level of crime or conflict motivated by hate;
    (3) Describe the activities to be implemented and explain how they 
are based on research and best practices, how they will lead to 
sustained improvements in the school and community environment, and how 
they will be cost-effective and replicable;
    (4) Provide evidence of collaboration with the following groups in 
the planning and implementation of the program--
    (i) Students and families,
    (ii) Local school officials and teachers,
    (iii) Community leaders and representatives from groups such as 
religious, business, and civic organizations, and
    (iv) Juvenile justice, law enforcement, and community policing 
representatives;
    (5) Identify the roles and responsibilities of each participating 
group;
    (6) Describe the behavioral, developmental, or theoretical basis 
for the proposed project and provide evidence for its effectiveness in 
preventing and reducing the incidence of crimes and conflicts motivated 
by hate;
    (7) Identify the intended audience to be served and describe how 
the proposed activities are appropriate for the target population;
    (8) Provide a detailed plan of implementation, including evidence 
of ability to begin service delivery within four months of the grant 
award;
    (9) Identify performance goals for the project and provide a 
description of how progress toward achieving goals will be measured; 
and
    (10) Provide evidence of the proposed strategy's potential to 
provide a replicable model of effective practice for other schools and 
communities facing similar problems.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

    In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), 
it is the practice of the Department to offer interested parties the 
opportunity to comment on proposed rules. Ordinarily, this practice 
would

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have applied to the rules in this notice. However, the Secretary waives 
rulemaking under section 553(b)(B) of the Administrative Procedures 
Act. This section provides that rulemaking is not required when the 
agency for good cause finds that notice and public procedure are 
impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest. The 
Secretary believes that, in order to make timely grant awards using 
Fiscal Year (FY) 1996 funds, public comment on those rules is 
impracticable. Congress did not appropriate FY 1996 funds for this 
program until April 26, 1996. The Secretary must make new awards no 
later than September 30, 1996. Moreover, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools 
and Communities National Programs statute is designed to address 
emergency needs in drug and violence prevention. Programs need to be 
implemented as early as possible in the 1996-97 school year. Due to the 
delay in the appropriation of FY 1996 funds, it is now impracticable to 
receive public comments and still allow FY 1996 awards to be made by 
September 30, 1996.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) and the 
regulations in 34 CFR Part 79.
    The objective of the Executive order is to foster an 
intergovernmental partnership and to strengthen federalism by relying 
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination 
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
    In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide 
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
this program.

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

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 84.184E Safe 
and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Federal Activities Grants 
Program)

    Dated: June 26, 1996.
Gerald N. Tirozzi,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 96-16835 Filed 6-28-96; 9:01 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P`