(1) the violence within elementary and second-
ary schools across the Nation has increased dramati-
cally during the past decade;
(2) the despair, brought about by poverty and
disenfranchisement, that affect millions of youth in
cities across the Nation is entering schools;
(3) almost 3,000,000 crimes occur on or near
school campuses every year, 16,000 per school day
or one every 6 seconds;
(4) one fourth of major urban school districts
now use metal detectors;
(5) 20 percent of teachers in schools have re-
ported being threatened with violence by a student;
(6) greater efforts are needed for counseling
and training for teachers in potentially hostile school
environments to avert violence in schools;
(7) schools are being asked to take on too many
responsibilities that society as a whole has neglected
forcing teachers to referee fights rather than teach;
(8) teachers’ unions are staging walk-outs to
protest the violence which denies interested students
the opportunity to learn;
(9) local educational agencies and cities are al-
ready financially devastated and need an infusion of
Federal funds to help fight violence in schools; and
(10) local educational agencies should not have
to withdraw funds and resources intended for books,
computers, and teachers, to help pay for an in-
creased need for safety mechanisms in schools.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purpose of this Act is to provide
assistance to local educational agencies for the prevention
and reduction of violent crime in schools throughout the
Nation.
SEC. 3. GRANT AUTHORIZATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education is au-
thorized to make grants to local educational agencies to
provide assistance to such agencies most directly affected
by crime and violence.
(b) MODEL PROJECT.—The Secretary shall develop
a model for classroom safety written in English and Span-
ish in a timely fashion and make such model available to
any local educational agency that requests such informa-
tion.
SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS.
Grants made by the Secretary under this Act shall
be used—
(1) to fund anticrime and safety measures and
to develop education and training programs for the
prevention of crime, violence, and illegal use of
drugs and alcohol;
(2) for counseling programs for victims and wit-
nesses of crime in schools;
(3) to develop programs for conflict resolution
and peer mediation counseling for students, teach-
ers, and other personnel in regular contact with stu-
dents at school;
(4) to purchase crime prevention equipment, in-
cluding metal detectors and video-surveillance de-
vices; and
(5) for the prevention and reduction of the par-
ticipation of students in organized crime and drug
and gang-related activities in schools.
SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to be eligible to receive
a grant under this Act for any fiscal year, a local edu-
cational agency shall submit an application to the Sec-
retary in such form and containing such information as
the Secretary may reasonably require.
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—Each application under sub-
section (a) shall include—
(1) a request for funds for the purposes de-
scribed in section 4;
(2) a description of the schools and commu-
nities to be served by the grant, including the nature
of the crime and violence problems within such
schools;
(3) assurances that Federal funds received
under this Act shall be used to supplement, not sup-
plant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be
available for activities funded under this Act; and
(4) statistical information in such form and
containing such information that the Secretary may
require regarding crime within the schools served by
such local educational agency.
(c) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.—Each application shall
include a comprehensive plan that shall contain—
(1) a description of the crime problems within
the schools targeted for assistance;
(2) a description of the projects to be devel-
oped;
(3) a description of the resources available in
the community to implement the plan together with
a description of the gaps in the plan that cannot be
filled with existing resources;
(4) an explanation of how the requested grant
will be used to fill gaps;
(5) a description of the system the applicant
will establish to prevent and reduce crime problems;
and
(6) a description of educational materials to be
developed in Spanish.
SEC. 6. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS; LIMITATIONS ON GRANTS.
(a) ADMINISTRATIVE COST LIMITATION.—The Sec-
retary shall use not more than 5 percent of the funds
available under this Act for the purposes of administration
and technical assistance.
(b) RENEWAL OF GRANTS.—A grant under this Act
may be renewed for up to 2 additional years after the first
fiscal year during which the recipient receives an initial
grant under this Act, subject to the availability of funds,
if—
(1) the Secretary determines that the funds
made available to the recipient during the previous
year were used in a manner required under the ap-
proved application; and
(2) the Secretary determines that an additional
grant is necessary to implement the crime prevention
program described in the comprehensive plan as re-
quired by section 5(c).
SEC. 7. AWARD OF GRANTS.
(a) SELECTION
OF RECIPIENTS.—The Secretary
shall consider the following factors in awarding grants to
local educational agencies:
(1) CRIME PROBLEM.—The nature and scope of
the crime problem in the targeted schools.
(2) NEED AND ABILITY.—Demonstrated need
and evidence of the ability to provide the services de-
scribed in the plan required under section 5(c).
(3) POPULATION.—The number of students to
be served by the plan required under section 5(c).
(b) GEOGRAPHIC
DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary
shall attempt, to the extent practicable, to achieve an equi-
table geographic distribution of grant awards.
SEC. 8. REPORTS.
(a) REPORT.—Local educational agencies that receive
funds under this Act shall submit to the Secretary a report
not later than March 1 of each year that describes
progress achieved in carrying out the plan required under
section 5(c).
(b) REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall
submit to the Congress a report by October 1 of each year
in which grants are made available under this Act which
shall contain a detailed statement regarding grant awards,
activities of grant recipients, a compilation of statistical
information submitted by applicants under 5(b)(4), and
an evaluation of programs established under this Act.
SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.
For the purpose of this Act: