Teacher:In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Academic Emergency Act''.

SEC. 2. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to provide funds to
States that have 1 or more schools designated under section 3 as
academic emergency schools to provide parents whose children attend
such schools with education alternatives.
(b) Grants to States.--Grants awarded to a State under this Act
shall be awarded for a period of not more than 5 years.

SEC. 3. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.

(a) Designation.--The Governor of each State may designate 1 or
more schools in the State that meet the eligibility requirements set
forth in subsection (b) as academic emergency schools.
(b) Eligibility.--To be designated as an academic emergency school,
the school shall be a public elementary school--
(1) with a consistent record of poor performance by failing
to meet minimum academic standards as determined by the State;
and
(2) in which more than 50 percent of the children attending
are eligible for free or reduced price lunches under the
National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.).
(c) List to Secretary.--To receive a grant under this Act, the
Governor shall submit a list of academic emergency schools to the State
educational agency and the Secretary.

SEC. 4. APPLICATION AND STATE SELECTION.

(a) Application.--Each State in which the Governor has designated 1
or more schools as academic emergency schools shall submit an
application to the Secretary that includes the following:
(1) Assurances.--Assurances that the State shall--
(A) use the funds provided under this Act to
supplement, not supplant, State and local funds that
would otherwise be available for the purposes of this
Act;
(B) provide written notification to the parents of
every child eligible to receive academic emergency
relief funds under this Act, informing the parents of
the voluntary nature of the program established under
this Act, and the availability of qualified schools
within their geographic area;
(C) provide parents and the education community
with easily accessible information regarding available
education alternatives; and
(D) not reserve more than 4 percent of the amount
made available under this Act to pay administrative
expenses.
(2) Information.--Information regarding each academic
emergency school, for the school year in which the application
is submitted, regarding the number of children attending such
school, including the number of children who are eligible for
free or reduced-price lunch under the National School Lunch Act
(42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) and the level of student performance.
(b) State Awards.--
(1) State selection.--From the amount appropriated pursuant
to the authority of section 14 in any fiscal year, the
Secretary shall award grants to States in accordance with this
section.
(2) Priority.--To the extent practicable, the Secretary
shall ensure that each State that completes an application in
accordance with subsection (a) shall receive a grant of
sufficient size to provide education alternatives to not less
than 1 academic school.
(3) Award criteria.--In determining the amount of a grant
award to a State under this Act, the Secretary shall take into
consideration the number of schools designated as academic
emergencies in the State and the number of eligible students in
such schools.
(4) State plan.--Each State that applies for funds under
this Act shall establish a plan--
(A) to distribute funds to academic emergency
schools selected under section 5(a)(1);
(B) to ensure that--
(i) the greatest number of eligible
students who attend academic emergency schools
have an opportunity to receive an academic
emergency relief funds; and
(ii) each academic emergency school
continues to receive, in accordance with
section 5(c), payments for each eligible
student who leaves the school to attend a
qualified school;
(C) to develop a simple procedure to allow parents
of participating eligible students and selected
academic emergency schools to redeem academic emergency
relief funds.

SEC. 5. AWARDS TO ACADEMIC EMERGENCY SCHOOLS.

(a) Subgrant Awards.--
(1) In general.--From amounts made available under this Act
to a State and not reserved for administrative expenses under
section 4(a)(1)(D), the State shall select academic emergency schools
to receive a subgrant based on--
(A) the number of eligible students attending
academic emergency school;
(B) the availability of qualified schools near such
schools; and
(C) the academic performance of students in such
schools.
(2) Class size reduction.--The funds made available to an
academic emergency school pursuant to subsection (c)(1)(B)
shall be used exclusively to reduce class size.
(b) Insufficient Funds.--If the amount of funds made available to a
State under this Act is insufficient to provide every eligible student
in a selected academic emergency school with academic emergency relief
funds, the State shall devise a random selection process to provide
eligible students in such school whose family income does not exceed
185 percent of the poverty line the opportunity to participate in
education alternatives established pursuant to this Act.
(c) Payments.--
(1) In general.--From the funds made available to a State
under this Act, a State shall--
(A) pay not more than $3,500 in academic emergency
relief funds to the parents of each participating
eligible student; and
(B) pay $3,500 to an academic emergency school
selected for participation under this Act for each
participating eligible student who chooses to attend a
qualified school.
(2) Period of awards.--The academic emergency relief funds
awarded to parents of participating eligible students and the
amounts distributed to academic emergency schools under
paragraph (1) shall be awarded for each school year during the
grant period which shall terminate--
(A) when a participating eligible student is no
longer a student in the State; or
(B) at the end of 5 years,
whichever occurs first.
(3) Duration.--A State shall continue to receive funds
under this Act for distribution to parents of participating
eligible students and selected academic emergency schools in
accordance with subsection (a).

SEC. 6. QUALIFIED SCHOOLS.

(a) Qualifications.--A State that submits an application to the
Secretary under section 4 shall publish the qualifications necessary
for a school to participate as a qualified school under this Act. At a
minimum, each such school shall--
(1) provide assurances to the State that it will comply
with section 10;
(2) certify to the State that the amount charged to a
parent using academic relief funds for tuition and fees does
not exceed the amount for such tuition and fees charged to a
parent not using such relief funds whose child attends the
qualified school (excluding scholarship students attending such
school); and
(3) report to the State, not later than July 30 of each
year in a manner prescribed by the State, information regarding
student performance.
(b) Confidentiality.--No personal identifiers may be used in such
report, except that the State may request such personal identifiers
solely for the purpose of verification.

SEC. 7. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS.

(a) Use of Academic Emergency Relief Funds.--A parent who receives
academic emergency relief funds from a State under this Act may use
such funds to pay the costs of tuition and mandatory fees for a program
of instruction at a qualified school.
(b) Not School Aid.--Academic emergency relief funds under this Act
shall be considered assistance to the student and shall not be
considered assistance to a qualified school.

SEC. 8. EVALUATION.

(a) Annual Evaluation.--
(1) Contract.--The Comptroller General of the United States
shall enter into a contract, with an evaluating agency that has
demonstrated experience in conducting evaluations, for the
conduct of an ongoing rigorous evaluation of the education
alternative program established under this Act.
(2) Annual evaluation requirement.--The contract described
in paragraph (1) shall require the evaluating agency entering
into such contract to annually evaluate the education
alternative program established under this Act in accordance
with the evaluation criteria described in subsection (b).
(3) Transmission.--The contract described in paragraph (1)
shall require the evaluating agency entering into such contract
to transmit to the Comptroller General of the United States the
findings of each annual evaluation under paragraph (2).
(b) Evaluation Criteria.--The Comptroller General of the United
States, in consultation with the Secretary, shall establish minimum
criteria for evaluating the education alternative program established
under this Act. Such criteria shall provide for--
(1) a description of the effects of the programs on the
level of student participation and parental satisfaction with
the education alternatives provided pursuant to this Act
compared to the educational achievement of students who choose
to remain at academic emergency schools selected for
participation under this Act; and
(2) a description of the effects of the programs on the
educational performance of eligible students who receive
academic emergency relief funds compared to the educational
performance of students who choose to remain at academic
emergency schools selected for participation under this Act.

SEC. 9. REPORTS BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL.

(a) Interim Reports.--Three years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit an
interim report to Congress on the findings of the annual evaluations
under section 8(a)(2) for the education alternative program established
under this Act. The report shall contain a copy of the annual
evaluation under section 8(a)(2) of education alternative program
established under this Act.
(b) Final Report.--The Comptroller General shall submit a final
report to Congress, not later than 7 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, that summarizes the findings of the annual
evaluations under section 8(a)(2).

SEC. 10. CIVIL RIGHTS.

(a) In General.--A qualified school under this Act shall not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex in
carrying out the provisions of this Act.
(b) Applicability and Construction With Respect to Discrimination
on the Basis of Sex.--
(1) Applicability.--With respect to discrimination on the
basis of sex, subsection (a) shall not apply to a qualified
school that is controlled by a religious organization if the
application of subsection (a) is inconsistent with the
religious tenets of the qualified school.
(2) Single-sex schools, classes, or activities.--With
respect to discrimination on the basis of sex, nothing in
subsection (a) shall be construed to prevent a parent from
choosing, or a qualified school from offering, a single-sex
school, class, or activity.

SEC. 11. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.

(a) In General.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent
a qualified school that is operated by, supervised by, controlled by,
or connected to a religious organization from employing, admitting, or
giving preference to persons of the same religion to the extent
determined by such school to promote the religious purpose for which
the qualified school is established or maintained.
(b) Sectarian Purposes.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to
prohibit the use of funds made available under this Act for sectarian
educational purposes, or to require a qualified school to remove
religious art, icons, scripture, or other symbols.

SEC. 12. CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.

Nothing in this Act shall affect the rights of students, or the
obligations of public schools of a State, under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.).

SEC. 13. DEFINITIONS.

As used in this Act:
(1) The terms ''local educational agency'' and ''State
educational agency'' have the same meanings given such terms in
section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).
(2) The term ''eligible student'' means a student enrolled
in an academic emergency school during the school year in which
the Governor designates the school as an academic emergency
school in a grade between K and 4th.
(3) The term ''Governor'' means the chief executive officer
of the State.
(4) The term ''parent'' includes a legal guardian or other
person standing in loco parentis.
(5) The term ''poverty line'' means the income official
poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and
Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section 673(2)
of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))
applicable to a family of the size involved.
(6) The term ''qualified school'' means a public, private,
or independent elementary school that meets the requirements of
section 6 and any other qualifications established by the State
to accept academic emergency relief funds from the parents of
participating eligible students.
(7) The term ''Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Education.
(8) The term ''State'' means each of the 50 States and the
District of Columbia.

SEC. 15. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$200,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary for
each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2004, except that the amount
authorized to be appropriated may not exceed $200,000,000 for any
fiscal year.
Student:
(Sec. 3) Authorizes State Governors to designate as academic emergency schools one or more public elementary schools in their States: (1) with a consistent record of poor performance by failing to meet minimum academic standards as determined by the State; and (2) in which more than 50 percent of the children attending are eligible for free or reduced price lunches under the National School Lunch Act.
Sets forth requirements for: (1) lists of such schools; (2) State applications, including certain assurances and information; (3) selection, priorities, and criteria for grant awards to States; and (4) State plans.
(Sec. 5) Requires recipient States to use such grants to make subgrants to academic emergency schools, based on: (1) the number of eligible students (in grades K through four) attending; (2) the availability of qualified schools near such schools; and (3) the academic performance of students in such schools. Requires the State, if its grant amount is insufficient to provide every eligible student in a selected academic emergency school with academic emergency relief funds, to devise a random selection process to provide eligible students whose family income does not exceed 185 percent of the poverty line the opportunity to participate in education alternatives established pursuant to this Act.
Requires States to pay from grant funds: (1) up to $3,500 in academic emergency relief to the parents of each participating eligible student in grades K through four; and (2) $3,500 (for class size reduction only) to an academic emergency school selected for program participation, for each participating eligible student who chooses to attend a qualified school.
(Sec. 6) Allows a qualified school to be any public, private, or independent elementary school that meets certain minimum requirements and any other qualifications established by the State to accept academic emergency relief funds from the parents of participating eligible students.
Requires applicant States to publish their criteria for a qualified school under this Act. Requires, at a minimum, each such school to provide to the State: (1) assurances of compliance with specified civil rights requirements; (2) certification that the tuition and fees charged to a parent using academic relief funds does not exceed the amount charged to a parent not using such relief funds whose child attends the qualified school (excluding scholarship students); and (3) an annual report on student performance.
(Sec. 7) Allows parents to use academic emergency relief funds to pay tuition and mandatory fees for an instruction program at a qualified school. Treats academic emergency relief funds as assistance to the student, not to the qualified school.
(Sec. 8) Directs the Comptroller General to arrange for annual evaluations of the education alternative program.
(Sec. 10) Prohibits qualified schools from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex in carrying out the provisions of this Act. Makes such sex discrimination prohibition inapplicable if: (1) it is inconsistent with the religious tenets of a qualified school controlled by a religious organization; or (2) it would be construed as preventing a parent from choosing, or a qualified school from offering, a single-sex school, class, or activity.
(Sec. 11) Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) prevent a qualified school that is operated by, supervised by, controlled by, or connected to a religious organization from employing, admitting, or giving preference to persons of the same religion to the extent determined by such school to promote the religious purpose for which the qualified school is established or maintained; (2) prohibit the use of funds made available under this Act for sectarian educational purposes; or (3) require a qualified school to remove religious art, icons, scripture, or other symbols.
(Sec. 12) Provides that nothing in this Act shall affect the rights of students, or the obligations of public schools of a State, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
(Sec. 15) Authorizes appropriations.