U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today the award of over $23 million in grants to 74 school districts in 26 states to help them enhance and fortify their emergency response and crisis management plans.

“Knowing how to respond in a crisis and the ability to do so quickly is critical to ensuring the safety of our schools and students,” Spellings said. “These grants will help school districts incorporate appropriate methods and procedures in their emergency response plans and will also help them better coordinate with the entire community.”

The Emergency Response and Crisis Management program provides funds to help local education agencies prevent or mitigate, prepare, respond and recover from crises. Funds can be used to train school personnel and students in crisis response; communicate emergency response and reunification procedures to parents and guardians; coordinate with local emergency responders, including fire and police; purchase equipment; and coordinate with groups and organizations responsible for recovery issues, such as health and mental health agencies. This year, school districts must also commit to developing a written plan designed to prepare for a possible infectious disease outbreak, such as influenza pandemic.

As part of the No Child Left Behind education reforms, local school districts must provide assurances that they have plans that outline how they are working to keep their schools safe and drug free.

The grants are housed within the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, which supports efforts to create safe schools, respond to crises, prevent drug and alcohol abuse, ensure the health and well being of students, and teach students good citizenship and character. The office also coordinates the Department's efforts in these areas with other federal agencies.

A complete list of the 74 grant awards follows:

ALASKA
Anchorage School District
$461,316.00

ARIZONA
Mesa Public Schools
$871,517.00

Scottsdale Unified School District
Phoenix, Ariz.
$364,226.00

Yayapai County Education Service Agency
Prescott, Ariz.
$596,571.00

Yuma Elementary School District No. One
$249,998.00

CALIFORNIA
Capistrano Unified School District
San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
$167,054.00

Chula Vista Elementary School District
Chula Vista, Calif.
$245,059.00

Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District
Orosi, Calif.
$104,625.00

Fremont Unified School District
Fremont, Calif.
$244,467.00

Granada Hills Charter High School
Granada Hills, Calif.
$231,982.00

Inglewood Unified School District
Inglewood, Calif.
$226,054.00

Los Angeles County Office of Education
Downey, Calif.
$462,693.00

Orange County Department of Education
Costa Mesa, Calif.
$499,996.00

Paradise Unified School District
Paradise, Calif.
$98,827.00

Panama Buena Vista Union School District
Bakersfield, Calif.
$250,000.00

San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
San Bernardino, Calif.
$235,796.00

San Dieguito Union High School District
Encinitas, Calif.
$98,860.00

San Joaquin County Office of Education
Stockton, Calif.
$491,657.00

Westminster School District
Westminster, Calif.
$218,280.00

COLORADO
Denver Public Schools
Denver, Colo.
$497,370.00

Jeffco Public Schools
Golden, Colo.
$453,107.00

CONNECTICUT
Sprague, Connecticut Board of Education
Baltic, CT 06030
$97,366.00

FLORIDA
School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami, Fla.
$204,269.00

GEORGIA
Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta, Ga.
$496,004.00

IDAHO
Coeur d’Alene Tribal School
DeSmet, Idaho
$85,192.00

Joint School District #2 – Meridian School District
Meridian, Idaho
$355,922.00

ILLINOIS
Aurora West Unit School District 129
Aurora, Ill.
$250,000.00

Iroquois-Kankakee Regional Office of Education #32
Kankakee, Ill.
$496,861.00

Meridian Community Unit School District 223
Stillman Valley, Ill.
$99,995.00

Moline Unit School District No. 40
Moline, Ill.
$183,785.00

Regional Office of Education for Dupage County
Wheaton, Ill.
$493,127.00

Rockford Public School District #205
Rockford, Ill.
$460,425.00

INDIANA
Indianapolis Public Schools
$490,239.00

IOWA
Davenport Community Schools
Davenport, Iowa
$247,223.00

KENTUCKY
Carlisle County Board of Education
Bardwell, Ky.
$481,601.00

Green River Regional Educational Cooperative
Bowling Green, Ky.
$599,823.00

Letcher County Public Schools
Whitesburg, Ky.
$102,803.00

LOUISIANA
Jefferson Parish Public School System
Marrero, La.
$430,849.00

MASSACHUSETTS
Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District
Wilbraham, Mass.
$326,279.00

Lynn Public Schools
Lynn, Mass.
$194,935

Newton Public Schools
Newton, Mass.
$330,625.00

Weymouth Public Schools
Weymouth, Mass,
$233,825.00

MICHIGAN
Southgate Community Schools
Southgate, Mich.
$230,296.00

Waterford School District
Waterford, Mich.
$218,199.00

MINNESOTA
Stephen-Argyle Central Independent School District #2856
Stephen , Minn.
$399,627.00

St. Cloud Area School District 742
St. Cloud, Minn.
$246,623.00

MISSOURI
Board of Education of the City of St. Louis
St. Louis, Mo.
$482,273.00

Seneca R-7 School District
Seneca, Mo.
$229,015.00

NEW JERSEY
Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools
East Brunswick, N.J.
$466,675.00

NEW YORK
Clarkstown Central Schools
New City, N.Y.
$95,974.00

New York City Department of Education
New York, N.Y.
$1,365,087.00

NORTH CAROLINA
Buncombe County Public Schools
Asheville, N.C. $481,505.00

OHIO
Columbus Public Schools
Columbus, Ohio
$474,475.00

Garfield Heights City Schools
Garfield Heights, Ohio
$102,854.00

OKLAHOMA
Beggs Public Schools
Beggs, Okla.
$97,688.00

El Reno Public Schools
El Reno, Okla.
$99,411.00

Oklahoma City Public Schools
Oklahoma City, Okla.
$475,009.00

PENNSYLVANIA
Hempfield School District
Landisville, Pa.
$148,816.00

Lake-Lehman School District
Lehman, Pa.
$100,000.00

School District of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pa.
$714,607.00

SOUTH CAROLINA
Beaufort County School District
Beaufort, S.C
$294,771.0.0

Kershaw County School District
Camden, S.C.
$211,460.00

TEXAS
Alvarado Independent School District
Alvarado, Texas
$99,700.00

Angleton Independent School District
Angleton, Texas
$139,675.00

Aransas County Independent School District
Rockport, Texas
$99,812.00

Burleson Independent School District
Burleson, Texas
$94,608.00

Castleberry Independent School District
Fort Worth, Texas
$100,400.00

Conroe Independent School District
Conroe, Texas
$310,435.00

Education Service Center Region 18
Midland, Texas
$656,780.00

Houston Independent School District
Houston, Texas
$495,524.00

Karnes City Independent School District
Karnes City, Texas
$99,537.00

VIRGINIA
Grayson County Public Schools
Independence, Va.
$116,744.00

Mecklenburg County Public Schools
Boydton, Va.
$99,940.00

Wise County Public Schools
Wise, Va.
$94,909.00

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