[Federal Register: March 5, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 42)]
[Notices]
[Page 9767-9768]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05mr07-58]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
Periodically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) will publish a summary of information
collection requests under OMB review, in compliance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these
documents, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.
Project: School Climate Survey for the National Cross-Site
Evaluation of Safe School/Healthy Student (SS/HS) Initiative Grants-
NEW.
The SS/HS Initiative is a collaborative grant program supported by
three Federal departments--the U.S. Departments of Health and Human
Services, Education, and Justice. The program is authorized under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, and the
Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2 (National
Programs), Section 4121 (Federal Activities). It is also authorized
under Section 581 of the Public Health Service Act.
This initiative, instituted by Congress following the murderous
assaults at Columbine High School in Colorado, is designed to provide
Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), including school districts and
multi-district regional consortia, with 3 years of funding to
simultaneously improve school safety, student access to mental health
services, the reduction of violence and substance abuse, school
relationships with the larger community, and early childhood
preparation for learning. Collectively, Congress expects these changes
to be reflected in improved school climate.
Local Education Agencies (LEAs) serve as the primary applicants for
SS/HS grants, but the LEAs are required to establish formal
partnerships with the local mental health system, the local law
enforcement agency, and the local juvenile justice agency. Other
partners often include public and private social services agencies,
businesses, civic organizations, the faith community, and private
citizens. As a result of these partnerships, comprehensive plans are
developed, implemented, evaluated, and sustained with the goals of
promoting the healthy development of children and youth, fostering
their resilience in the face of adversity, and preventing violence.
[[Page 9768]]
From FY 1999 through FY 2004, grants of $1 million to $3 million
annually for 3 years were awarded to 190 LEAs, for a total of $916
million. Approximately 40 new SS/HS grants were awarded in FY 2005.
These grants are providing support for rural, tribal, suburban, and
urban communities that include diverse racial and ethnic groups across
the country.
In compliance with the Government Performance and Results Act
(GPRA) of 1993, grantees are required to collect and report data that
measure the results of the programs implemented with this grant.
Specifically, grantees are required to collect and report information
on the following GPRA indicators:
1. The percentage of SS/HS grant sites that experience a decrease
in the number of violent incidents at schools.
2. The percentage of SS/HS grant sites that experience a decrease
in substance abuse.
3. The percentage of SS/HS grant sites that improve school
attendance.
4. The percentage of SS/HS grant sites that increase mental health
services to students and families.
In addition to GPRA measures, the Federal Evaluation Work Group of
the Safe School/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative national
evaluation, comprised of Federal officials representing the U.S.
Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice,
determined that information on changes in school climate is also
required to provide a direct basis of comparison for performance with
subsequent cohorts of grantees. Although GPRA measures monitor changes
in individual outcomes among students, GPRA measures have been found to
provide an incomplete metric of performance in terms of observed in
changes in overall ``school climate.''
The SS/HS National Evaluation Team proposes to adopt the staff
version of the California Healthy Kids Survey for this purpose. This
instrument contains 43 multiple choice questions that are used to
obtain school staff perceptions of student behavior and attitudes,
school programs and policies, and the overall school climate as they
relate to student well-being and learning. It deals with such issues as
truancy, safety, harassment, substance abuse, school connectedness and
learning supports. The instrument, modified slightly to form the SS/HS
School Climate Survey, will track changes in school climate in schools
targeted for program services under the SS/HS Initiative. In the
absence of the School Climate Survey, there would be no common, cross-
site measure of performance across SS/HS initiative grantees. In
practice, the School Climate Survey will be administered electronically
among approximately 67,500 local educational system employees. These
employees will be encouraged to log onto a Web site during each year
that their school benefits from the grant to answer questions
concerning their perception of student behavior and safety at the
school.
The burden estimate for the annual survey is as follows:
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Burden/
Number of respondents Responses per response Total annual
respondent (hours) burden (hours)
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70,875....................................................... 1 0.117 8,269
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Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed
information collection should be sent by April 4, 2007 to: SAMHSA Desk
Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, Office of Management and
Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC
20503; due to potential delays in OMB's receipt and processing of mail
sent through the U.S. Postal Service, respondents are encouraged to
submit comments by fax to: 202-395-6974.
Dated: February 27, 2007.
Patricia S. Bransford,
Acting Director, Office of Program Services.
[FR Doc. E7-3764 Filed 3-2-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P