FR Doc 04-6726
[Federal Register: March 25, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 58)]
[Notices]
[Page 15303-15305]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25mr04-39]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
RIN 1865-ZA01
[CFDA No. 84.184.E]
Notice of Proposed Priority
AGENCY: Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority and other application requirements.
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SUMMARY: We propose a priority and other application requirements under
the Emergency Response and Crisis Management Grant program. We may use
this priority and the application requirements for competitions in
Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 and in later years. We take this action to focus
Federal financial assistance on supporting grants to local educational
agencies (LEAs) in improving and strengthening emergency response and
crisis management plans that address the four phases of crisis
planning: Prevention/Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
Plans must include training for school personnel, students, and parents
in emergency response procedures and must include coordination with
local law enforcement, public safety, health, and mental health
agencies.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before April 26, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed priority and other
application requirements to Sara Strizzi, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-6450. If you prefer to send your comments through
the Internet, use the following address: Sara.Strizzi@ed.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara Strizzi. Telephone: (202) 708-
4850 or via Internet: Sara.Strizzi@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications devise for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-888-877-8339.
[[Page 15304]]
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation to Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed priority
and other application requirements.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of
reducing regulatory burden that might result from this proposed
priority and other application requirements. Please let us know of any
further opportunities we should take to reduce potential costs or
increase potential benefits while preserving the effective and
efficient administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about this proposed priority and other application
requirements in 400 Maryland Ave, SW., room 3E320, Washington, DC,
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through
Friday of each week except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this proposed priority and other application
requirements. If you want to schedule an appointment for this type of
aid, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
We propose this priority and other application requirements under
the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Programs to
focus on the important need of LEAs to strengthen and improve school
crisis plans in coordination with community-based partners.
We will announce the final priority and other application
requirements in a notice in the Federal Register. We will determine the
final priority and other application requirements after considering
responses to this notice and other information available to the
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or funding
additional priorities or other application requirements, subject to
meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use this proposed priority and other application
requirements, we invite applications through a notice in the Federal
Register. When inviting applications we designate the priority as
absolute, competitive preference, or invitational. The effect of
each type of priority follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority we give competitive preference to an application by either (1)
awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent to
which the application meets the competitive priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets the
competitive priority over an application of comparable merit that does
not meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other
applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Priority: Improvement and Strengthening of School Emergency Response
and Crisis Management Plans
The events of September 11, 2001, made schools and communities
aware that in addition to planning for traditional crises and
emergencies, schools must now plan to respond to possible terrorist
attacks on campus or in the community. The proposed priority supports
LEA projects to improve and strengthen emergency response and crisis
management plans, at the district and school building level, addressing
the four phases of crisis planning: Prevention/Mitigation,
Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Plans must include training for
school personnel, students, and parents in emergency response
procedures and must include coordination with local law enforcement,
public safety, health, and mental health agencies.
Other Application Requirements
In order to develop high-quality emergency response and crisis
management plans under this priority, LEAs need to involve community
partners in all aspects of planning. We propose establishing the
following application requirements:
To be considered for a grant award, we propose that an applicant
include in its application an agreement that details the participation
of the LEA and the following five community-based partners from the
local area: law enforcement, public safety, health, mental health, and
the head of the applicant's local government (for example the mayor,
city manager, or county executive). The agreement must detail the roles
and responsibilities that each of the required partners will have in
improving and strengthening the plan. The agreement must also reflect
each partner's commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement
of the plan. Finally, the agreement must include an authorized
signature representing the LEA and each community-based partner.
If one or more of the five partners listed is not present in the
applicant's community, or cannot feasibly participate, the agreement
must explain the absence of each missing partner. To be considered
eligible for funding, however, an application must include signed
agreements from at least the LEA and two of the required five partners,
and explanations for the absence of any of the remaining required
partners.
Applications that fail to include the required agreement, including
roles and responsibilities, commitment to sustainability and continuous
improvement (with signatures and explanations for missing signatures as
specified above), will not be read.
Furthermore, all emergency response and crisis management plans
must be coordinated with the Homeland Security Plan of the State in
which the LEA is located. All States submitted such a plan to the
Department of Homeland Security on January 30, 2004. To ensure that
emergency services are coordinated within the State, the LEA must
follow the requirements of the State Homeland Security Plan for
informing and working with State personnel on emergency services and
initiatives.
Although this program requires partnerships with other parties,
administrative direction and fiscal control for the project must remain
with the local educational agency.
The plan must also take into consideration the communication,
transportation, and medical needs of individuals with disabilities
within this community.
We also propose that grantees who received funding under this
priority in FY 2003 are not eligible applicants for FY 2004.
[[Page 15305]]
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed priority and other application requirements
has been reviewed in accordance with Executive Order 12866. Under the
terms of the order, we have assessed the potential costs and benefits
of this regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with the notice of proposed priority
and other application requirements are those resulting from statutory
requirements and those we have determined as necessary for
administering this program effectively and efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits both quantitative and
qualitative--of this notice of proposed priority and other application
requirements, we have determined that the benefits of the proposed
priority and other application requirements justify the costs.
We have also determined that this regulatory action does not unduly
interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the exercise of
their governmental functions.
Summary of potential costs and benefits:
The potential cost associated with this proposed priority and other
application requirements is minimal while the benefits are significant.
Grantees may anticipate costs with completing the application process
in terms of staff and partner time, copying, and mailing or delivery.
The use of E-Application technology reduces mailing and copying costs
significantly.
The benefit of this proposed priority and other application
requirements is that grantees that develop a comprehensive emergency
response and crisis management plan that includes training and that is
implemented in coordination with community partners may mitigate the
financial and human impact of a crisis in their district.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program. Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR parts
75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 97-99, and 299.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area, at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.184.E--Emergency
Response and Crisis Management Grant program)
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.
Dated: March 22, 2004.
Deborah A. Price,
Deputy Under Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. 04-6726 Filed 3-24-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P