U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today the award of $24 million in grants to 92 school districts in 34 states to help them enhance and fortify their readiness and emergency management plans.

"Nothing is more important to Americans than the safety of their children," Spellings said. "These grants will support that effort by helping more school districts strengthen their crisis planning and better coordinate with the entire community to ensure the safety of our schools and students."

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) discretionary grant program provides funds for local education agencies (LEAs or school districts) to improve and strengthen their emergency management plans. For a school district to qualify for a grant, its improved plan must address all four phases of emergency management: Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. Plans also must commit school districts to coordinate with officials in law enforcement, local government, public safety, public health and mental health; train school officials in emergency management; and provide a method for communicating emergency and reunification procedures to parents and guardians. Measures also should support the implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which works to prevent the outbreak of infectious disease and should take into consideration districts' special needs populations.

Funds may be used to coordinate with local emergency responders, including fire, police, and health and public health agencies; conduct drills and exercises; purchase emergency supplies and equipment; and to train staff and students on emergency response procedures.

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.

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

A complete list of the 92 grant awards follows:

Alabama

DeKalb County School District
Rainsville, AL
Charles Warren, project director
$92,520

Franklin County Board of Education
Russellville, AL
Susan Hargett, project director
$99,347

Arizona

Crane Elementary School District
Yuma, AZ
Christopher Weigel, project director
$128,255

Flagstaff Unified School District
Flagstaff, AZ
Bob Kuhn, project director
$397,957

Yuma Union High School District
Yuma, AZ
Tim Vlasak, project director
$197,499

Red Mesa Unified School District
Teec Nos Pos, AZ
Michael Hughes, project director
$99,000

California

San Diego Unified School District
San Diego, CA
Don Braun, project director
$484,210

Garden Grove Unified School District
Garden Grove, CA
Sue McCann, project director
$925,409

Triumph Charter Academy
San Fernando, CA
Sharon Mamane, project director
$266,462

Grossmont Union High School District
El Cajon, CA
Jodi Sevilla, project director
$496,297

Coachella Valley Unified School District
Thermal, CA
Duke Tanuvasa, project director
$236,135

William S. Hart Union High School District
Santa Clarita, CA
Robert Weber, project director
$152,625

Castro Valley Unified School District
Castro Valley, CA
Richard Schneck, project director
$99,984

Palm Springs Unified School District
Palm Springs, CA
Roy Hill, project director
$158,770

Stanislaus County Office of Education
Modesto, CA,
Vicki Bauman, project director
$401,626

Nevada Joint Union High School District
Grass Valley, CA
Cindy Gordon, project director
$240,820

Oakland Unity High School
Oakland, CA
Sau-Lim Tsang, project director
$243,064

Fullerton School District
Fullerton, CA
Kathryn Ikola, project director
$249,997

San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco, CA
David Goldin, project director
$544,205

Napa County Office of Education
Napa, CA
Terry Longoria, project director
$493,097

North Sacramento Area School District
Sacramento, CA
Matlock Heyman, project director
$367,546

Baldwin Park Unified School District
Baldwin Park, CA
Stephen Bayne, project director
$298,082

Colorado

Durango School District
Durango, CO
Kathleen Morris, project director
$100,001

Connecticut

New Fairfield Public Schools
New Fairfield, CT
John Boccuzzi, project director
$90,250

District of Columbia

District of Columbia Public Schools
Washington, DC
Brian Killian, project director
$791,545

Georgia

Rockdale County Board of Education
Conyers, GA
Garret Brundage, project director
$229,277

Hawaii

Hawaii Department of Education
Honolulu, HI
Mark Behrens, project director
$747,978

Idaho

Madison School District
Rexburg, ID
Randy Lords, project director
$99,463

Kamiah Joint School District
Kamiah, ID
Vickie Jackson, project director
$196,956

Illinois

Decatur Public School District
Decatur, IL
Michael Sotiroff, project director
$199,660

Benton Consolidated High School District
Benton, IL
Marla Harp, project director
$109,461

Crete-Monee Community Unit School District
Crete, IL
George Elrod, project director
$205,502

Alton Community Unite School District
Alton, IL
Kristie Baumgartner, project director
$243,503

St. Clair County Education Coop. Bd.
Belleville, IL
Rosella Wamser, project director
$487,640

Aurora Public Schools
Aurora, IL
Brooke Young, project director
$248,515

Indiana

Metro School District of Warren Township
Indianapolis, IN
Mark Harsley, project director
$224,351

South Montgomery Community School Corporation
New Market, IN
Michael Sowers, project director
$97,704

Herron High School
Indianapolis, IN
Janet McNeal, project director
$96,418

Iowa

Cedar Falls Community School District
Cedar Falls, IA
Sue Gettman, project director
$232,550

Des Moines Independent School District
Des Moines, IA
Greg Davis, project director
$471,428

Maple Valley Community Schools
Mapleton, IA
Patricia Ryan, project director
$137,070

Kentucky

Oldham County Board of Education
Buckner, KY
Michael Williams, project director
$256,226

Bourbon County Schools
Paris, KY
Tom Mills, project director
$99,527

Laurel County Public School District
London, KY
Duff Holcomb, project director
$219,786

Louisiana

Algiers Charter School Association
New Orleans, LA
Alan Delery, project director
$282,473

Maine

Portland Public School District
Portland, ME
R. Scott Wyman, project director
$266,270

Maryland

Board of Education of Frederick County
Frederick, MD
Clifton Cornwell, project director
$212,471

Massachusetts

Somerville Public Schools
Somerville, MA
Frank DiChiappari, project director
$100,000

Quabbin Regional School District
Barre, MA
Lynne Shaw, project director
$135,095

New Bedford Public Schools
New Bedford, MA
Andrew O'Leary, project director
$220,382

Michigan

Saginaw Intermediate School District
Saginaw, MI
Thomas Mysnberge, project director
$410,275

Bloomfield Hills School District
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Brian Goby, project director
$243,971

Grand Rapids Public Schools
Grand Rapids, MI
Larry Johnson, project director
$494,123

Mississippi

Noxubee County School District
Macon, MS
Evelyn Murray, project director
$221,339

Montgomery County School District
Winona, MS
Michael Hood, project director
$99,400

Missouri

Kennett #39 School District
Kennett, MO
Deborah Cook, project director
$125,984

New Jersey

Bergen County Technical Schools
Paramus, NJ
Joshua Wayne, project director
$214,801

Lakewood Public School District
Lakewood, NJ
Agnes Jennings, project director
$228,950

West New York Board of Education
West New York, NJ
John Fauta, project director
$100,000

Kinnelon Public School District
Kinnelon, NJ
Matthew Scanlon, project director
$99,603

Egg Harbor Regional High School District
Mays Landing, NJ
Margaret Doran, project director
$89,491

New Mexico

Santa Fe Public Schools
Santa Fe, NM
Doug Conwell, project director
$248,355

Gadsden Independent School District
Anthony, NM
Joe Mendez, project director
$168,183

New York

Hampton Bays Union Free School District
Hampton Bays, N
Donna Moss, project director
$100,000

Syracuse City School District
Syracuse, NY
Michael Puntschenko, project director
$250,000

Renaissance Charter School
Jackson Heights, NY
Stacie Gauthier, project director
$261,823

Copiague Union Free School District
Copiague, NY
Charles Leunig, project director
$99,016

North Carolina

Burke County Public Schools
Morganton, NC
Tina Brookes, project director
$244,843

Orange County Schools
Hillsborough, NC
Frank Meadows, project director
$282,782

Ohio

Bloom Carroll School District
Carroll, OH
Eric Landversicht, project director
$98,803

South-Western City Schools
Grove City, OH
Harvey Nesser, project director
$247,980

Canton City Schools
Canton, OH
James Irvin, project director
$247,602

Dayton Public Schools
Dayton, OH
Andre Roldan, project director
$493,034

Pennsylvania

Allentown School District
Allentown, PA
Gretchen Saul, project director
$232,760

Wyomissing School District
Wyomissing, PA
Pamela Pulkowski, project director
$92,397

South Carolina

Williamsburg County School District
Kingstree, SC
Boykin Parson, project director
$98,055

Anderson Five School District
Anderson, SC
William Dukes, project director
$209,222

Laurens County School District
Clinton, SC
David Pitts, project director
$99,759

York School District One
York, SC
Lisa Spangler, project director
$109,246

Tennessee

Memphis City Schools
Memphis, TN
Linda Delaney, project director
$491,308

Texas

ESC Region 2
Corpus Christi, TX
Randy Purdy, project director
$644,290

Region 5 ESD
Beaumont, TX
Sherrie Thomas, project director
$247,708

Utah

Cache County School District
North Logan, UT
Stacie Stewart, project director
$248,710

Virginia

Loudoun County Public Schools
Ashburn, VA
Robert Burke, project director
$699,419

Chesterfield County Public Schools
Chesterfield, VA
Timothy Mallory, project director
$326,957

Dinwiddie County Public Schools
Dinwiddie, VA
Marie Grant, project director
$95,880

Russell County Public Schools
Lebanon, VA
Lorraine Turner, project director
$178,679

Roanoke City Public Schools
Roanoke, VA
Mac Westland, project director
$630,561

Washington

Seattle Public Schools
Seattle, WA
Pegi McEvoy, project director
$503,797

North Central ESD
Wenatchee, WA
Mike Lynch, project director
$138,585

West Virginia

Jefferson County Board of Education
Charles Town, WV
Sherri Hoff, project director
$157,900

Wisconsin

School District of Janesville
Janesville, WI
Karen Schulte, project director
$250,000

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