OESE Grant Programs under CFDAs 84.184F/G/M/Q

4000-01-U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Applications for New Awards; Grants to States for School Emergency Management Program

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice

Overview Information:

Grants to States for School Emergency Management Program

Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2014.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.184Q.

Dates:

Applications Available: [INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: [INSERT DATE 45 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: [INSERT DATE 105 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The Grants to States for School Emergency Management Program provides grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) or State School Safety Centers (SSSCs) to increase their capacity and provide training and technical assistance to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) to develop and implement high quality school emergency operations plans (EOPs).

Background: A 2007 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) notes that while 85 percent of LEAs have requirements for emergency management planning and 95 percent have written emergency management plans, the content within these plans vary.¹ According to the GAO report, many school district officials said that they experience challenges in planning for emergencies and some school districts face difficulties in communicating and coordinating with first responders. In an estimated 62 percent of districts, officials identified challenges stemming from a lack of equipment, training for staff, and personnel with expertise in the area of planning as obstacles to implementing recommended practices.

On January 16, 2013, President Obama put forward a specific plan, called “Now is the Time,” of actions and steps to protect our children and communities by reducing gun violence. The plan combined executive actions and calls for legislative action that would help keep guns out of the wrong hands, ban assault and high-capacity magazines, make our schools safer, and increase access to mental health services.

The elements of the plan to make our schools safer included proposals for new school resource officers and counselors, better EOPs, more nurturing school climates, and specific new investments to help schools address pervasive violence. High-quality school EOPs make our schools safer by supporting efforts to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from all hazards, both natural and man-made.

In order to develop and implement high quality EOPs, school district staff must have access to training and technical assistance in the development, implementation, and refinement of their plans. State agencies can play a critical role in providing this training and technical assistance if they have the capacity and expertise.

While each SEA is different in its approach to LEA EOP development, generally, SEAs share applicable laws and mandates with their LEAs regarding school emergency management and plans, and make resources available to fulfill such laws and mandates. Laws and mandates regarding EOP development and content vary by State, as do resources to support implementation and compliance. SEAs may provide training, resources, tools, and information to support overall safe school environments, such as school safety and security, including emergency management, directly to LEAs.

Another avenue through which States can support school emergency management is with training, tools, and resources provided by an SSSC. Currently, approximately half of the U.S. States and Territories have such a center. Generally, these centers are formally established by the State or through the SEA. Some States have State-affiliated centers connected to the State government entity, or a State-affiliated organization, such as the State department of education, State emergency management or law enforcement agency, or State institutions of higher education. Most centers provide training, tools, technical assistance, and information to schools (students, staff, and caregivers) within their State on issues related to historical, extant, and emerging issues in school preparedness and school safety.

Congress has appropriated sufficient funding in FY 2014 in order for the U.S. Department of Education to hold a new discretionary grant competition for Grants to States for School Emergency Management. Grant funds will allow SEAs and SSSCs to increase their capacity to provide training and technical assistance to LEAs to develop high quality EOPs and provide this training and technical assistance to LEAs.

Priority: We are establishing this priority for the FY 2014 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).

Absolute Priority: This priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105 (c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.

The priority is:

Absolute Priority -- Expand the Capacity of State Educational Agencies (SEAs) or State School Safety Centers (SSSCs) and Provide Training and Technical assistance to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) to Develop and Implement High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs).

Under this priority, an applicant is required develop its capacity and provide training and technical assistance to LEAs to develop and implement high-quality school EOPs.

Application Requirements: The following application requirements apply to this competition—

(1) Description of applicant’s current capacity to provide training and technical assistance to LEAS to develop and implement high-quality school EOPs as well as the nature of that training and technical assistance.

An applicant must provide a description of: (a) the current number and level of experience and expertise of staff that currently provide training and technical assistance to LEAS to develop and implement high quality school EOPs; (b) the current resources that are available to those staff provide training and technical assistance; (c) the number of LEAs that currently receive training and technical assistance; and (d) the type of that training and technical assistance currently provided.

(2) Plan for improving the applicant’s current capacity to provide training and technical assistance to LEAS to develop and implement high-quality school EOPs.

An applicant must provide a plan to: (1) increase the capacity and expertise of staff that provide training and technical to LEAS; and (2) improve the quality of the emergency management resources available and align them with emergency management planning at the Federal, State, and Local levels; and (3) improve the quality of current training and technical assistance activities.

(3) Plan for providing training and technical assistance to LEAS to develop and implement high-quality school EOPs.

An applicant must provide a plan to: describe the nature and frequency of the training and technical assistance that will be provided to LEAs including: (1) the various methods and materials that will be used; and (2) the estimated number of LEAs that will receive training or technical assistance activities including rural LEAs that might not otherwise have full access to school emergency management training and resources.

(4) Plan for evaluating the current status of LEAs’ school EOPs and whether the quality of LEAs’ school EOPs improves as a result of their training and technical assistance and available resources.

(5) Identify a process for the coordination and sustainability of support to LEAs regarding the continuous, ongoing improvement of LEAs’ EOPs beyond the period of federal financial assistance.

Program Requirements: If an SEA or SSSC is awarded a State School Emergency Management grant it must meet the following requirements:

(a) Identify an established point of contact (e.g., person or office) for school emergency management issues and submit that information to the Department of Education.

(b) Provide training and technical assistance to LEAs on the implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Information about current NIMS requirements for States may be accessed at: http://www.fema.gov/national-incident-management-system.

(c) Provide training and technical assistance to LEAs on best practices for developing and implementing school EOPs, including, but not necessarily limited to those provided in the new federal Guide (Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans; http://rems.ed.gov/EOPGuides) and provided by the Department’s Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center.

Definitions: The following definitions apply to this competition.

SEA means a State Educational Agency as defined by section 9101(41) of the ESEA.

LEA means a Local Educational Agency as defined by section 9101(41) of the ESEA.

Rural LEA means an LEA with one of the following district locale codes as assigned by the National Center for Education Statistics’ Common Core of Data: Town, Remote; Rural, Fringe; or Rural, Distant. LEA locale codes may be obtained by searching the Common Core of Data database at: http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/.

State means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each of the Outlying Areas (American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands).

State School Safety Centers means a non-profit organization authorized by State legislation or other State-level endorsement to serve as the primary provider of school safety and emergency management services in the State.

High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) means a comprehensive plan addressing all hazards and threats (natural and manmade) that the district or school may face.

Training means consultations, information, referrals, and other assistance on specific issues, topics, or problems as requested by the grantees and other stakeholders. The grantee disseminates materials collected, developed, adapted, and adopted for this assistance. Technical assistance may proceed, follow, or be combined with training activities.

Technical Assistance means instruction directed toward imparting knowledge, skills, and attitudes supportive of change by engaging, informing, equipping, and motivating trainees toward the development and implementation of high-quality emergency operations plans responsive to the specific need or circumstances of the trainees. Training may consist of various formats (e.g., workshops, seminars, or computer-assisted tutorials).

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities, other requirements, and definitions. Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA (20 U.S.C 1232(d)(1)), however, allows the Secretary to exempt from rulemaking requirements, regulations governing the first grant competition under a new or substantially revised program authority. This is the first grant competition for this program under section 4121 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, and, therefore it qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards, the Secretary has decided to forgo public comment on the priority, requirements, and definitions in this notice under section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. This priority, requirements, and definitions will apply to the FY 2014 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education Department suspension and debarment regulations in 2CFR part 3485. (c) The regulations in 34 CFR part 299.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants except federally recognized Indian tribes.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

Estimated Available Funds: TBD

Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$600,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $250,000 for a State with fewer than 1,400,000 students enrolled; $325,000 for a State with at least 1,400,000, but fewer than 2,000,000 students enrolled; and $600,000 for a State with at least 2,000,000 students enrolled. The award ranges are based on 2011-2012 school year enrollment data submitted by SEAs through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Applicants are encouraged to consider the suggested project amounts below, as well as the activities outlined in their application in the development of their budget request.

Estimated Number of Awards: TBD

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 18 months. Budgets should be developed for a single project period of up to 18 months. No continuation awards will be provided.

Note: To support applicants in planning their proposed budgets, the Department has developed the following list, which contains a non-binding budget maximum for each State. These Figures are only estimates and do not bind the Department of Education in specific number of grants or an amount of any grant award.

Group 1--$250,000: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico. Outlying Areas: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI), Guam, Virgin Islands.

Group 2--$325,000: Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania.

Group 3--$600,000: California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: An SEA or a State School Safety Center (as defined in this notice), only one eligible entity per state may apply; and Outlying Areas.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require cost sharing or matching.

3. Other:

a. Participation by Nonpublic School Students and Teachers. SEAs or SSSCs are required to provide for the equitable participation of nonpublic school students, their teachers, and other educational personnel in nonpublic schools located in the state served by the grant. In order to ensure that grant program activities address the needs of nonpublic schools, the SEA or SSSC must engage in timely and meaningful consultation with nonpublic school officials during the design and development of the program. This consultation must take place before any decision is made that affects the opportunities of eligible nonpublic school students, teachers, and other educational personnel to participate.

In order to ensure equitable participation of nonpublic school students, teachers, and other educational personnel, an SEA or SSSC must consult with private school officials on school emergency management issues such as: threats and hazards unique to nonpublic schools in the state, training needs, and existing EOPs and school emergency management resources already available to the nonpublic schools.

b. Maintenance of Effort. Section 9521 of the ESEA permits LEAs to receive a grant only if the SEA finds that the combined fiscal effort per student or the aggregate expenditures of the LEA and the State with respect to the provision of free public education by the LEA for the preceding fiscal year was not less than 90 percent of the combined fiscal effort or aggregate expenditures for the preceding fiscal year.

c. Administrative direction and control over grant funds must remain with the grantee (the SEA or SSSC).

d. Limitation on Applications. The Department will accept one application per State. The application must be submitted by the SEA or the SSSC on behalf of the State or Outlying Area. An application submitted by a SSSC must include a letter from the SEA identifying the SSSC as the primary provider of school safety and emergency management services in the State and designating the Center as the State’s applicant under the program. If the Department receives more than one application per State, the only eligible application will be the application submitted by the SEA.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications Center (ED Pubs).

To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following address: www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html. To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following: ED Pubs, U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 22207, Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (703) 605-6794. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.

If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.184Q.

Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer disc) by contacting the person listed under Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this competition.

Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, provide the project narrative and management plan to address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. The required budget and budget narrative will be provided in a separate section. You must limit the application narrative to the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, using the following standards:

• A “page” is 8.5” x 11”, on one side only, with 1” margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

• Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

• Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

• Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial.

The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative section.

Our reviewers will not read any page of your application that exceeds the page limit.

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: [INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: [INSERT DATE 45 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 7. Other Submission Requirements of this notice.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual's application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: [INSERT DATE 105 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this competition.

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, and System for Award Management (SAM): To do business with the Department of Education, you must--

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);

b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the Government’s primary registrant database;

c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on the application; and

d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information while your application is under review by the Department and, if you are awarded a grant, during the project period.

You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number can be created within one-to-two business days.

If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.

The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into SAM database by an entity. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.

Note: Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov before you can submit an application through Grants.gov.

If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also,

note that you will need to update your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.

Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, which you can find at http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.

In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the following Grants.gov Web page: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.

7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

Applications for grants under the Grants to State Education Agencies for Emergency Management Program, CFDA number 84.184Q, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.

You may access the electronic grant application for Grants to State Education Agencies for Emergency Management competition at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.184, not 84.184Q).

Please note the following:

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation.

• Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, will not accept your application if it is received—that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.

• The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.

• You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this competition to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You also can find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department’s G5 system home page at http://www.G5.gov.

• You will not receive additional point value because you submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your application in paper format.

• You must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms: the Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.

• You must upload any narrative section and all other attachments to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document) read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only, non-modifiable PDF or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that material. Additional, detailed information on how to attach files is in the application instructions.

• Your electronic application must comply with any page-limit requirements described in this notice.

• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification indicates that the Department has received your application and has assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying number unique to your application).

• We may request that you provide us original signatures on forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice.

If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII of this notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because––

• You do not have access to the Internet; or

• You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov system;

and

• No later than two weeks before the application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.

If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.

Address and email or fax your statement to: Amy Banks, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 3E117, Washington, DC 20202-6450.

FAX: (202) 453-6716.

Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail the original and two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.184Q)

LBJ Basement Level 1

400 Maryland Avenue, SW.

Washington, DC 20202-4260

You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service.

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark.

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

If your application is postmarked after the application deadline date, we will not consider your application.

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your local post office.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.184Q)

550 12th Street, SW.

Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza

Washington, DC 20202-4260

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail or hand deliver your applications to the Department--

(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application; and

(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and are listed in the application package.

2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as the applicant’s use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or submitted a report of unacceptable quality.

In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary may impose special conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other management system that does not meet the standards in 34 CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has not fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not responsible.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to access an electronic version of your GAN. The may notify you informally, also.

If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify you.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify administrative and national policy requirements in the application package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporates your approved application as part of your binding commitments under the grant.

3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).

(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.

4. Performance Measures: TBD [under discussion with Budget Service].

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Amy Banks, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 453-6704 or by e-mail: Amy.Banks@ed.gov.

If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) [on request to the program contact person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII of this notice.

Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site.

You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at: http://www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department.

Dated:

_______________________________

Deborah S. Delisle,

Assistant Secretary for

Elementary and Secondary Education.

1 United States Government Accountability Office: Emergency Management: Status of School Districts’ Planning and Preparedness (GAO-07-821T) May 2007.

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