School Safety Grants

Grant Details

Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS)

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools (OSDFS)

Funder Type: Federal Government	Award Amount: $600,000
Deadlines: 02/26/10	Status: Active
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Award Description:
The expected number of awards for 2010 is 96. 2010 available funding is anticipated to be $29,000,000. Awards are expected to range from $150,000 to $600,000. Estimated Average Size of Awards: $150,000 for small districts (1-20 school facilities); $300,000 for a medium-sized LEA (21-75 school facilities); and $600,000 for large districts (76 or more school facilities). The project period for this grant is 24 months; budgets should be developed for 24 months. No continuation awards will be provided. This competition does not require cost sharing or matching.
Eligibility Description:
This competition limits eligibility to local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law, that do not currently have an active grant under the REMS program (CFDA Number 84.184E). For the purpose of this competition the term Local Educational Agency (LEA) is a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control of direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or for such combination of school districts or counties as are recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary or secondary schools.
Summary:
This grant program is designed to provide funds to LEAs to strengthen and improve their emergency response and crisis plans, at the district and school-building level. Grantees are required to address all four phases of crisis planning: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. In addition, LEAs are required to form partnerships and collaborate with five community-based partners: the law enforcement agency, the public safety or emergency management agency, the public health agency, the mental health agency, and the head of the applicant's local government (for example the mayor, city manager, or county executive) as they review and revise school crisis plans. Plans must be coordinated with state or local homeland security plans and support implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Applicants must agree to develop written plans designed to prepare the LEA for a possible infectious disease outbreak, to safeguard the LEA's food supply, and to take into consideration the needs of individuals with disabilities. Absolute priority for 2010 is for LEA projects designed to develop and enhance local emergency management capacity. For 2010 and for any year the Department of Education makes awards from the list of unfunded applicants for this program, only applications that meet this priority will be considered. Under this priority, the Department of Education supports LEA projects designed to create, strengthen, or improve emergency management plans at the LEA and school-building levels and build the capacity of LEA staff so that the LEA can continue the implementation of key emergency management functions after the period of Federal funding. Projects must include a plan to create, strengthen, or improve emergency management plans, at the LEA and school-building levels, and within the framework of the four phases of emergency management mentioned above. Projects must also include: (1) training for school personnel in emergency management procedures; (2) coordination, and the use of partnerships, with local law enforcement, public safety or emergency management, public health, and mental health agencies, and local government to assist in the development of emergency management plans at the LEA and school-building levels; (3) a plan to sustain the local partnerships after the period of Federal assistance; (4) a plan for communicating school emergency management policies and reunification procedures for parents and guardians and their children following an emergency; and (5) a written plan for improving LEA capacity to sustain the emergency management process through ongoing training and the continual review of policies and procedures. Please consult the program guidance for more detail concerning this absolute priority. There is one competitive preference priority for 2010. This priority is for applicants that have not previously received a REMS grant (5 points). A REMS grant will enable school districts to improve and strengthen emergency management plans to include: (1) All four phases of emergency management: Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery; (2) Agreements to coordinate among education, local government, law enforcement, public safety, public health, and mental health in the strengthening and improving of the plan; (3) Coordination with the State or local Homeland Security Plan; (4) Support of the National Incident Management System; (5) A comprehensive plan that is based on an all-hazards approach; (6) Support from top leadership; (7) Pre-established roles for faculty, staff, parents, students and first responders; (8) Training programs for staff, teachers, and crisis response team members; (9) Drills and exercises for staff and students; (10) Review and revision of emergency management plans to reflect what works and does not work, and address emerging crises; (11) A district plan and a plan for each individual school building within the district; (12) A plan that does not leave any child (or adult) behind - addressing the needs of all populations, including students with disabilities and special needs; (13) A plan that addresses infectious diseases, including pandemic flu; and (14) Purchasing emergency equipment and technology (but not as a majority of the requested funding). Grant funds may be used for the following activities: training school safety teams and students; conducting building and facilities audits; communicating emergency response policies to parents and guardians; implementing an Incident Command System (ICS); purchasing school safety equipment (to a limited extent); conducting drills and tabletop simulation exercises; and preparing and distributing copies of crisis plans. The distinct requirements of this funding opportunity necessitate a thorough review of the official program guidance referenced at the URL provided in the contact section of this summary.

Contacts

History

Additional Info.

Sara Strizzi, Program Manager
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS)
U.S. Department of Education

Address:
1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 800
Denver, CO 80204-2512

Telephone: (303) 346-0924
E-Mail: sara.strizzi@ed.gov
URL: http://rems.ed.gov/index.cfm?event=GrantApp
Misc Info: NOFA 2010: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-130.pdf

Date Added: 04/10/07