text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Schools Act of 1994''.
  
  SEC. 2. SAFE SCHOOLS PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
  
      (a) In General.--With funds appropriated under subsection (b)(1), 
  the Secretary of Education shall make competitive grants to eligible 
  local educational agencies to carry out projects designed to achieve 
  Goal Six of the National Education Goals, which provides that by the 
  year 2000, every school in America will be free of drugs and violence 
  and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning, by 
  helping to ensure that all schools are safe and free of violence.
      (b) Model Project.--The Secretary of Education, shall develop a 
  written safe schools model so all schools can develop models that 
  enable all students to participate regardless of any language barriers.
      (c) Authorization of Appropriations and Reservation.--
              (1) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
          to carry out this Act $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1994.
              (2) Reservation.--From the sums appropriated to carry out 
          this Act for any fiscal year, the Secretary may reserve not 
          more than 5 percent to carry out national leadership activities 
          under section 6.
  
  SEC. 3. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.
  
      To be eligible to receive a grant under this Act, a local 
  educational agency shall demonstrate in its application under section 
  4(a) that it--
              (1) serves an area in which there is a high rate of--
                      (A) homicides committed by persons between the ages 
                  5 to 18, inclusive;
                      (B) referrals of youth to juvenile court;
                      (C) youth under the supervision of the courts;
                      (D) expulsions and suspensions of students from 
                  school;
                      (E) referrals of youth, for disciplinary reasons, 
                  to alternative schools; or
                      (F) victimization of youth by violence, crime, or 
                  other forms of abuse; and
              (2) has serious school crime, violence, and discipline 
          problems, as indicated by other appropriate data.
  
  SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS AND PLANS.
  
      (a) In General.--In order to receive a grant under this Act, an 
  eligible local educational agency shall submit to the Secretary an 
  application that includes--
              (1) an assessment of the current violence and crime 
          problems in the schools to be served by the grant and in the 
          community to be served by the applicant;
              (2) an assurance that the applicant has written policies 
          regarding school safety, student discipline, and the 
          appropriate handling of violent or disruptive acts;
              (3) a description of the schools and communities to be 
          served by the grant, the activities and projects to be carried 
          out with grant funds, and how these activities and projects 
          will help to reduce the current violence and crime problems in 
          the schools and communities served;
              (4) a description of educational materials to be developed 
          in the second most predominate language of the schools and 
          communities to be served by the grant, if applicable;
              (5) if the local educational agency receives Federal 
          education funds, an explanation of how activities assisted 
          under this Act will be coordinated with and support any 
          systemic education improvement plan prepared with such funds;
              (6) the applicant's plan to establish school-level advisory 
          committees, which include faculty, parents, staff, and 
          students, for each school to be served by the grant and a 
          description of how each committee will assist in assessing that 
          school's violence and discipline problems as well as in 
          designing appropriate programs, policies, and practices to 
          combat those problems;
              (7) the applicant's plan for collecting baseline and future 
          data, by individual schools, to monitor violence and discipline 
          problems and to measure its progress in achieving the purpose 
          of this Act;
              (8) a description of how, in subsequent fiscal years, the 
          grantee will integrate the violence prevention activities it 
          carries out with funds under this Act with activities carried 
          out under its comprehensive plan for drug and violence 
          prevention adopted under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
          Communities Act of 1986;
              (9) a description of how the grantee will coordinate its 
          school crime and violence prevention efforts with education, 
          law enforcement, judicial, health, social service, programs 
          supported under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
          Act of 1974, and other appropriate agencies and organizations 
          serving the community;
              (10) a description of how the grantee will inform parents 
          about the extent of crime and violence in their children's 
          schools and maximize the participation of parents in its 
          violence prevention activities;
              (11) an assurance that grant funds under this Act will be 
          used to supplement and not supplant State and local funds that 
          would, in the absence of funds under this Act, be made 
          available by the applicant for the purposes of the grant;
              (12) an assurance that the applicant will cooperate with, 
          and provide assistance to, the Secretary in gathering 
          statistics and other data the Secretary determines are 
          necessary to determine the effectiveness of projects and 
          activities under this Act or the extent of school violence and 
          discipline problems throughout the Nation; and
              (13) such other information as the Secretary may require.
      (b) Priorities.--In awarding grants under this Act, the Secretary 
  shall take into account the special needs of local educational agencies 
  located in both rural and urban communities.
  
  SEC. 5. GRANTS AND USE OF FUNDS.
  
      (a) Duration and Amount of Grants.--Grants under this Act may not 
  exceed--
              (1) 1 year in duration; and
              (2) $3,000,000.
      (b) Use of Funds.--
              (1) Activities.--A local educational agency may use funds 
          awarded under section 2(a) for 1 or more of the following 
          activities:
                      (A) Identifying and assessing school violence and 
                  discipline problems, including coordinating needs 
                  assessment activities with education, law-enforcement, 
                  judicial, health, social service, juvenile justice 
                  programs, gang prevention activities, and other 
                  appropriate agencies and organizations.
                      (B) Conducting school safety reviews or violence 
                  prevention reviews of programs, policies, practices, 
                  and facilities to determine what changes are needed to 
                  reduce or prevent violence and promote safety and 
                  discipline.
                      (C) Planning for comprehensive, long-term 
                  strategies for combating and preventing school violence 
                  and discipline problems through the involvement and 
                  coordination of school programs with other education, 
                  law-enforcement, judicial, health, social service, and 
                  other appropriate agencies and organizations.
                      (D) Activities which involve parents in efforts to 
                  promote school safety and prevent school violence.
                      (E) Community education programs involving parents, 
                  businesses, local government, the medical, and other 
                  appropriate entities about the local educational 
                  agency's plan to promote school safety and reduce and 
                  prevent school violence and discipline problems and the 
                  need for community support.
                      (F) Coordination of school-based activities 
                  designed to promote school safety and reduce or prevent 
                  school violence and discipline problems with related 
                  efforts of education, law-enforcement, judicial, 
                  health, social service, juvenile justice programs, and 
                  other appropriate agencies and organizations.
                      (G) Developing and implementing violence prevention 
                  activities and materials, including--
                              (i) conflict resolution and social skills 
                          development for students, teachers, aides, 
                          other school personnel, and parents;
                              (ii) disciplinary alternatives to expulsion 
                          and suspension of students who exhibit violent 
                          or anti-social behavior;
                              (iii) student-led activities such as peer 
                          mediation, peer counseling, and student courts; 
                          or
                              (iv) alternative after-school programs that 
                          provide safe havens for students, which may 
                          include cultural, recreational, educational and 
                          instructional activities, and mentoring and 
                          community service programs.
                      (H) Educating students and parents about the 
                  dangers of guns and other weapons and the consequences 
                  of their use.
                      (I) Developing and implementing innovative 
                  curricula to prevent violence in schools and training 
                  staff how to stop disruptive or violent behavior if it 
                  occurs.
                      (J) Supporting ``safe zones of passage'' for 
                  students between home and school through such measures 
                  as Drug- and Weapon-Free School Zones, enhanced law 
                  enforcement, and neighborhood patrols.
                      (K) Counseling programs for victims and witnesses 
                  of school violence and crime.
                      (L) Evaluating its project under this Act.
                      (M) The cost of administering the project of the 
                  local educational agency under this Act.
                      (N) Other activities that meet the purposes of this 
                  Act.
              (2) Other limitations.--A local educational agency may use 
          not more than 5 percent of its grant for activities described 
          in paragraph (1)(M).
              (3) Construction.--A local educational agency may not use 
          funds under this Act for construction.
  
  SEC. 6. NATIONAL LEADERSHIP.
  
      To carry out the purpose of this Act, the Secretary may use funds 
  reserved under section 2(b)(2) to conduct national leadership 
  activities such as research, program development and evaluation, data 
  collection, public awareness activities, training and technical 
  assistance, to provide grants to noncommercial telecommunications 
  entities for the production and distribution of national video-based 
  projects that provide young people with models for conflict resolution 
  and responsible decisionmaking, and to conduct peer review of 
  applications under this Act. The Secretary may carry out such 
  activities directly, through interagency agreements, or through grants, 
  contracts, or cooperative agreements.
  
  SEC. 7. REPORTS.
  
      (a) Report to Secretary.--Local educational agencies that receive 
  funds under this part shall submit to the Secretary a report not later 
  than March 1, 1995, that describes progress achieved in carrying out 
  the plan required under section 4.
      (b) Report to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to the 
  Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives a 
  report not later than October 1, 1995, which contains a detailed 
  statement regarding grant awards, activities of grant recipients, a 
  compilation of statistical information submitted by applicants under 
  section 4, and an evaluation of programs established under this part.
  
  SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.
  
      For purposes of this Act:
              (1) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
          agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 1471(12) of 
          the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
          2891(12)).
              (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
          of Education.
  
              Passed the House of Representatives February 22, 1994.
  
              Attest:
  
                                             DONNALD K. ANDERSON,
  
                                                                   Clerk.
target: Safe Schools Act of 1994 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to eligible local educational agencies for projects to achieve National Education Goal Six by helping to ensure that all schools are safe and free of violence. 
  Directs the Secretary to develop a written safe schools model. 
  Authorizes appropriations. 
  Authorizes the Secretary to use certain reserved funds to conduct national leadership activities such as research, program development and evaluation, data collection, public awareness activities, training and technical assistance, peer review of applications, and grants for public television video projects for conflict resolution.
feat_title: Safe Schools Act of 1994