Applications for New Awards; Grants to States for School Emergency Management Program, 29748-29755 [2014-12045]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 100 (Friday, May 23, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29748-29755]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12045]


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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.

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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: May 23, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 7, 2014.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 5, 2014.

[[Page 29749]]

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) 
to increase their capacity to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) 
by providing training and technical assistance in the development and 
implementation of 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 varies.\1\ For example, according 
to the GAO report, some LEA plans included federally recommended 
practices and procedures for all hazards, while other LEA plans did 
not. Also, 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.
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    \1\ ``Most School Districts Have Developed Emergency Management 
Plans, but Would Benefit from Additional Federal Guidance,'' GA0-07-
609, June 2007. Available at https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07609.pdf.
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    In 2013, President Obama proposed a comprehensive plan, ``Now is 
the Time,'' to protect our children and communities by reducing gun 
violence, making schools safer, and increasing access to mental health 
services, including grants to States to help their school districts 
develop and implement emergency management plans.\2\ The Grants to 
States for School Emergency Management Grant Program also was included 
in the President's FY 2014 budget request, and Congress provided 
funding for the new program in the Department of Education 
Appropriations Act, 2014.
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    \2\ Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/wh_now_is_the_time_full.pdf.
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    The elements of the Now is the Time (NITT) plan to make our schools 
safer include a focus on improving emergency operations plans, to which 
this program responds, as well as proposals for new comprehensive 
school safety programs, more nurturing school climates, and 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, LEA staff must 
have access to training and technical assistance on developing, 
implementing, and refining their plans. SEAs can play a critical role 
in providing the necessary training and technical assistance to LEAs.
    Generally SEAs share with their LEAs information about applicable 
laws and mandates about school emergency management planning; and make 
resources available so that LEAs can fulfill their obligations. For 
example, SEAs may provide training, resources, tools, and information 
to support school safety and security, including emergency management 
planning. SEAs may also work with other State agencies or organizations 
to provide emergency management services to LEAs.
    Priority and Requirements: We are establishing this priority and 
the application and program requirements 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.
    This priority is:
    Expand the capacity of State educational agencies (SEAs) to provide 
training and technical assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) 
for the development and implementation of high-quality school emergency 
operations plans (EOPs).
    Under this priority, those SEAs that currently have limited 
internal capacity regarding the development and implementation of high-
quality EOPs must propose to first expand their internal SEA capacity 
before providing such training and technical assistance to LEAs.
    SEAs that provide evidence of current internal capacity (e.g. 
currently have EOP subject matter experts on staff and comprehensive 
and up-to-date state EOP resources) may propose to immediately provide 
or expand such training and technical assistance to LEAs.
    Program Requirements: If an applicant is awarded a grant under this 
program, it must meet the following requirements:
    (1) Provide an established point of contact (e.g., person or 
office) for school emergency management issues and submit that 
information to the U.S. Department of Education (Department) no later 
than the project start date;
    (2) Provide training and technical assistance to LEAs that result 
in adoption of best practices for developing and implementing school 
EOPs including, but not necessarily limited to, those provided in the 
Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations 
Plans)\3\;
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    \3\ Available at: https://rems.ed.gov/EOPGuides. Plans must 
comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), among other 
prohibitions on disability discrimination, across the spectrum of 
emergency management services, programs, and activities, including 
preparation, testing, notification and alerts, evacuation, 
transportation, sheltering, emergency medical care and services, 
transitioning back, recovery, and repairing and rebuilding. Plans 
should include students, staff, and parents with disabilities. Among 
other things, school emergency plans must address the provision of 
appropriate auxiliary aids and services to ensure effective 
communication with individuals with disabilities (e.g., 
interpreters, captioning, and accessible information technology); 
ensure individuals with disabilities are not separated from service 
animals and assistive devices, and can receive disability-related 
assistance throughout emergencies (e.g., assistance with activities 
of daily living, administration of medications); and comply with the 
law's architectural and other requirements. (Information and 
technical assistance about the ADA is available at https://www.ada.gov.)
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    (3) Provide training and technical assistance to LEAs on developing 
or enhancing memoranda of understanding with community partners (e.g., 
local government, law enforcement, public safety or emergency 
management, public health, and mental health agencies); and
    (4) 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: https://www.fema.gov/national-incident-management-system.
    Application Requirements: The following requirements apply to all 
applications submitted under this competition. The applicant must 
provide a plan that includes the following:
    (1) Information on: (a) Training, technical assistance, and 
resources the applicant currently provides to LEAs on emergency 
management; and (b) the proposed number of LEAs, including rural LEAs 
that might not otherwise have full access to school emergency 
management training and resources, that would receive training and 
technical assistance resulting in the development and implementation of 
high-quality school EOPs under the applicant's proposal.
    (2) A strategy for improving the applicant's: (a) Capacity to 
provide training and technical assistance to

[[Page 29750]]

LEAs, including rural LEAs that might not otherwise have full access to 
school emergency management training and resources, resulting in the 
development and implementation of high-quality school EOPs; and 
capacity to address the unique needs of students, staff, and visitors 
with disabilities and other access and functional needs; (b) existing 
training and technical assistance activities for LEAs; (c) availability 
of emergency management resources; and (d) alignment of emergency 
management training, technical assistance, and resources with emergency 
management planning at the Federal, State, and local levels.
    (3) Identification of a process for the coordination and 
sustainability of support that will be provided to LEAs so that they 
can continue to improve their schools' EOPs beyond the period of 
Federal financial assistance.
    Definitions: We are establishing the definitions for acceptable, 
adequate, complete, compliant, feasible, high-quality school emergency 
operations plan (EOP), mitigation, prevention, protection, recovery, 
response, rural LEA, technical assistance, and training in this notice 
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). The remaining 
definitions are from 34 CFR 77.1(c), 20 U.S.C. 7801(30), and 48 U.S.C. 
1921(f)(1)(B)(viii).
    These definitions are:
    Acceptable means the plan meets the requirements driven by a threat 
or hazard, meets cost and time limitations, and is consistent with the 
law.
    Adequate means the plan identifies and addresses critical courses 
of action effectively; can accomplish the assigned function; and the 
assumptions are valid and reasonable.
    Complete means the plan
     Incorporates all courses of action to be accomplished for 
all selected threats and hazards and identified functions;
     Integrates the needs of the whole school community;
     Provides a complete picture of what should happen, when, 
and at whose direction;
     Estimates time for achieving objectives, with safety 
remaining as the utmost priority;
     Identifies success criteria and a desired end state; and
     Conforms with the planning principles outlined in the 
Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans.
    Compliant means the plan complies with applicable State and local 
requirements because these provide a baseline that facilitates both 
planning and execution.
    Feasible means the school can accomplish the assigned function and 
critical tasks by using available resources within the time 
contemplated by the plan, and that the plan explains where or how the 
district and school will obtain the resources to support the execution 
of a course of action or to meet a requirement established in the plan.
    High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) means a 
comprehensive emergency operations plan that encompasses the five 
mission areas--(1) prevention, (2) protection, (3) mitigation, (4) 
response, and (5) recovery--and that is (a) adequate, (b) feasible, (c) 
acceptable, (d) complete, and (e) compliant.\4\
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    \4\ Derived from: (1) Presidential Policy Directive 8, available 
at https://www.dhs.gov/;presidential-policy-directive-8-national-
preparedness ; and (2) the Guide for Developing High-Quality 
Emergency Operations Plans, available at https://rems.ed.gov/EOPGuides.
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    Mitigation means the capabilities necessary to eliminate or reduce 
the loss of life and property damage by lessening the impact of an 
event or emergency. It also means reducing the likelihood that threats 
and hazards will happen.
    LEA means a local educational agency as defined by section 9101(26) 
of the ESEA.
    Outlying areas means the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, 
American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the 
Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic 
of the Marshall Islands.
    Prevention means the capabilities necessary to avoid, deter, or 
stop an imminent crime or threatened or actual mass casualty incident. 
Prevention is also the action schools take to prevent a threatened or 
actual incident from occurring; and includes those capabilities 
necessary to avoid, prevent, or stop a threatened or actual act of 
terrorism, and it includes preventing imminent threats.
    Protection means the capabilities to secure schools against acts of 
violence and manmade or natural disasters. Protection focuses on 
ongoing actions that protect students, teachers, staff, visitors, 
networks, and property from a threat or hazard.
    Recovery means the capabilities necessary to assist schools 
affected by an event or emergency in restoring the learning 
environment.
    Response means the capabilities necessary to stabilize an emergency 
once it has already happened or is certain to happen in an 
unpreventable way; establish a safe and secure environment; save lives 
and property; and facilitate the transition to recovery.
    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: Code 33 (Remote Town); Code 41 (Fringe Rural); 
Code 42 (Distant Rural); and Code 43 (Remote Rural). LEA locale codes 
may be obtained by searching the Common Core of Data database at: 
https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/.
    SEA means a State educational agency as defined by section 9101 
(41) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended 
(ESEA).
    State means any of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each of the Outlying areas as defined 
in this notice.
    Technical assistance means consultations, information, referrals, 
and other assistance on specific issues, topics, or problems as 
requested by the LEAs 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.
    Training 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 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, 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 the 
appropriation for Safe Schools and Citizenship Education in the 
Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2014, Title III of Division 
H of Public Law 113-76, and section 4121 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7131) 
and therefore qualifies for this exemption.

[[Page 29751]]

    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, these 
requirements, and these 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; the Department of Education 
Appropriations Act, 2014, Title III of Division H of Public Law 113-
76.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 
80, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education Department 
suspension and debarment regulations in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The 
regulations in 34 CFR part 299.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $29,700,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $ 85,714 to $3,273,301.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $503,389.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 59.

    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.
    Maximum Awards: We will not fund any budget exceeding the following 
maximum award amount for each eligible applicant. The Department 
developed these amounts as follows: First, the Department reserved 1 
percent ($300,000) for the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools 
operated by the Department of the Interior. (Those funds are not 
included within this notice inviting applications for new awards; 
rather, the Department will transfer them to the BIE under an 
interagency agreement.) Second, the Department reserved 2 percent 
($600,000), and allocated it in equal amounts of $85,714 among each of 
the 7 Outlying Areas. The Department allocated the remaining 
$29,100,000 among the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on the basis of school-aged (5- to 17-year-
old) population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, with a minimum per 
State award of $250,000.
Alabama 400,269
Alaska 250,000
Arizona 577,218
Arkansas 252,562
California 3,273,301
Colorado 436,746
Connecticut 293,237
Delaware 250,000
District of Columbia 250,000
Florida 1,432,228
Georgia 886,937
Hawaii 250,000
Idaho 250,000
Illinois 1,098,371
Indiana 569,748
Iowa 257,314
Kansas 254,602
Kentucky 360,964
Louisiana 392,400
Maine 250,000
Maryland 478,177
Massachusetts 506,167
Michigan 826,376
Minnesota 453,370
Mississippi 264,604
Missouri 500,485
Montana 250,000
Nebraska 250,000
Nevada 250,000
New Hampshire 250,000
New Jersey 732,350
New Mexico 250,000
New York 1,512,831
North Carolina 814,371
North Dakota 250,000
Ohio 962,047
Oklahoma 330,034
Oregon 306,922
Pennsylvania 986,909
Puerto Rico 312,619
Rhode Island 250,000
South Carolina 382,946
South Dakota 250,000
Tennessee 532,643
Texas 2,464,627
Utah 307,907
Vermont 250,000
Virginia 658,271
Washington 557,940
West Virginia 250,000
Wisconsin 472,509
Wyoming 250,000
Guam 85,714
Virgin Islands 85,714
American Samoa 85,714
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 85,714
Republic of Palau 85,714
Federated States of Micronesia 85,714
Republic of the Marshall Islands 85,714

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs.

    Note: Consistent with the definitions in this notice, eligible 
applicants include SEAs in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, 
Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, 
and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Eligible applicants may 
collaborate informally or contract with other agencies to provide 
services to LEAs, including agencies such as:
     A State school safety center;
     The State Emergency Management Agency; and
     The State Homeland Security Department.

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other:
    a. Participation by Nonpublic School Students and Teachers. 
Applicants 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 applicant 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 applicant 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. Administrative Direction and Control. Administrative direction 
and control over grant funds must remain with the grantee.
    c. Limitation on Applications. The Department will accept only one 
application per 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/. 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

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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 email 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 pages of your application that 
exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: May 23, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 7, 2014.
    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 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, 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: September 5, 2014.
    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: https://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: https://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 States for School 
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

[[Page 29753]]

upload and submit your application. You may not email 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 
States for School 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 https://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 email. 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

[[Page 29754]]

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 7039, 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 Measure: The Department has established the 
following Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) 
performance measure for the Grants to States for School Emergency 
Management program:
    1. The number of LEAs with high-quality EOPs at the start of the 
grant compared to the number of LEAs with

[[Page 29755]]

high-quality EOPs at the end of the grant.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Banks, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E117, Washington, DC 20202-
6450. Telephone: (202) 453-6704 or by email: Amy.Banks@ed.gov.
    If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the Federal Relay Service, 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: https://www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: May 20, 2014.
Deborah S. Delisle,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2014-12045 Filed 5-22-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P