GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	1 

SENATE BILL 1071

Short Title:  Safe School Grant Funds.	(Public)
─────────────────────────────────────── 
Sponsors: Senator Gulley.
─────────────────────────────────────── 
Referred to:  Appropriation.
─────────────────────────────────────── 

May 6, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR A GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE FUNDS TO LOCAL SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS TO MAKE SCHOOLS SAFE FOR STUDENTS AND SCHOOL EMPLOYEES.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Education, Aid to Local School Administrative Units, the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to provide grants for local school administrative units for locally designed innovative local programs to make schools safe for students and school employees.  These funds shall be used for grants of up to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) per year to local school administrative units.  These funds may be used for continuing or noncontinuing expenses.
Applicants for grants shall submit to the State Board of Education an application that includes the following information:
(1)	An assessment of local problems with regard to violence in the schools prepared by a local task force of educators, parents, students, community leaders, and representatives of social services and law enforcement, appointed by the local board of education.
(2)	A detailed plan for addressing these local problems, including proposed goals and anticipated outcomes, prepared after consultation with the task force.
(3)	A statement of how the grant funds would be used to address these local problems and what other resources would be used to address the problems.
(4)	A process for assessing on an annual basis the success of the local plan for addressing problems with regard to violence in the schools.
Grant recipients shall be selected prior to January 1, 1994.  In selecting grant recipients, the State Board of Education shall consider the severity of the local problems with regard to violence in the schools and the likelihood that the locally designed plan will deal with the problems successfully.  The State Board shall also attempt to give grants to local school administrative units that are located geographically throughout the State, that have different demographic profiles, and that propose different approaches to their problems.  The State Board of Education shall appoint a State task force to review grant applications and recommend grant recipients to it.  The State task force shall include representatives of the Department of Public Instruction, local school administrative units, educators, parents, the juvenile justice system, social services, and nongovernmental agencies providing services to children, and other members the State Board deems appropriate.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall administer the grant program, provide technical assistance to grant applicants and recipients, and work with the State task force that reviews grant applications and recommends grant recipients to the State Board of Education.
The State Board of Education shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee prior to March 15, 1994, and prior to January 15, 1995, on how the funds are being used.
Sec. 2.  G.S. 115C-12 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(21)	Duty to Monitor Acts of School Violence. – The State Board of Education shall monitor and compile an annual report on acts of violence in the public schools.  The State Board shall  adopt standard definitions for acts of school violence and shall require local boards of education to report them to the State Board in  a standard format adopted by the State Board."
Sec. 3.  G.S. 115C-47 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(36)	To Report All Acts of School Violence. –  Local boards of education shall report all acts of school violence to the State Board of Education in accordance with G.S. 115C-12(21)."
Sec. 4.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1993.