Emergency Response Crisis Management - A Grant Competition to ...

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, D.C. 20202-5335

APPLICATION FOR GRANTS UNDER THE

EMERGENCY RESPONSE CRISIS MANAGEMENT - A GRANT COMPETITION TO IMPROVE & STRENGTHEN SCHOOL ERCM PLANS

CFDA # 84.184EPR/Award # Q184E060121

OMB No. 1890-0009, Expiration Date: 06/30/2008 Closing Date: JUN 22, 2006

PR/Award # Q184E060121

**Table of Contents**

Forms 1. Standard Face Sheet (ED 424) e1

2. Standard Budget Sheet (ED 524) e2

3. SF 424B - Assurances Non-Construction Programs e4

4. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities e6

5. ED 80-0014 Certification e7

6. ED 80-0013 Certification e9

7. 427 GEPA e10

St. Cloud Area School District GEPA e12

Narratives 1. Project Narrative - (Table of Contents Provide an itemized listing ......) e13

Table of Contents e14

2. Project Narrative - (Program Abstract Provide a one-page, double-sp......) e16

Abstract e17

3. Project Narrative - (Need for project (20 points) In determining t......) e18

District 742 Needs Assessment e19

4. Project Narrative - (Quality of the project design (40 points) In......) e26

Project Design e27

5. Project Narrative - (Quality of the management plan (20 points) ......) e35

Management Plan e36

6. Project Narrative - (Adequacy of Resources (5 points) In determin......) e42

Adequacy of Resources e43

7. Project Narrative - (Quality of the project evaluation (15 points......) e44

Project Evaluation e45

8. Project Narrative - (Partner Agreements Please complete the "Partne......) e48

9. Project Narrative - (Program Specific Assurance Please complete the......) e49

10. Project Narrative - (Appendices Appendices should be limited only t......) e50

Indirect Cost Rate e51

11. Project Narrative - (Assurance of Competitive Preference Priority Qu......) e52

12. Budget Narrative - (Budget Justification Applicants should provide......) e53

Budget Narrative e54


This application was generated using the PDF functionality. The PDF functionality automatically numbers the pages in this application. Some pages/sections of this application may contain 2 sets of page numbers, one set created by the applicant and the other set created by e-Application's PDF functionality. Page numbers created by the e-Application PDF functionality will be preceded by the letter e (for example, e1, e2, e3, etc.).


Application for FederalEducation Assistance

Form ApprovedOMB No. 1890-0017

Exp. 06/30/2008

U.S. Department of Education

1. Name and Address Organizational Unit

Office of Health and Safety Legal Name: St. Cloud Area School District 742 Address: 628 Roosevelt Road

St. Cloud MN Stearns 56301 4898City State County ZIP Code + 4

-

2. Applicant's D-U-N-S Number 078672821 6. Novice Applicant No

3. Applicant's T-I-N 416003926 4. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance #: 84 184E

Title: Emergency Response Crisis Management - A Grant Competition to Improve & Strength...

5. Project Director: Jamie Nixon737 Osseo Avenue South

St. Cloud MN 56301 4073-City State ZIP Code + 4

8. Type of Applicant (Enter appropriate letter in the box.) F

Address: A State G Public College or University B Local H Non-Profit College or University C Special District I Non-Profit Organization D Indian Tribe J Private, Profit-Making Organization E Individual K Other (Specify):

9. State Application Identifier:

F Independent School District

7.Is the applicant delinquent on any Federal debt? No (if "Yes," attach an explanation.)

Tel. #: (320) 253-9370 Fax #: (320) 529-4341

[email protected] E-Mail Address:

10. Type of Submission:

--Application

Non-Construction

13. Are any research activities involving human subjects planned at any time during the proposed project period? No (Go to item 14.)

11. Is application subject to review by Executive Order 12372 process?

No - Program is not covered by E.O. 12372

12. Proposed Project Dates: 10/01/2006 03/30/2008

Start Date: End Date:

13a. Are all the research activities proposed designated to be exempt from the regulations? No

Yes (Provide Exemption(s)#):

No (Provide Assurance #, if available):

14. Descriptive Title of Applicant's Project:St. Cloud Area School District Emergency Response/Crisis Management Project

15a. Federal $ 246,623 .00

b. Applicant $ 0 .00

c. State $ 0 .00

d. Local $ 0 .00

e. Other $ 0 .00

f. Program Income $ 0 .00

g. TOTAL $ 246,623 .00

16. To the best of my knowledge and belief, all data in this preapplication/ application are true and correct. The document has been duly authorized by the governing body of the applicant and the applicant will comply with the attached assurances if the assistance is awarded.

a. Typed Name of Authorized RepresentativeBruce Watkins

b. TitleSuperintendent

c. Tel. #: (320) 202-6801 Fax #: (320) 529-4343

d. E-Mail Address: [email protected]

e. Signature of Authorized Representative

________________________________REV. 11/12/99 ED 424

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e1

ED Form No. 524

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

BUDGET INFORMATION

NON-CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS

OMB Control Number: 1890-0004

Expiration Date: 06/30/2005

Name of Institution/Organization: St. Cloud Area School District 742

Applicants requesting funding for only one year should complete the column under "Project Year 1." Applicants requesting funding for multi-year grants should complete all applicable columns. Please read all instructions before completing form.

SECTION A - BUDGET SUMMARY

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FUNDS

Budget Categories Project Year 1(a) Project Year 2 (b)

Project Year 3 (c)

Project Year 4 (d)

Project Year 5 (e)

Total (f)

1. Personnel $ 111,830 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 111,830

2. Fringe Benefits $ 15,981 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 15,981

3. Travel $ 8,576 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 8,576

4. Equipment $ 60,000 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 60,000

5. Supplies $ 6,000 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 6,000

6. Contractual $ 39,400 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 39,400

7. Construction $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

8. Other $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

9. Total Direct Costs (lines 1-8)

$ 241,787 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 241,787

10. Indirect Costs* $ 4,836 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 4,836

11. Training Stipends $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

12. Total Costs (lines 9-11)

$ 246,623 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 246,623

*Indirect Cost Information (To Be Completed by Your Business Office):

If you are requesting reimbursement for indirect costs on line 10, please answer the following questions:

(1) Do you have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the Federal government? Yes No (2) If yes, please provide the following information: Period Covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: From: 7/1/2006 To: 6/30/2007 (mm/dd/yyyy)

Approving Federal agency: ED Other (please specify): Minnesota Department of Education (3) For Restricted Rate Programs (check one) -- Are you using a restricted indirect cost rate that:

Is included in your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement? or, Complies with 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2)?


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

BUDGET INFORMATION

NON-CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS

OMB Control Number: 1890-0004

Expiration Date: 06/30/2005

Name of Institution/Organization: St. Cloud Area School District 742

Applicants requesting funding for only one year should complete the column under "Project Year 1." Applicants requesting funding for multi-year grants should complete all applicable columns. Please read all instructions before completing form.

SECTION B - BUDGET SUMMARY

NON-FEDERAL FUNDS

Budget Categories Project Year 1(a) Project Year 2 (b)

Project Year 3 (c)

Project Year 4 (d)

Project Year 5 (e)

Total (f)

1. Personnel $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

2. Fringe Benefits $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

3. Travel $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

4. Equipment $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

5. Supplies $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

6. Contractual $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

7. Construction $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

8. Other $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

9. Total Direct Costs (lines 1-8)

$ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

10. Indirect Costs $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

11. Training Stipends $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0

12. Total Costs (lines 9-11)

$ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0


ASSURANCES - NON-CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS

Standard Form 424B (Rev.7-97)

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0040), Washington DC 20503.

PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET. SEND IT TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BY THE SPONSORING AGENCY.

NOTE: Certain of these assurances may not be applicable to your project or program. If you have questions, please contact the awarding agency. Further, certain Federal awarding agencies may require applicants to certify to additional assurances. If such is the case, you will be notified.

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify that the applicant:

1. Has the legal authority to apply for Federal assistance, and the institutional, managerial and financial capability (including funds sufficient to pay the non-Federal share of project cost) to ensure proper planning, management, and completion of the project described in this application.

2. Will give the awarding agency, the Comptroller General of the United States, and if appropriate, the State, through any authorized representative, access to and the right to examine all records, books, papers, or documents related to the award; and will establish a proper accounting system in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards or agency directives.

3. Will establish safeguards to prohibit employees from using their positions for a purpose that constitutes or presents the appearance of personal or organizational conflict of interest, or personal gain.

4. Will initiate and complete the work within the applicable time frame after receipt of approval of the awarding agency.

5. Will comply with the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. ''4728-4763) relating to prescribed standards for merit systems for programs funded under one of the 19 statutes or regulations specified in Appendix A of OPM's Standards for a Merit System of Personnel Administration (5 C.F.R. 900, Subpart F).

6. Will comply with all Federal statutes relating to nondiscrimination. These include but are not limited to: (a) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin; (b) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. ''1681-1683, and 1685-1686), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. '794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicaps; (d) the Age Discrimination Act

9. Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. ''276a to 276a-7), the Copeland Act (40 U.S.C. '276c and 18 U.S.C. ''874) and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C. '' 327-333), regarding labor standards for federally assisted construction sub-agreements.

10. Will comply, if applicable, with flood insurance purchase requirements of Section 102(a) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-234) which requires recipients in a special flood hazard area to participate in the program and to purchase flood insurance if the total cost of insurable construction and acquisition is $10,000 or more.

11. Will comply with environmental standards which may be prescribed pursuant to the following: (a) institution of environmental quality control measures under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190) and Executive Order (EO) 11514; (b) notification of violating facilities pursuant to EO 11738; (c) protection of wetlands pursuant to EO 11990; (d) evaluation of flood hazards in floodplains in accordance with EO 11988; (e) assurance of project consistency with the approved State management program developed under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. ''1451 et seq.); (f) conformity of Federal actions to State (Clear Air) Implementation Plans under Section 176(c) of the Clear Air Act of 1955, as amended (42 U.S.C. ''7401 et seq.); (g) protection of underground sources of drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, as amended, (P.L. 93-523); and (h) protection of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, (P.L. 93-205).

12. Will comply with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (16 U.S.C. ''1721 et seq.) related to protecting components or potential components of the national wild and scenic rivers system.

13. Will assist the awarding agency in assuring compliance


of 1975, as amended (42 U.S.C. '' 6101-6107), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; (e) the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-255), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of drug abuse; (f) the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-616), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of alcohol abuse or alcoholism; (g) '' 523 and 527 of the Public Health Service Act of 1912 (42 U.S.C. '' 290 dd-3 and 290 ee 3), as amended, relating to confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records; (h) Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. ' 3601 et seq.), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination in the sale, rental or financing of housing; (i) any other nondiscrimination provisions in the specific statute(s) under which application for Federal assistance is being made; and (j) the requirements of any other nondiscrimination statute(s) which may apply to the application.

7. Will comply, or has already complied, with the requirements of Titles II and III of the uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-646) which provide for fair and equitable treatment of persons displaced or whose property is acquired as a result of Federal or federally assisted programs. These requirements apply to all interests in real property acquired for project purposes regardless of Federal participation in purchases.

8. Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. ''1501-1508 and 7324-7328) which limit the political activities of employees whose principal employment activities are funded in whole or in part with Federal funds.

with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. '470), EO 11593 (identification and protection of historic properties), and the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. ''469a-1 et seq.).

14. Will comply with P.L. 93-348 regarding the protection of human subjects involved in research, development, and related activities supported by this award of assistance.

15. Will comply with the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-544, as amended, 7 U.S.C. ''2131 et seq.) pertaining to the care, handling, and treatment of warm blooded animals held for research, teaching, or other activities supported by this award of assistance.

16. Will comply with the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. ''4801 et seq.) which prohibits the use of lead- based paint in construction or rehabilitation of residence structures.

17. Will cause to be performed the required financial and compliance audits in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations."

18. Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other Federal laws, executive orders, regulations and policies governing this program.

Signature of Authorized Certifying Representative:

Name of Authorized Certifying Representative: Bruce Watkins

Title: Superintendent

Date Submitted: 06/22/2006


Approved by OMB 0348-0046 Exp.

Disclosure of Lobbying ActivitiesComplete this form to disclose lobbying activities pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 13521. Type of Federal Action:

Contract

Grant Cooperative Agreement

Loan

Loan Guarantee

Loan Insurance

2. Status of Federal Action:

Bid/Offer/Application

Initial Award

Post-Award

3. Report Type:

Initial Filing

Material Change

For Material Change only:Year: 0Quarter: 0Date of Last Report:

4. Name and Address of Reporting Entity: Prime Subawardee

Tier, if known: 0Name: St. Cloud Area School DistrictAddress: 628 Roosevelt RoadCity: St. CloudState: MNZip Code + 4: 56301-4898

Congressional District, if known: 06

5. If Reporting Entity in No. 4 is a Subawardee, Enter Name and Address of Prime:

Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code + 4: -

Congressional District, if known:

6. Federal Department/Agency: Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools

7. Federal Program Name/Description: Emergency Response/Crisis Management

CFDA Number, if applicable: 84.184E

8. Federal Action Number, if known: 9. Award Amount, if known: $010. a. Name of Lobbying Registrant (if individual, last name, first name, MI): Address: City: State: Zip Code + 4: -

b. Individuals Performing Services (including address if different from No. 10a)(last name, first name, MI): Address: City: State: Zip Code + 4: -

11. Information requested through this form is authorized by title 31 U.S.C. section 1352. This disclosure of lobbying activities is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed by the tier above when this transaction was made or entered into. This disclosure is required pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1352. This information will be reported to the Congress semi-annually and will be available for public inspection. Any person who fails to file the required disclosure shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such

failure.

Name: Bruce WatkinsTitle: SuperintendentApplicant: St. Cloud Area School District 742Date: 06/22/2006

Federal Use Only:

Authorized for Local Reproduction

Standard Form LLL (Rev. 7-

97)


ED 80-0014 Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion - Lower Tier Covered Transactions

This certification is required by the Department of Education regulations implementing Executive Order 12549, Debarment and Suspension, 34 CFR Part 85, for all lower tier transactions meeting the threshold and tier requirements stated at Section 85.110.

Instructions for Certification

1. By signing and submitting this proposal, the prospective lower tier participant is providing the certification set out below.

2. The certification in this clause is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was entered into. If it is later determined that the prospective lower tier participant knowingly rendered an erroneous certification, in addition to other remedies available to the Federal Government, the department or agency with which this transaction originated may pursue available remedies, including suspension and/or debarment.

3. The prospective lower tier participant shall provide immediate written notice to the person to which this proposal is submitted if at any time the prospective lower tier participant learns that its certification was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances.

4. The terms covered transaction,debarred, suspended,ineligible, lower tier covered transaction, participant,person, primary covered transaction,principal, proposal, and voluntarily excluded, as used in this clause, have the meanings set out in the Definitions and Coverage sections of rules implementing Executive Order 12549. You may contact the person to which this proposal is submitted for assistance in obtaining a copy of those regulations.

5. The prospective lower tier participant agrees by submitting this proposal that, should the proposed covered transaction be entered into, it shall not knowingly enter into any lower tier covered transaction with a person who is debarred, suspended, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this covered transaction, unless authorized by the department or agency with which this transaction originated.

6. The prospective lower tier participant further agrees by submitting this proposal that it will include the clause titled Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility, and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions, without modification, in all lower tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions.

7. A participant in a covered transaction may rely upon a certification of a prospective participant in a lower tier covered transaction that it is not debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction, unless it knows that the certification is erroneous. A participant may decide the method and frequency by which it determines the eligibility of its principals. Each participant may but is not required to, check the Nonprocurement List.

8. Nothing contained in the foregoing shall be construed to require establishment of a system of records in order to render in good faith the certification required by this clause. The knowledge and information of a participant is not required to exceed that which is normally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealings.

9. Except for transactions authorized under paragraph 5 of these instructions, if a participant in a covered transaction knowingly enters into a lower tier covered transaction with a person who is suspended, debarred, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction, in addition to other remedies available to the Federal Government, the department or agency with which this transaction originated may pursue available remedies, including suspension and/or debarment.

Certification


(1) The prospective lower tier participant certifies, by submission of this proposal, that neither it nor its principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any Federal department or agency.

(2) Where the prospective lower tier participant is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to this proposal.

Explanation for Statement (2)

Attachment:Title :File :

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I hereby certify that the applicant will comply with the above certifications.

Project Title: St. Cloud Area School District Emergency Response/Crisis Management ProjectPR Award Number: Q184E060121

Name of AuthorizedCertifying Representative: Bruce Watkins

Title: Superintendent

Applicant: St. Cloud Area School District 742

Signature: _______________________Date: 06/22/2006


CERTIFICATION REGARDING LOBBYING

Certification for Contracts, Grants, Loans, and Cooperative Agreements.

The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:

(1) No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the making of any Federal contract, the awarding of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal Loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan or cooperative agreement.

(2) If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract, grant, loan or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form - LLL, "Disclosure of Lobbying Activities," in accordance with its instructions.

(3) The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all sub-awards at all tiers (including subcontracts, sub-grants and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all sub-recipients shall certify and disclose accordingly. This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352, title 31, U.S. Code. Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

Statement for Loan Guarantees and Loan Insurance.

The undersigned states, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:

If any funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee or any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, "Disclosure of Lobbying Activities," in accordance with its instructions. Submission of this statement is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352, title 31, U.S. Code. Any person who fails to file the required statement shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

Organization

St. Cloud Area School District 742

Name of Authorized Representative Title

Bruce Watkins Superintendent

Signature Date

_______________________ 06/22/2006

ED 80-0013 03/04


OMB No.1890-0007 Exp.11/30/2007

Section 427 of GEPA

NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS

The purpose of this enclosure is to inform you about a new provision in the Department of Education's General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) that applies to applicants for new grant awards under Department programs. This provision is Section 427 of GEPA, enacted as part of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 (Public Law (P. L.) 103-382).

To Whom Does This Provision Apply?

Section 427 of GEPA affects applicants for new grant awards under this program. ALL APPLICANTS FOR NEW AWARDS MUST INCLUDE INFORMATION IN THEIR APPLICATIONS TO ADDRESS THIS NEW PROVISION IN ORDER TO RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THIS PROGRAM.

(If this program is a State-formula grant program, a State needs to provide this description only for projects or activities that it carries out with funds reserved for State-level uses. In addition, local school districts or other eligible applicants that apply to the State for funding need to provide this description in their applications to the State for funding. The State would be responsible for ensuring that the school district or other local entity has submitted a sufficient section 427 statement as described below.)

What Does This Provision Require?

Section 427 requires each applicant for funds (other than an individual person) to include in its application a description of the steps the applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable access to, and participation in, its Federally-assisted program for students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs. This provision allows applicants discretion in developing the required description. The statute highlights six types of barriers that can impede equitable access or participation: gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age. Based on local circumstances, you should determine whether these or other barriers may prevent your students, teachers, etc. from such access or participation in, the Federally-funded project or activity. The description in your application of steps to be taken to overcome these barriers need not be lengthy; you may provide a clear and succinct

description of how you plan to address those barriers that are applicable to your circumstances. In addition, the information may be provided in a single narrative, or, if appropriate, may be discussed in connection with related topics in the application.

Section 427 is not intended to duplicate the requirements of civil rights statutes, but rather to ensure that, in designing their projects, applicants for Federal funds address equity concerns that may affect the ability of certain potential beneficiaries to fully participate in the project and to achieve to high standards. Consistent with program requirements and its approved application, an applicant may use the Federal funds awarded to it to eliminate barriers it identifies.

What are Examples of How an Applicant Might Satisfy the Requirement of This Provision?

The following examples may help illustrate how an applicant may comply with Section 427.

(1) An applicant that proposes to carry out an adult literacy project serving, among others, adults with limited English proficiency, might describe in its application how it intends to distribute a brochure about the proposed project to such potential participants in their native language.

(2) An applicant that proposes to develop instructional materials for classroom use might describe how it will make the materials available on audio tape or in braille for students who are blind.

(3) An applicant that proposes to carry out a model science program for secondary students and is concerned that girls may be less likely than boys to enroll in the course, might indicate how it intends to conduct "outreach" efforts to girls, to encourage their enrollment.

We recognize that many applicants may already be implementing effective steps to ensure equity of access and participation in their grant programs, and we appreciate your cooperation in responding to the requirements of this provision.

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e10

Estimated Burden Statement for GEPA Requirements

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1890-0007. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1.5 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: Director, Grants Policy and Oversight Staff, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW (Room 3652, GSA Regional Office Building No. 3). Washington, DC 20202-4248.

Applicants should use this section to address the GEPA provision.

Attachment:Title : St. Cloud Area School District GEPAFile : H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\GEPA 427.doc

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e11

St. Cloud Area School District 742Requirements of GEPA 427

REQUIREMENTS OF GEPA 427

St. Cloud Area School District 742 is an equal opportunity institution. The district does

not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training or promoting staff or in it’s programs and services

on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, national origin, marital status, status with

regard to public assistance, disability or age. District 742 has directed resources to incorporate

special populations into mainstream classrooms and community programs. Specialized

programs have guidelines, which reflect a concern and commitment to equity.

The Emergency Response/Crisis Management Program proposes that all students in

District 742 have equitable access to all phases of crisis planning provided by the grant. This

project further proposes that all students in District 742 will participate in the practice drills and

tabletop exercises performed at each school. The evaluators will also solicit input from students

in the form of interviews and focus groups to get their feedback on how well the school is

equipped to handle emergency situations.

Each district in Minnesota, by state and federal law, is required to ensure students with

special needs equitable access and participation in all programs and activities. Accommodations

will be made to meet the needs of student participants. One barrier that might prevent

participation is limited English proficiency. Print materials regarding this program will be

translated so students and parents are fully aware of the emergency plans and resources available

within the District and the St. Cloud community. The project director and district diversity

coordinator will also provide outreach and opportunities to these students and parents to ensure

they fully comprehend the emergency response/crisis plan. Accommodations will also be made

to facilitate the participation of any other students with special needs.


Project Narrative

Table of Contents

Provide an itemized listing of each section of the application package, including page numbers.

Attachment 1:Title: Table of Contents Pages: 0 Uploaded File: H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\Table of Contents.doc

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e13

Emergency Response/Crisis Management ProjectSt. Cloud Area School District 742

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SectionI. Application for Federal Assistance - ED Form 424

II. Application Narrative

Table of Contents................................................................................................................... i

Abstract .......... ...................................................................................................................... ii

Need for the Project.............................................................................................................. 1School Hazard/Vulnerability Assessments....................................................................... 4Meeting Identified Needs.................................................................................................. 6

Quality of Project Design ..................................................................................................... 8Goals One: Prevention/Mitigation................................................................................... 8Goals Two: Preparedness ................................................................................................ 9Goals Three: Response .................................................................................................. 11Goals Four: Recovery .................................................................................................... 13

Quality of Management Plan............................................................................................. 16Timeline..... .................................................................................................................... 17Relevance and demonstrated commitment from each partner........................................ 18

Adequacy of Resources ...................................................................................................... 22

Quality of Project Evaluation............................................................................................ 23Performance Measures.................................................................................................... 24

III. Budget Information Form - ED Form 524 and Budget Narrative

IV. Assurances—Non-Construction Programs - ED Form 424B

V. Certifications Regarding Lobbying - ED Form 80-0013

VI. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities - Standard Form – LLL

VII. Certification Regarding Debarment -ED Form 80-0014

VIII. Requirements of GEPA, Section 427

IX. Partner Agreements with signatures of authorized representatives and narrative detailing the roles and responsibilities of each partner

X. Program Specific Assurance List



ii

XI. Assurance of Competitive Preference Priority Qualification Priority 2

XII. Appendices: Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate


Project Narrative

Program Abstract

Provide a one-page, double-spaced abstract that describes the need to be addressed by the project, summarizes the proposed activities, and identifies the intended outcomes.

Attachment 1:Title: Abstract Pages: 0 Uploaded File: H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\Abstract.doc

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e16


ii

ABSTRACTSt. Cloud Area School District 742

Stearns County, MinnesotaEmergency Response/Crisis Management Project

The St. Cloud Area School District recognizes the imperative need for a comprehensive, coordinated, and

consistent approach to dealing with emergency and/or crisis situations. To achieve this, the school district

will partner with the St. Cloud Police Department, City of St. Cloud, Stearns County Emergency

Management, Stearns County Public Health, and the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center to

implement a comprehensive approach to revise and update the emergency response plans including a

recovery plan and communication plan. In addition, the school district will integrate the school

communication system into the Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response statewide system, which

provides communication between all responding agencies in the event of an emergency/crisis.

IDENTIFIED NEEDS: The St. Cloud Area School District serves nearly 12,500 students in both public

and private school settings. Vulnerability assessments in the 2005-06 school year showed many areas

where the schools lack coordination and collaboration. Geographically, the Central Minnesota area has a

nuclear power plant facility and a major waterway, the Mississippi River.

PROGRAM GOALS: The goals of the St. Cloud Area Schools ER/CM Project are:

1. All schools will complete an assessment to identify the hazards in and around their schools that are both preventable and non-preventable and develop procedures designed to prevent and/or mitigate them.

2. Each school and the District as a whole will have a revised/updated Emergency/Crisis Management Plan in place that is consistent among buildings and coordinated with outside agencies (incorporating NIMS), but also unique to the needs of the individual building.

3. Each school building will be able to effectively and efficiently communicate in all areas of the building and with all responding agencies.

4. Each school building and the District as a whole will be able to provide both an immediate response and long-term recovery process for a variety of emergency/crisis events.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES: Using a comprehensive evaluation design, program effectiveness will be

assessed on each of the program goals. The outcome measures are 1) Demonstrate the increased number

of hazards addressed 2) Demonstrate improved response time and quality of response and 3) Document

completion of a plan for, and commitment to, the sustainability and continuous improvement of the plan.


Project Narrative

Need for project (20 points)

In determining the need for the proposed project, the following factors are considered:

a. The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or the activities to be carried out by the proposed project. (10 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we will look for a clear and convincing demonstration of significant need - such as a recent vulnerability and needs assessment-to improve and strengthen the LEA's emergency response and crisis management plan.

b. The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure or opportunities have been identified and will be addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses. (10 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we will look for a description of gaps and weaknesses in current plans and overall preparedness as well as how the proposed plan will address those gaps.

Attachment 1:Title: District 742 Needs Assessment Pages: 0 Uploaded File: H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\Project Needs Assessment.doc

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St. Cloud Area School District Page 1Emergency Response Crisis Management GrantNeeds Assessment

NEED FOR THE PROJECT:

St. Cloud, Minnesota is a rapidly growing and changing community located sixty miles northwest

of the metropolitan area of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Home to nearly 250,000 people, the St. Cloud tri-county

area is the commercial and educational hub for north central Minnesota. The population of the central

Minnesota region is one of the fastest growing regions in the state with a projected population growth of

33% between 2000 and 2030. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

reported that the St. Cloud area experienced an 8% growth in employment between 2003 and 2005 with

an unemployment rate between 4.2–4.9%. By 2012, the area’s labor force is predicted to expand by 21%

compared with only 15% for the state and nation (DEED, Labor Market Information: LAUS Annual

Average, 2005). Despite the steady growth of our community, St. Cloud ranks lowest among Minnesota

metropolitan areas in household income. The median household income is $37,346 compared to $47,111

for the state (Census Data, 2000). In most industries, wages in the region are lower than metro and state

averages. Nearly one third of all jobs pay less than $10 per hour. (DEED, Labor Market Information,

Wage Record Analysis, 2005). The percent of persons living below the poverty line in St. Cloud is 13.1%

compared to 7.9% for the state and 12.4% for the nation (Census Data, 2000). In terms of education,

approximately 13% of adult residents age 25 or older have not completed their high school diploma

(Census Data, 2000).

St. Cloud Area School District 742 is one of the largest districts in the state of Minnesota, serving

nearly 9,500 students from nine area communities in a 250 square mile attendance area. There are eight

elementary buildings, two junior high buildings, two high schools, one early childhood center, and 3

alternative school settings. In addition to the public schools, there are 20 non-public schools within

District boundaries that serve an additional 3,000 students. District 742 recognizes the vulnerabilities that

exist for private, parochial, and charter schools as well. Collaboration and coordination with these entities

in the district’s service area will enable all schools to be better prepared to respond to emergency

situations. With the changes in our community, the needs of our students have also changed.



Socioeconomic factors have increased the number of students receiving free or reduced lunches (35%)

and there are many students in the district who are experiencing homelessness and other issues associated

with poverty. Social and economic problems that face some families add additional challenges to

educating youth and to the safety issues, which may affect them. Living in poverty and its association

with low academic achievement and an increased risk of dropping out of school can be linked to an

increase in disciplinary problems and crime rates in local communities, both having a potential impact on

school safety.

The number of limited English proficient (LEP) students served in District 742 also increased

from 320 in 2000-01 to 735 in 2005-06, an increase of 130%. There are 41 native languages represented

in our current student population, with Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese being the predominant

languages. Forty-five percent of our LEP students were born in the United States and speak a language

other than English at home. Of the students born outside the United States, 27% immigrated within the

last 3 years. These recent immigrants bring with them a wide variety of transitional experiences, including

time spent in refugee camps, varying degrees of formal education, literacy and English proficiency and

separation from other family members. Like poverty, the lack of English language skills poses barriers

for children and families and presents significant issues for effective school safety planning and

implementation. Communicating information about safety policies and procedures to students and

families who do not read and/or speak English is a matter of both physical logistics and linguistics. The

district does not currently have an effective mechanism in place to communicate emergency information

to these families.

Similar to other demographics, the number of students receiving Special Education services has

increased steadily over the past several years. Approximately 17% of the students in grades PreK-12 are

on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). (District 742 provides the special educators for both public and

non-public students). Students who receive special education services are educated in inclusive

environments in their neighborhood schools. One of the unique school sites in District 742 is the St.



Cloud Children’s Home (SCCH), which operates six educational programs affiliated with District 742 for

students in grades 3-12. Another aspect that makes this population unique is that there are many

alternative education settings in the community where special education students are educated on a daily

basis such as the VA Hospital, St. Cloud Hospital /Clara’s House, Kelly Inn, OK House, Sheriff’s Youth

Program, and CO2 at St. Cloud State University While these students are not in traditional school

settings, they must still be included in any emergency response plans. Accommodations for these

students, each having varying combinations and levels of learning and developmental disabilities, visual

and hearing impairments, and/or physical limitations must be part of a complete emergency preparedness

plan. Project plans must also address mental health components of emergency preparedness for this

population which includes the need to mitigate extreme or unique responses to stress/crisis on the part of

physically and developmentally impaired students both during and emergency situation and aftermath.

Since the widely publicized 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado,

there have been numerous violent incidents in schools including two fatal shootings in Minnesota. In

March 2005, a high school student at Red Lake High School on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in

Minnesota shot and killed ten people including himself and the September 2003 shooting at Rocori High

School in Cold Spring, Minnesota where a student mortally wounded two of his classmates. Rocori is

only a short 20-minute drive from the St. Cloud Area School District. While St. Cloud has not

experienced a school shooting, there were 13,950 reported discipline incidents in the 2005-06 school year.

Approximately 12% of the incidents are for physical violence, threatening, and/or harassing behaviors.

Reports of assaults increased from 290 in 2001-02 to 383 in 2005-06. In 2005-06, there were 48 weapons

offenses including 2 offenses for firearm violations. All weapons offenses are referred to the Weapons

Assessment Committee who recommends appropriate consequences for the student.

Another source of valuable information is the Minnesota Student Survey, which is given to

students in grades 6, 9 and 12 across the state, every three years. The survey looks at a number of

individual and community risk factors. The 2004 survey of over 1,500 St. Cloud area students indicated



that compared to grade level peers around the state, St. Cloud students report feeling less safe at school,

higher incidence of illegal gang activity at school, higher incidence of illegal drugs on school property,

and higher incidence of being threatened or assaulted at school. St. Cloud students also reported higher

rates of combined drug and alcohol use, higher levels of alcohol consumption and marijuana use in the

past 30 days, and higher levels of substance use before, during and right after school.

Geographically, the Central Minnesota region is exposed to many hazards, all of which have the

potential for disrupting the community, causing casualties, and damaging or destroying public and private

property. The major types of natural hazards that are most likely to occur in the region are: flooding,

tornadoes, and severe winter storms. Possible technological hazards that have been determined by the

Stearns County Office of Emergency Management include: water system failure, major structural fire,

and energy/fuel shortages. Another major vulnerability is the district’s proximity to a nuclear power plant

facility, located just south of an elementary school building. In addition, one of the nation’s main

waterways, the Mississippi River, runs through the heart of St. Cloud.

One of the challenges that the St. Cloud Area Schools have always faced is that District

boundaries fall within multiple cities and three different counties. Therefore, the law enforcement agency

that may respond to one school in an emergency may not be the same agency that responds to another

school. Inter-agency cooperation and collaboration becomes even more critical in these instances.

Coordinating the emergency response plans to reflect the different agencies that may be involved at a

school site will be one outcome of this project.

School Hazard/Vulnerability Assessments:

In 2005-06, District 742 collaborated with the St. Cloud Police Department to practice lockdown drills at

several of the school sites. The major findings and recommendations for each building are listed below:

Apollo High School:Findings:

1. There is no Crisis command team.2. No key administrator is available at all times.



3. No individual is designated to know and ensure another emergency response coordinator is available when key administrator is not available.

4. Training of key administrator, response coordinator and crisis team has not been done.5. There is not a channel on the two-way radios that links with law enforcement.6. No emergency team trained throughout the school to respond to a threatening situation.

Recommendations:1. A Crisis command team should be established; members should include key decision makers, key

maintenance and security personnel, nurses, counselors and others with previous emergency response training.

2. Have at least one key administrator available at all times for emergency communication and decisions.

3. Identify a designated individual who will be informed with key administrator is not available to ensure another response coordinator is available to take responsibility.

4. Training of all crisis team members for all kinds of emergencies should be done.5. An updated two-way radio that links with law enforcement needs to be secured.6. When purchasing new radios ensure they work at a secondary shelter location.7. A chain of communication should be established.8. Emergency team should be established and trained in the entire spectrum of responses from de-

escalation to physical responses.

Technical High School:Findings:

1. Tech does not have Emergency Response Team2. There is not a central desk location that funnels all emergency communication.3. Security officers are not trained to use equipment or in physical defense.4. There is not currently a phone line for emergency use.

Recommendations:1. Set up an emergency response team to coordinate and respond to medical and threatening

situations.2. Establish a central desk location that has a radio, intercom access and phone access. Training of

central desk staff.3. Provide training of security officers on equipment and physical defense.4. Install a phone line in the command center for emergency use only.5. EBD staff should receive more physical training and de-escalation, negotiation training at

intervals throughout the year.

ALC (Alternative Learning Center):Findings:

1. ALC does not have an Emergency Response Team.2. Staff are not comfortable with evacuation and lockdown procedures.3. Staff Training on emergency response plan (including support staff).4. No link with the radios to law enforcement.5. Staff are not designated as those to respond in an emergency and those who need to staff the crisis

command center.6. All staff do not know codes for specific emergency situation.

Recommendations:1. Set up an Emergency Response Team.



2. Training of team to include coordinating the school's response to threatening individual and situations, training for pre-incident recognition.

3. Need to train all individuals identified as emergency contacts. Due to critical, stressful nature of this position, training is essential to ensure a rapid and appropriate response.

4. Need to review radios and upgrade to equipment capable of linking to Police Department.5. Staff need additional training in evacuation and lockdown procedures.6. Use of police resources and expertise to education students, staff and parents.7. Cooperative training should be done of staff by the responding law enforcement agencies.

North Junior High:Findings:

1. No chain of communication established in case of an emergency.2. The current radios do not link with the law enforcement agency.3. There is not a team of trained individuals to respond to a threatening situation.

Recommendations:1. The chain of communication should be established.2. When purchasing more radios, ensure direct link to responding law enforcement agencies.3. Establishing a team and training of team members covering the entire spectrum of responses from

des-escalation to physical responses. Training should be done with the entire team and at intervals throughout the school year.

South Junior High:Findings:

1. There is not an emergency response team set up to respond to emergencies.2. There is not a channel that links with law enforcement regarding the radio communication.3. Currently there is not a chain of communication command.4. There is not a team of trained individuals to respond to a threatening situation.5. Special Education staff are not adequately trained in physical and de-escalation skills.6. Security personnel, and paraprofessionals are not trained on the equipment they carry.

Recommendations:1. Set up an emergency response team and give appropriate training.2. Individual taking the central desk role should be trained in their response to each specific type of

incident. There should be a back up person for the central desk role.3. There should be alternate locations with the same equipment as the current crisis command

center.4. When upgrading radios be sure to include technology to communicate with law enforcement.5. Establishing a team and training of team members covering the entire spectrum of responses from

des-escalation to physical responses. Training should be done with the entire team and at intervals throughout the school year.

6. Additional training of Special Education staff on physical training and de-escalation, negotiation skills.

7. For liability purposes, staff must be trained on all equipment they carry.

The Emergency Response/Crisis Management Project will conduct hazard/vulnerability assessments of all

the public and non-public school sites as well as reassess the secondary sites that already participated in

the hazard assessments.



Meeting Identified Needs: The St. Cloud Area School District recognizes the need for a

comprehensive, coordinated, and consistent approach to dealing with emergency and/or crisis situations.

The magnitude of the results from Emergency Response/Crisis Management (ER/CM) Project will be

enormous. The District’s current emergency plan has not been consistently implemented and does not

address the specific needs of each building. Through the ER/CM project, District 742 will work in

collaboration with community partners such as law enforcement, fire, emergency management, public

health, and mental health to update the District and School Emergency Response Plans. These partners

will play several crucial roles by serving on the Advisory Board for the project, conducting trainings

where appropriate, providing continuous feedback and suggestions, and participating in the actual drills.

This project will bring consistency and coordination with schools and outside agencies that will be

responding to the incident. Integrating the district communication system to the ARMER (Allied Radio

Matrix for Emergency Response) system will give the schools the ability to communicate efficiency and

effectively with outside agencies when they respond to an incident on school grounds. Staff training on

the NIMS methodology and approach, will give them a clear organizational structure for how to respond

to an incident. This will bring consistency within schools in how staff members respond to an incident.

Two major areas that are currently lacking in the emergency response plan: Recovery and

Communication. The Recovery Plan will prepare the district and schools for both the immediate

aftermath and long-term recovery process in the event of a crisis. In addition, the communication plan

will describe the important process of communicating with parents, the media, and the community in the

event of a crisis.

The ERCM Project will provide an opportunity to coordinate and enhance a number of the efforts

already underway, strengthen existing partnerships with law enforcement, emergency management,

mental health and public health, and improve the way in which the community works together to meet

identified needs. The partnering agencies are committed to working together to accomplish the objectives

of this project.


Project Narrative

Quality of the project design (40 points)

In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the following factors are considered:

a. The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice. (15 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we will look for the applicant's use of the four phases of crisis response planning (Prevention/Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery) to strengthen and improve emergency management plans at the district and school building level. Applicants should also include details about their plan to develop a written infectious disease plan that includes pandemic flu.

We expect that applicants will propose comprehensive approaches that do not rely heavily on equipment and technology purchases.

b. The extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target population or other identified needs. (10 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we will look for the applicant's intent to develop a plan that takes into consideration the specific needs of each school. Applicants should describe how each school will develop an emergency management plan that is customized based upon its particular vulnerabilities and student population. Applicants should also discuss how they will address the needs of individuals with disabilities and special needs in their emergency management plans.

c. The extent to which the proposed project encourages parental involvement. (5 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we will look for the applicant's plan to communicate and disseminate emergency response policies and procedures to parents.

d. The extent to which the proposed activities constitute a coherent, sustained program of training in the field. (10 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we look for the applicant's plan to provide relevant training and/or exercises to school staff, safety/crisis teams, and students.

Attachment 1:Title: Project Design Pages: 0 Uploaded File: H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\Project Design.doc

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St. Cloud Area School District Page 8Emergency Response Crisis Management GrantProject Design

PROJECT DESIGN:

It is the policy of the St. Cloud Area School District to continually work toward making all of its

facilities clean, healthy environments, which are safe and secure, and allow students, staff, and visitors to

work and learn. The project design proposed here incorporates current research and best practices as

they apply to the four recognized phases of emergency management: mitigation/prevention,

preparedness, response, and recovery. The development and implementation of an emergency

response/crisis management plan is an ongoing process that encompasses the development of district-

wide policies, in-service training/professional development, crisis preparation, interagency cooperation,

and student/parent participation.

Prevention/Mitigation

� Crisis Planning/Response Teams. One of the major findings from the vulnerability assessments from

the secondary school building sites were the lack of emergency response or crisis management teams

in the buildings. The recommendation for all of the buildings was to establish a crisis planning team

with key decision makers, key maintenance and security personnel, nurses, counselors and others

with previous emergency response training. The ER/CM project will provide hourly pay for

approximately 100 staff to participate in up to 18 hours of crisis planning for their building (1 hour

per months at 18 months).

� Staff Development and Training. Staff training is an integral part of each of the phases of the ER/CM

project. The Crisis Planning Team and building administrators will assist in prioritizing professional

development needs. Training will be available in each of the program components such as NIMS as

well as in other areas such as identifying children with mental health concerns, de-escalation skills,

and dealing with angry children. The ER/CM project will provide approximately 100 staff with

hourly pay up to 8 hours (4 training sessions at 2 hours each).

Goal One: All schools will complete an assessment to identify the hazards in and around their schools that are both preventable and non-preventable and develop procedures designed to prevent and/or mitigate them.



Objective 1.1

Each principal will identify key school members for a Crisis Planning Team that will be the leaders in the assessment and planning process. The team will be composed of Administrators, Teachers (including special education/ELL), Parents, Support Staff, and Community Partners. Each team will meet regularly during the school year.

Objective 1.2

Each Crisis Planning Team will review relevant safety data and hazard assessment data unique to the school to address in the Emergency Response Plan.

Preparedness

� NIMS Training and Implementation. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a

consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector and nongovernmental

organizations to work together during domestic incidents. The St. Cloud Area School District is fully

committed to implementing NIMS into the district and school emergency response plans. The first

step in implementation is training faculty and staff about the NIMS system. The St. Cloud Technical

College is a facilitator for the NIMS training and has agreed to teach the NIMS methodology (IS 700)

to a group of public and non-public school employees. A total of three trainings will be offered in

November 2006 and October 2007. A total of 100 staff will receive up to 4 hours of NIMS training.

By the end of project completion in March 2008, the St. Cloud Area School District will formally

recognize the NIMS and adopt the NIMS principles and policies.

� Tabletop exercises/Mock Drills. Simply put, practice makes perfect. There is no reason to update

and revise an emergency response plan if no one is ever going to practice it. As part of the ER/CM

Project, each school building will be required to practice two emergency/crisis scenarios during the

18-month project period. The Crisis Planning Team will chose the scenario based on the

hazard/vulnerability assessment as a situation that the school is most likely to face. All stakeholders

will be involved in the drill including district administration, all school staff, community partners,

students, parents, and media. An assessment of each drill will provide the school building with areas

to address in a group problem solving forum.



� Advisory Board. This team is the appointed “task force” with representatives from all elements of the

school community—board members, district employees (administration, licensed, non-licensed),

students, parents, law enforcement, emergency management, public health, mental health,

government and business leaders, media, and local residents. In addition two subcommittees will be

formed: Safety Communications Committee and Recovery Team to focus specifically on those areas

and develop plans to integrate in the Emergency Response Plans.

� Communicating with Parents and the Media. St. Cloud Area School District recognizes that while

overarching training of crisis teams in NIMS is important, the capacity to communicate within the

district, with individual schools, with parents, with local emergency responders, and with the

community at large is a vital part of an effective safety preparedness program. The proposed project

specifically addresses the many significant gaps in St. Cloud communications systems in their current

state. These gaps include lack of a fully integrated communications strategy, lack of basic technology

and access needed to accomplish successful communications with local emergency responders in a

crisis situation, and lack of knowledge around best practices for communication with parents,

including those who do not speak English, in an emergency situation. The St. Cloud project

addresses these issues by recognizing the critical needs in this area and proposing a Safety

Communications Committee specifically dedicated to establishing district capacity in this area. The

Safety Communications Committee will include representatives from the district and school sites as

well as representation from local project partners and special needs groups including ELL and

students with physical and mental disabilities. This committee will prepare a communication plan that

will provide the necessary information about communicating in the aftermath of an emergency or

crisis. Approximately 25 people will be provided with hourly pay to devote an additional 10 hours to

the Safety Communications Committee, which will meet after school and/or in the evenings.

Goal Two: District 742 will have a revised/updated Emergency/Crisis Management Plan in place that is consistent among buildings and coordinated with outside agencies (incorporating NIMS), but also unique to the needs of the individual building. The plan will also include an infectious disease plan addressing the issues posed by a possible



outbreak of pandemic flu.

Objective 2.1

Each building will have a team that participates in training for the NIMS. Each team will include: At least two representatives from each school (Principal and Asst. Principal or Head Secretary if no Asst.), Custodians, CSOs, SROs, Safety Director, and Crisis Planning Teams. The training will be provided by the St. Cloud Technical College.

Objective 2.2

Through various modes each building will continuously communicate to and train all staff on the emergency plans (including NIMS). Administrators will report to the Project Coordinator all activities related to the ERCM project.

Objective 2.3

An Advisory Board (including two sub-committees) with all community partners (Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Public Health, Mental Health, Head of Local Government) will be convened to meet regularly to follow grant progress and assess needs and gaps.

Objective 2.4

A communication plan will be developed and integrated into the emergency plan that will outline the process for communicating with parents and the community in the event of a crisis situation.

Objective 2.5

Rewrite and get board approval for a District 742 policy that reflects the updated emergency plans.

Objective 2.6

Using the updated emergency plan, each school building will participate practicing at least two mock drills during the 18-month grant period. The tabletop exercise is intended to facilitate testing, evaluation, and practicing of the school’s crisis response plan and promote group problem solving.

Response

� Emergency Communication System. During the 1999-2000 school year the city of St. Cloud

participated in one of two school-based mock disaster drills in the state. Through this multi-

disciplinary exercise it became evident that the city’s emergency personnel are unable to

communicate effectively inside our larger school structures. The current radio systems are inadequate

for use inside these large, complex buildings. Installation of the communication equipment needed to

make the buildings safer in the case of an emergency is cost-prohibitive. Communication is cited

most often as the primary disaster response problem. Aging communication infrastructure, the lack

of frequencies, interoperability across bands and interoperability across systems, add up to a critical

need to improve Minnesota’s public safety communication infrastructure. The events of September

11, 2001 have only served to increase the importance of interoperable public safety communication as

a state and national priority. This communication priority is also reflected in Minnesota’s 2004

Homeland Security Strategy and Assessment, Goal 7: “Implement a statewide system of



interoperable communication for local and state resources to be more effective and efficient in

ensuring the safety of the citizens and emergency responders in Minnesota”. The Allied Radio

Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) uses the latest and most advanced technology to provide

interactive communication capabilities that are not available with older radio systems. ARMER is

designed to provide statewide radio coverage to state, county, city public safety officers, and

government workers. ARMER is a statewide interoperable trunked radio system, which will replace

the existing diverse and antiquated analog communication systems. The plan provides for a phased

statewide development of the radio system infrastructure. Phase 1, which was the basic

communication backbone and interoperability infrastructure, was completed in December 2002. In

2003, the Minnesota Legislature provided $27 million to fund Phase 3 development outside the

Metropolitan area. Last spring, phase 3 was completed which included St. Cloud and Rochester State

Patrol districts. All of the City of St. Cloud Police, Fire, EMS, and other services are communicating

on this 800 MHz digital radio system, which allows everyone to communicate on a day-to-day basis

and more importantly, in the event of an emergency.

The St. Cloud Area School District currently has 170 radios operating on 11 wideband 25

KHz channels. These radios cannot communicate with the 800 MHz radio (ARMER) system that the

all of the emergency personnel are currently using. There are different solutions to this problem with

implications for both the City of St. Cloud and the school district. After speaking with the City IT

Department and the Building and Grounds Supervisor of District 742, the first step in developing a

long-term communication plan for the district is to do a comprehensive radio needs assessment. An

outside consultant, GeoComm would be hired to assess the current equipment and infrastructure of

District 742 radio system. GeoComm will give recommendations for the long-term development of a

compatible system to the 800 MHz the city is currently using. Depending on these recommendations,

the district will move forward with either “patching” the current system to the 800 MHz system or

start purchasing 800 MHz radios that will work with the new system.



Goal Three: Each school will be able to effectively and efficiently communicate in all areas of the building and with all responding agencies.Objective 3.1

District 742 will assess the communication needs of each school and work with the City of St. Cloud to design a long-term plan for integrating the district emergency communication into ARMER.

Objective 3.2

Thirty ARMER compatible radios will be purchased (at least one for every participating public and non-public school site) as well as the District Media Services and District Transportation Building.

Objective 3.3

Once the ARMER radios have been purchased and integrated, staff will be trained on how to use the radios and the emergency plan will reflect the procedure for using the radio system in an emergency/crisis situation.

Recovery

� Recovery Team. One of the many things the St. Cloud School District has learned from the recent

Minnesota school shootings is that a traumatic event will still affect the school (both students and

staff) even years down the road. In the immediate aftermath of a tragedy like a school shooting, the

challenge becomes restoring the learning environment. A Recovery Team will be established with

representation from mental health facilitators, social workers, counselors, psychologists, and other

community agencies. This team will prepare a recovery plan for both short term and long-term needs

of the district and school in the event of a crisis. In the pre-planning phase, the team will identify and

pre-screen services providers. A unique resource to District 742 is access to a Mobile Wellness

Center, which will provide training to staff in helping students cope and understand reactions to

danger and traumatic stress. The Recovery plan will also take into consideration the long-term

planning process such as monitoring for PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Approximately 25

people will be provided with hourly pay to devote an additional 10 hours to the Recovery Plan, which

will take place after school and/or in the evenings.

Goal Four: District 742 will be able to provide both an immediate response and long-term recovery process for a variety of emergency/crisis events.Objective 4.1

A District Recovery Team will be convened and meet regularly with other community agencies to prepare a Recovery Plan (which will be integrated with the Emergency Response Plan) in the event of a crisis.



Objective 4.2

Utilize the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, CentraCare Mobile Wellness Center, American Red Cross, and other community providers to offer training related to working with children traumatized by emergencies, crisis, or disaster.

The St. Cloud project addresses the needs of students with physical and mental disabilities by

conducting a more focused assessment of where these students are located in the district and detailed

information about the specificity and severity of individual student needs at each site. This will include

involving the Stearns County Emergency Management (project partner) to provide best practice

information and strategies they use to work with disabled in the greater community; involvement of The

Central Minnesota Mental Health Center (project partner) workers’ expertise to inform training for safety

teams, teachers, and staff around safety procedures for students with special needs as well as best

practices for post-trauma care for both the general student population and those with special needs

including students with physical and mental disabilities and the Somali refugees; consulting parents of

students with special needs to advise site workers on the specific needs of their child; and integrating

ERCM procedures for disabled students into table-top and practical exercises. It is important to note here

that language barriers are considered a special need in the context of emergency response and crisis

management. As described previously, the Safety Communications Committee will have representation

to reflect the special needs of English Language Learners, both of the ELL students in the classroom and

the ELL parents/family at home.

Research shows that active and appropriate parental involvement in the home and in the

classroom is critical to healthy social/emotional functioning and future school success; it is also a critical

component of a comprehensive school safety plan and effective emergency response system. The

proposed ER/CM Project recognizes the tremendous value and critical link that parents bring to effective

school safety efforts and has stepped up the imperative that parents be involved at all levels of ERCM

planning and implementation. The St. Cloud plan involves parents in the following ways:

1. One or more parent representatives will serve on the Advisory Board, Safety Communications Committee and/or Recovery Team;



2. Parent representatives will serve on the safety team at each school site;

3. Existing communications mechanisms will be brought into the sphere of school safety design and planning including newsletters, site council activities, the City Watch phone line system, and reunification planning;

4. Parent volunteers will participate in mock drills;

5. Parents of students with special needs including physical and mental disabilities will participate in the school safety and communications agenda as needed/appropriate.

The involvement of parents is crucial to meaningful emergency response and crisis management

efforts and will be tied to school safety plan training and planning as well as mini-grant requirements.

Parental involvement will be monitored in quarterly and final project reports.


Project Narrative

Quality of the management plan (20 points)

In determining the quality of the management plan, the following factors are considered:

a. The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks. (10 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we will look for the applicant's plan to manage the development and implementation of emergency management plans at all schools covered by the project. Applicants should include a detailed project implementation timeline.

b. How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, recipient or beneficiaries of services, or others as appropriate. (10 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we will look at the quality of the applicant's planned coordination and collaboration with community partners including, the head of the local government, community-based law enforcement, public safety, public health, and mental health agencies in the strengthening and improvement of the plan. This description should go beyond simply stating the roles and responsibilities discussed in the absolute priority. We will also look for the applicant's description of how their project is coordinated with their State or local Homeland Security Plan and how they plan to support implementation of the National Incident Management System.

Attachment 1:Title: Management Plan Pages: 0 Uploaded File: H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\Project Management Plan.doc

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e35

St. Cloud Area School District Page 16Emergency Response Crisis Management GrantManagement Plan

MANAGEMENT PLAN:

Commitment from top district leadership significantly increases the likelihood that the proposed

plan and activities will result in an increased capacity of District 742 to effectively manage and respond to

crises. Recognizing school safety is a priority, Superintendent Bruce Watkins has made a commitment to

establish and maintain a safe and secure learning environment for all St. Cloud students and families.

Effective project management will be provided by the District 742 Office of Health and Safety,

under the leadership of Safety Supervisor, Jamie Nixon. His duties include all mandated safety programs

from the federal, state, and local government. Mr. Nixon works with various agencies such as OSHA,

EPA, MPCA, and the State Fire Marshal's Office. Overall, he has 10 years if background experience in

safety/security. Due to the wide scope and intense level of commitment required by this project it is

estimated that the Safety Supervisor will take devote approximately 0.4 FTE (2 days per week) to the

ER/CM project. This will require possible outsourcing of his other duties as needed. The ER/CM grant

budget will provide half (0.2 FTE ) and District 742 will match 0.2 FTE. As part of his duties, Mr. Nixon

will work closely with the partnering agencies in overseeing this endeavor.

The proposed project Timeline beginning October 1, 2006 and ending March 31, 2008, is shown below:

Strategies/Activities Date Responsibility

Grant Award Notification Received; Mr. Nixon formally given responsibilities as ER/CM Project Coordinator.

October 2006 Superintendent, Bruce Watkins

Project Coordinator hold a non-public meeting to give all non-public (private, parochial, and charter schools) equal opportunity to participate in the ER/CM Project.

October 2006 Project Coordinator, Non Public School Sites

Each school building will designate a Crisis Management Team lead by the Principal. The Crisis Management Team will be responsible for conducting the school’s Hazard Assessment, Updating and customizing the Emergency Response Plan, Choosing a relevant scenario for practice, and Communicating the plan to other staff members and parents through site council, staff meetings, etc.

October 2006 -March 2008

School Administration, Teachers and Staff, Site Councils

The ER/CM Advisory Board with members from the partnering/community agencies will be convened to begin the implementation process. Sub-committees will be formed.


Project Coordinator, Community Partners, District staff, parents



The Safety Communications Team will be convened to work on a Communications Plan that will be integrated with the Emergency Response Plan.


Parents, District staff, community parnters

A District Recovery Team will be convened to work on a Recovery Plan that will be integrated with the Emergency Response Plan.


Mental Health Facilitators, Social Workers, Counselors, Psychologists, Parents, Community Partners

National Incident Management System (IS 700) training (Two training sessions will be held to give people options on days to attend and to limit the class size).

November 2006 District 742 administrators and staff, St. Cloud Technical College

A assess the district’s overall compliance with the NIMS, and determine gaps in compliance.

November 2006 District 742, Stearns County Emergency Management

Begin comprehensive needs assessment of District 742 radios and communication infrastructure.

November 2006 GeoComm

Technicians from District 742 will participate in monthly ARMER planning meetings with City of St. Cloud

Ongoing District Media Services

All staff persons in each building will be introduced to the NIMS methodology and updated on the current Emergency Response Plan at school staff meetings.

November 2006 and ongoing

School Administration and staff

Crisis Response Team Disaster Planning/Training: Collaborating with partnering agencies: training sessions on specific topics (such as working with children traumatized by disaster, terroristic behavior, and public health emergencies) will be offered to staff.

Ongoing: 4 sessions of 2 hours each

Stearns County Emergency Management, St. Cloud Police Department, Stearns County Public Health, and the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center

Evaluators will present mid-year formative evaluation findings of grant implementation.

January 2007 Upfront Consulting, Advisory Board

Findings and recommendations for the long-term plan for the radios/communication system.

February 2007 GeoComm, ER/CM Advisory Board

Determine the appropriate course of action in terms of integrating the District radios into the ARMER radio system. Either through a “patch” or by purchasing up to 30 (800 MHz) radios.

March 2007 District 742 Media Services and City of St. Cloud

Provide training on how to use the ARMER radio system in the event of an emergency.

April 2007 District 742 Media Services and City of St. Cloud

EACH school building will practice an emergency/crisis scenario chosen by their Crisis Response Team. This will allow the school to practice the Incident Command System (ICS) in coordination with the appropriate community agencies (police, fire, etc.) Each school will report the strengths/weaknesses encountered in their scenario as modifications to their emergency response plan.

April/May/June 2007

District administration, school administration and staff, students, parents, community partners, media



Parent focus group conducted to understand parent confidence in school emergency response procedures.

June 2007 Upfront Consulting, parents

Evaluator will present evaluation findings from the 2006-07 ER/CM project activities.

June 2007 Upfront Consulting, Advisory Board

National Incident Management System (NIMS) training. This will be either a repeat of the IS 700 depending on the number of staff who have not been trained or a more advanced class for the people who have had phase 1.

October 2007 District 742 administrators and staff, St. Cloud Technical College

EACH school building will re-practice the emergency/crisis scenario practiced previously. Because of the transition into a new school year, this will allow any new staff to be trained in the school’s emergency response plan.

Oct./Nov./Dec. 2007

District administration, school administration and staff, students, parents, community partners, media

All Emergency Response Plans will be finalized and sent to each of the partnering agencies.

January 2008 Project Coordinator

The School Board will revise the current Emergency Response policy to reflect the new plan and procedures. Formally recognize the NIMS and adopt NIMS principles and policies.

March 2008 Superintendent Watkins, Project Coordinator, District 742 school board.

Final ER/CM Evaluation Report to Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools

April 2008 Project Coordinator, Upfront Consulting

The St. Cloud Area School District, City of St. Cloud, St. Cloud Police Department, Stearns

County Emergency Management, Stearns County Public Health, and the Central Minnesota

Mental Health Center will share responsibilities for program development, implementation, and

continuous program improvement.

Relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner.

The six partner agencies (St. Cloud Area School District, City of St. Cloud, St. Cloud Police

Department, Stearns County Emergency Management, Stearns County Public Health, and the Central

Minnesota Mental Health Center) are all strong advocates for the safe and healthy development of

children in the St. Cloud area. They have worked together to address growing needs in the areas of school

security and community policing, truancy prevention and mediation, early childhood and parent

education, restorative justice, healthy child development and growth, identification and treatment of

mental health problems in youth and drug/alcohol and tobacco prevention efforts. The written agreements

further document the commitment on behalf of each agency to the successful implementation, continuous

improvement, and sustainability of this project. In addition, each partner has committed a tremendous



amount of time and expertise to organizational meetings regarding this initiative. The participation of

each partner can be described as follows:

St. Cloud Area School District #742. St. Cloud has been a leader for a number of years in

committing resources to ensure a safe and healthy environment for its students. The district has received

regional and state recognition as a leader in indoor air quality. The commitment to student safety is also

evident in the district’s long-standing partnership with the St. Cloud Police Department to provide school

liaison officers. The district has placed an emphasis on student assistance team development including

developing resources for fostering the resilience and positive mental health of district students. District

742 has also been very active in developing and implementing proactive early childhood programs in

collaboration with other community agencies. The district’s commitment to this project is evident by the

collaborative and innovative programs currently being provided.

City of St. Cloud. The City of St. Cloud places this safety and well being of all residents as an

utmost priority. The City Information Technology Department is the region leader for implementing the

ARMER statewide radio network. The Director of the IT Department has been actively involved in the

planning meetings for this proposal. The City of St. Cloud will work with District 742 to integrate the

school radios/ communication system into the ARMER system as described in the previous section.

St. Cloud Police Department. The St. Cloud Police Department has been utilizing community

oriented policing for a number of years. They have been collaborating with the school district for eighteen

years in the provision of school liaison officers to provide prevention and intervention on school grounds.

There are six full time officers, one each for the high schools, junior high schools, and Area Learning

Center. The St. Cloud Police Department has made an effort to develop positive relationships with area

youth through the placement of these officers in the schools, periodic non-emergency visits to area

elementary schools, and an active Police Athletic League. They have been an active participant in the

planning of this project and will be a full partner in program implementation.



Stearns County Emergency Management. Stearns County Emergency Management will be an

invaluable partner and resource for the Emergency Response/Crisis Management project. In March 2005,

Stearns County adopted a resolution designating the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as

the basis for all incident management in Stearns County. This expertise will guide the District as it begins

the NIMS implementation process. The Emergency Management Department also works closely with the

State of Minnesota Homeland Security and will be the school district’s liaison to this office.

Stearns County Public Health. Stearns County Public Health is the primary source for training in

emergencies and or crises related to Bioterrorism, food-borne illnesses, and communicable diseases. They

will be a critical partner in helping the District prepare a written plan for pandemic influenza and

coordinating the plan with the state health department. Depending on the type of emergency or disaster,

Public Health will work with the County Office of Environmental Safety to provide services as needed.

They currently use several of the school sites to provide mass dispensing if needed. Public Health will

provide training and consultation services to the ER/CM project and serve as a regular member of the

Advisory Board.

Central Minnesota Mental Health Center. CMMHC serves a four county area in central

Minnesota and is the community-based mental health provider for the region. Currently, the center places

a co-located, mental health practitioner who provides services to the District’s growing population of

homeless youth and helps provide emergency mental health assessment and treatment options. They are

committed to providing resources to helping the District create and implement a long-term recovery plan

The success of the ER/CM project will depend on the commitments and collaboration of other

area organizations, including the St. Cloud Fire Department, Gold Cross Ambulance, St. Cloud Hospital,

Stearns County Sheriff, Waite Park Police Department, St. Joseph Police Department, CentraCare, and

American Red Cross. Information will be shared between partners on a regular basis through the ER/CM

Advisory Board. Additional communication will take place through email, telephone and project update

mailings. The Evaluation consultants will provide timely program feedback, with reports being



disseminated to all partners. General project information will be disseminated to staff, families and the

community through the newsletters and/or web site of each partner agency, and the school district cable

channel.


Project Narrative

Adequacy of Resources (5 points)

In determining the adequacy of resources, the following factor is considered:

a. The potential for continued support of the project after Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated commitment of appropriate entities to provide such support.

Note: Under this criterion, we will look for the applicant's plan for continuous improvement and sustainability of partnerships after the period of Federal funding ends. Applicants should also provide a plan for continuous assessment and improvement of emergency management plans after the period of Federal funding ends.

Attachment 1:Title: Adequacy of Resources Pages: 0 Uploaded File: H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\Project Adequacy of Resources.doc

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e42

St. Cloud Area School District Page 22Emergency Response Crisis Management GrantAdequacy of Resources

ADEQUACY OF RESOURCES:

Building Capacity Beyond Federal Financial Assistance

St. Cloud Area School District 742 fully supports this initiative from both a district level and a

building level. The personnel/benefit costs associated with this project (which represent 52% of the total

budget) provide for effective leadership, program implementation, quality training, and supervision. As

stated in the RFP, the project may use a small portion of the funds to buy safety and security equipment

and technology. Equipment costs account for less than 25% of the total budget. Contractual funding

(which accounts for 16% of the budget) will be utilized to ensure quality training (St. Cloud Technical

College) and a comprehensive needs assessment (GeoComm). Outside evaluation (Upfront Consulting)

enables the project to objectively assess the benefit to recipients and alter the program design as needed.

The district will provide support and technical assistance to the ER/CM project with unlimited

access to personnel that help support initiative. District Administrators including the Superintendent,

Director of Student Services/Special Education, and Executive Director of Business Services will provide

district management and oversight. Building Administrators will provide building leadership, engage both

licensed and non-licensed staff, and serve on the Crisis Planning Team. The Diversity Coordinator will

provide expertise to increase awareness of diversity-related issues for our English Language Learners.

Business Services will provide financial and accounting services for the ER/CM grant. The Office of

Grants and Research will assist in program evaluation each year. Media Services and the district’s

Technology Trainer will also assist in any technology needs related to ARMER equipment.

In addition to the commitment of the District, community partners, students, and parents will be

central in the design and implementation of the project. The five main community partners have

committed staff resources for participation in the Advisory Committee/Subcommittees. With partnerships

from community agencies and the full support of the district, the continued improvement and updating of

the emergency response plans will be incorporated into the on-going organizational structure and backed

by board policy and administrative procedures from this point forward.


Project Narrative

Quality of the project evaluation (15 points)

In determining the quality of the evaluation, the following factors are considered:

a. The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to the extent possible. (10 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we will look for a description of the evaluation plan that includes methods to be used to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of the project, including the applicant's plan to address the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measures established for this program. We will look for clearly identified project activities, objectives, and goals.

b. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes. (5 points)

Note: Under this criterion, we will look for the applicant's plan to continuously monitor the project's implementation, including a review of improvements made to emergency management plans. In particular, we will look for the applicant's strategy for modifying their emergency management plans and procedures to incorporate feedback received from site assessments, practice drills, or after-action reports. Please refer to page 28 for additional information regarding project evaluation.

Attachment 1:Title: Project Evaluation Pages: 0 Uploaded File: H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\Project Evaluation .doc

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e44

St. Cloud Area School District Page 23Emergency Response Crisis Management GrantProject Evaluation

PROJECT EVALUATION:

The St. Cloud ER/CM Project will be working with outside evaluators to provide professional,

timely and objective evaluation of the benefits and impact of this project. UpFront Consulting, an

organization development consulting firm has been conducting evaluations in Central Minnesota since

1986. Both principals at the firm have worked extensively with District 742 on grant evaluations over the

past seven years. Both have experience in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Dianne

Tuff, principal consultant with UpFront, has designed and conducted more than 30 major evaluation

projects in the past 20 years. She is a graduate of the MSOD (organization development) program at

Pepperdine University. Murdoch Johnson, partner in UpFront, has 17 years of experience in applied

research, including 10 years working with evaluation projects.

Evaluation Design: UpFront Consulting will work with staff and administration to design and implement

an evaluation that provides evidence of program implementation and success in meeting goals and

objectives. They will solicit stakeholder input to design and conduct both outcome and process evaluation

of the project. Additional methods and tools will be developed to ensure comprehensive evaluation of

each activity and the outcome of the ER/CM project. These will include use of participant surveys, in-

depth interviews, and focus groups to gather qualitative data to provide a better understanding of the

numeric data collected. A parent focus group will also be held to understand parent confidence in school

emergency response procedures. A comprehensive evaluation report will provide the project with

information about progress made toward each of the goals, with specific measurement of each evaluation

indicator identified for the project outcomes. The evaluators will use SPSS data analysis software to

analyze quantitative data for the reports. Qualitative data will be summarized in narrative form. Results

will be compared over time when applicable. The evaluation plan will include process and outcome

measures that will indicate the level of success in meeting program goals and objectives. The evaluation

findings and resulting changes in program strategies will be communicated regularly to project



stakeholders through the ER/CM Advisory Board and other venues such as District Administration

Cabinet Meetings, Elementary/Secondary Principal Meetings, School staff meetings, and School Site

Councils. Findings from the annual comprehensive evaluation will be used to identify the strengths of the

project and the areas in which improvements are indicated.

Performance Measures. Overall, the evaluation will gather data to:

� Demonstrate the increased number of hazards addressed by the improved school emergency response plan as compared to the baseline plan.

� Demonstrate improved response time and quality of response to practice drills and simulated crises; and

� Document completion of a plan for, and commitment to, the sustainability and continuous improvement of school emergency response plans by the district and community partners beyond the period of Federal financial assistance.

Evaluation Plan Indicators:

Addressing: Indicator: Data type: How measured:Prevention, Preparedness

Increase in the number of hazards addressed by the emergency response plans in each school

Quantitative Document review of baseline and developed plans

Prevention, Preparedness

Increase in the number of school staff trained in emergency response procedures

Quantitative Log of NIMS training sessions; training session evaluation/ relevance and satisfaction surveys

Response Improved response time to drills Quantitative Document review of drills in each school, comparing first drill to subsequent drills

Recovery Outcomes of recovery training Quantitative Training session evaluation/satisfaction surveys


Improved partnerships between community partners and the school district

Quantitative and qualitative

Linkage mapping questionnaire; depth interviews or focus groups with key informants

Preparedness Completeness and quality of recovery communication plan


Key informant questionnaires; parent focus group; depth interviews or focus groups with key informants

Preparedness Increased parent confidence in school emergency response procedures


Parent rating of school safety in district climate survey (2004 benchmark); parent focus group

Response Outcomes of radio training Quantitative and qualitative

Training session questionnaires; depth interviews or focus groups with key informants



Recovery Increased ability to restore the learning environment after a crisis


Number of partners included in recovery plan; depth interviews or focus groups with key informants

Prevention, Preparedness, Response

Key outcomes of site crisis team meetings

Qualitative Key informant questionnaires; depth interviews or focus groups with key informants

Recovery Satisfaction with recovery plan Qualitative Depth interviews or focus groups with key informants

Prevention Formation and membership of crisis planning team at each school site

Process Site logs

Preparedness Number of new hires trained through NIMS online course

Process Site logs

Preparedness Advisory board membership and regularity of meetings

Process Document review

Preparedness Number and type of tabletop exercises

Process Site logs


Number of hazard assessments conducted

Process Site logs


Number and type of training sessions held

Process Log of NIMS training sessions

Prevention, Preparedness, Response

Number and frequency of site crisis team meetings

Process Site logs

Response Completion of radio needs assessment

Process Document review

Response Radios or “Patch” purchased Process Document reviewResponse Number of staff trained in use of

radiosProcess Document review

Recovery Recovery plan is completed Process Document reviewRecovery Recovery training sessions

completedProcess Document review

Providing performance feedback: The evaluators use the principles of Utilization-Focused Evaluation.

This method, formulated by Michael Quinn Patton, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota) and others, works to

get all stakeholders involved in the evaluation process. This helps ensure that evaluation is not only

useful for measuring and reporting key performance indicators, but also helps staff make adjustments in

service delivery and improve the program, helps administrators make decisions about future programs,

and helps the community make decisions about resources for sustaining programs.


Project Narrative

Partner Agreements

Please complete the "Partner Agreements" form which is listed on the right-hand side under DOCUMENTS & INSTRUCTIONS and labeled as: Partner Agreements. This agreement cannot be submitted electronically through e-Application.

Applicants must include signatures from the Authorized Representative of the LEA and at least two of the five required partners (law enforcement agency, public safety, public health, mental health, and local government) along with details of the roles and responsibilities of each partner in the improvement of the plan and a reflection of each partner's commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement of the plan. We have provided the sample Partner Agreement templates under DOCUMENTS & INSTRUCTIONS that you may use to demonstrate coordination with the required community partners.

Special Instructions: You must print out the "Partner Agreements", complete and fax it (along with the ED424) to the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at (202) 205-5722 within three (3) working days of submitting your electronic application. You must indicate your PR/Award number in the upper right corner of the form. For assistance, please call 1-888-336-8930.

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e48

Project Narrative

Program Specific Assurance

Please complete the "Program Specific Assurance" form which is listed on the right-hand side under DOCUMENTS & INSTRUCTIONS and labeled as: Program Specific Assurance. This agreement cannot be submitted electronically through e-Application.

Applicants must submit a completed Program Specific Assurance indicating that they have coordinated with their State or local Homeland Security plan, agree to support the implementation of NIMS, and the their crisis plans will address the needs of students with disabilities. Applicants may use the sample assurance provided under the DOCUMENTS & INSTRUCTIONS section.

Special Instructions: You must print out the "Program Specific Assurance", complete and fax it (along with the ED424) to the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at (202) 205-5722 within three (3) working days of submitting your electronic application. You must indicate your PR/Award number in the upper right corner of the form. For assistance, please call 1-888-336-8930.

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e49

Project Narrative

Appendices

Appendices should be limited only to what reviewers need to understand or clarify the proposal, or to provide supporting documentation such as personnel qualifications. Be sure to include copies of appendices with each copy of the application. Do not include timelines or other management charts as appendices, as they should be included in the narrative.

Please note: The Appendices do not count toward the total suggested page limitations that apply to the program narrative. Please do not include videotapes, CD-ROMs, photographs or floppy disks. We will not be able to review them nor return them.

The agreement detailing roles and responsibilities and required signatures of cooperating entities-local education agency, local government, community-based law enforcement, public safety, public health and mental health-should be included as an appendix to the application. However, applicants' intention to collaborate with these partners should also be discussed wherever relevant for addressing selection criteria in the project narrative.

Attachment 1:Title: Indirect Cost Rate Pages: 0 Uploaded File: H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\742 restricted indirect cost rate.pdf

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e50

3/23/2006MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PAGE 1

FEDERAL PROGRAMS - INDIRECT COST RATES REPORT FNA040-50APPLICABLE FOR 2006-2007

RATES COMPUTED USING 2004-2005 FINANCIAL DATA

DISTICT DISTRICT INDIRECT OPERATION & BASE UNRESTRICTED CALCULATED RESTRICTEDNBR-TP NAME COSTS MAINT COSTS COSTS RATE RATE RATE

(1) (2) (3) (1 + 2) /3 1 / (2 + 3)

0742-01 ST. CLOUD 1,767,138.16 5,457,331.28 84,026,067.59 8.6 2.0 2.0

PR

/Aw

ard # Q184E

060121

Project Narrative

Assurance of Competitive Preference Priority Qualification

Please complete the "Assurance of Competitive Preference Priority Qualification" forms which are listed on the right-hand side under DOCUMENTS & INSTRUCTIONS and labeled as: Assurance of Competitive Preference Priority Qualification - Priority 1 or Priority 2. These assurances cannot be submitted electronically through e-Application.

Applicants applying for the competitive preference must submit a completed Assurance of Competitive Preference Priority Qualification. Applicants may use the sample Assurance of Competitive Preference Priority Qualifications provided under the DOCUMENTS & INSTRUCTIONS section. Applicants that qualify for a competitive preference priority must submit an assurance specifying that the LEA qualifies for Competitive Preference Priority 1 or Competitive Preference Priority 2. Please see page 21 of the Program Instructions to determine which priority you quality for.

Special Instructions: You must print out the "Assurance of Competitive Preference Qualification", complete and fax it (along with the ED424) to the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at (202) 205-5722 within three (3) working days of submitting your electronic application. You must indicate your PR/Award number in the upper right corner of the form. For assistance, please call 1-888-336-8930.

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e52

Budget Narrative

Budget Justification

Applicants should provide a detailed explanation for all funds requested on the Budget Form (ED Form 524). In explaining the funds requested, you must indicate whether you are a small, medium, or large district (according to breakdown given on page 14 under "Estimated Range of Awards"). Costs should be broken down according to the categories on the budget summary form. Explain the basis used to estimate all costs for each budget category. Provide a detailed explanation for any costs that appear unusual and describe how those costs relate to the proposed activities. The narrative should provide enough detail for reviewers to easily understand how costs were determined and how they relate to the goals and objectives of the project. Applicants should also include information about the project director's time commitment to the project. This information is needed in order to process a grant award.

Attachment 1:Title: Budget Narrative Pages: 0 Uploaded File: H:\Andrea\Grants\Emergency Response 06\BUDGET NARRATIVE.doc

PR/Award # Q184E060121 e53

Emergency Response/Crisis Management ProjectSt. Cloud Area School District 742Budget Narrative

BUDGET NARRATIVESt. Cloud Area School District 742

Stearns County, MinnesotaEmergency Response/Crisis Management Project

BUDGET NARRATIVE – Medium size school district (between 21 and 75 school facilities)

PERSONNELProject Coordinator-- Safety Supervisor, Jamie Nixon

0.20 FTE for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years 15,580NIMS Training (Hourly pay for teachers/school staff for training)

$27.50/hour, 100 staff, 4 hours 11,000Plan Development--Whole Committee/Sub Committees

Hourly pay for teachers/school staff for training$27.50/hour, 100 staff, 18 hours 49,500

Emergency and/or Disaster Planning/TrainingHourly pay for teachers/school staff for training$27.50/hour, 100 staff, 8 hours (4 sessions of 2 hours each) 22,000

Safety Communications CommitteeHourly pay for teachers/school staff for training$27.50/hour, 25 staff, 10 hours 6,875

Recovery Teams/PlanningHourly pay for teachers/school staff for training$27.50/hour, 25 staff, 10 hours 6,875

SUBTOTAL PERSONNEL 111,830

FRINGE BENEFITSProject Coordinator (0.20 FTE) @ 28% of salary 4,362Fringe for hourly pay @ 13% of salary 11,619

SUBTOTAL PERSONNEL 15,981

TRAVELGrant Orientation Meeting, Washington DC - 1 participant

Airfare @ $650 650Hotel - 2 nights @ $150 300Per Diem - 3 days @ $75 225

Meeting 1, Washington DC - 2 participantsAirfare @ $650 each 1,300Hotel - 3 nights @ $150 each 900Per Diem - 4 days @ $75 each 600Registration Fee @ $250 each 500

Meeting 2, Washington DC - 2 participants


Emergency Response/Crisis Management ProjectSt. Cloud Area School District 742Budget Narrative

Airfare @ $650 each 1,300Hotel - 3 nights @ $150 each 900Per Diem - 4 days @ $75 each 600Registration Fee @ $250 each 500

Project Coordinator - 801100 miles/mo * 18 months * .445/mile

SUBTOTAL TRAVEL 8,576

EQUIPMENTARMER Compatible radios (30 radios at $2,000 each) 60,000

SUBTOTAL EQUIPMENT 60,000

SUPPLIESCopies and Printing 2,000

Copies of plans and informational materials for students, faculty, and parentsSupplies 4,000

Purchase of all materials for trainings, workshops, and tabletop exercises

SUBTOTAL SUPPLIES 6,000

CONTRACTUALSt. Cloud Technical College – NIMS Training 1,200

3 trainings * $400 eachSt. Cloud Technical College – Disaster Training 3,200

$100 an hour * 8 hours * 4 daysUpFront Consulting - Comprehensive Evaluation

$80 an hour to provide summative and formative evaluation 15,000GeoComm – Comprehensive Radio/Communication Needs Assessment

All public and non-public schools 20,000

SUBTOTAL CONTRACTUAL 39,400

TOTAL DIRECT COSTS 241,787

INDIRECT COSTS (At rate of 2.0%) 4,836

TOTAL PROJECT 246,623


Emergency Response Crisis Management - A Grant Competition to ...

Documents

american red

central desk

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safety communications

federal funding

labor market

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