S99 - Appropriations Act of 2018. (SL 2018-5)

Overview: Sec. 7.27 of S.L. 2018-5 creates the School Safety Grant Program (Program) to improve safety in public school units by providing grants for (i) school safety resource officers, (ii) services for students in crisis, (iii) school safety training, (iv) safety equipment in schools, and (v) additional school mental health support personnel. The Program is administered by the Superintendent of Public Instruction (Superintendent), who must develop criteria and guidelines for the administration and use of the grants by August 1, 2018. The Superintendent may retain up to $100,000 for administrative costs.

• Eligible Applicants. - Grants may be applied for by a public school unit (a local school administrative unit, regional school, innovative school, laboratory school, or charter school) or a community partner (a public or private entity, including, but not limited to, a nonprofit corporation or a local management entity/managed care organization (LME/MCO), that partners with a local school administrative unit to provide services for the unit), as appropriate. Applications must include an assessment performed in conjunction with a local law enforcement agency of the need for improving school safety within the public school unit and identification of current and ongoing needs and estimated costs associated with those needs. Grants provided to public school units pursuant to the Program must be used to supplement and not to supplant State or non-State funds already provided for these services.
• Assessments. - The following must be considered by the Superintendent of Public Instruction in assessing grant applications:
• The level of resources available to the public school unit that would receive the funding or services.
• Whether the public school unit has received other grants of funding for school safety.
• The overall impact on student safety in the public school unit if the identified needs are funded.
• School Resource Officer Grants. - Up to $12 million dollars in recurring funds for grants to public school units for school resource officers in elementary and middle schools. Grants must be matched on the basis of $2.00 in State funds for every $1.00 in non-State funds. The funds may be used to employ school resource officers in elementary and middle schools, train them, or both. Training must be provided by a community college, a local law enforcement agency, or the North Carolina Justice Academy, and must include instruction on research into the social and cognitive development of elementary school and middle school children. A program providing for similar grants enacted in 2013 is also repealed by this section.
• Students in Crisis Grants. - In consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, up to $2 million dollars in nonrecurring funds for grants to community partners to provide the following crisis services:
• Crisis respite services for parents or guardians of an individual students to prevent more intensive or costly levels of care.
• Training and expanded services for therapeutic foster care families and licensed child placement agencies that provide services to students who need support to manage their health, welfare, and safety and have cognitive or behavioral problems, developmental delays, or aggressive behavior.
• Evidence-based therapy services aligned with targeted training for students and their parents or guardians.
• Up to 10% of those funds for any other crisis service, including peer-to-peer mentoring, that is likely to increase school safety.
• Training to Increase School Safety Grants. – In consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, up to $3 million dollars in nonrecurring funds for grants to community partners to address school safety by providing training to help students develop healthy responses to trauma and stress. The training must be targeted and evidence based and must include any of the following services:
• Counseling on Access to Lethal Means training for school mental health support personnel, local first responders, and teachers on the topics of suicide prevention and reducing access by students to lethal means.
• Training for school mental health support personnel on comprehensive and evidence-based clinical treatments for students and their parents or guardians.
• Training for students and school employees on community resilience models to improve understanding and responses to trauma and significant stress.
• Training for school mental health support personnel on Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, or Conduct problems.
• Up to 10% of those funds for any other training, including the training on the facilitation of peer-to-peer mentoring, that is likely to increase school safety.
• Safety Equipment Grants. – In consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, up to $3 million dollars in nonrecurring funds for grants to local school administrative units, regional schools, innovative schools, or laboratory schools for the purchase of safety equipment for government owned school buildings.
• School Mental Health Support Personnel Grants. - Up to $10 million dollars in nonrecurring funds for grants to public school units for salary and benefits costs to employ additional school mental health support personnel (school nurses, school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers) during the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The provision expresses the intent of the General Assembly to provide an additional $10 million dollars for grants for school mental health support personnel in the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
• Reports. – By April 1, 2019, the Superintendent of Public Instruction must report on the Program to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, and the Fiscal Research Division. The report must include the identity of each entity that received a grant, the amount of funding provided, the use of funds, and recommendations for the implementation of additional effective school safety measures.

This section became effective July 1, 2018.