The U.S. Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program has announced the recipients of its FY 2001 discretionary grants. These grants offered a total of $81 million to local schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education to help reduce violence and alcohol and other drug use in our nation's schools.

Safe Schools/Healthy Students

Since 1999, the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services have collectively supported the Safe Schools/ Healthy Students initiative. This initiative provides schools and communities with comprehensive educational, mental health, social service, law enforcement, and juvenile justice services that promote healthy childhood development and prevent violence and alcohol and other drug abuse. This year, the three federal agencies announced more than $38 million in grants to 20 communities. School districts that received grants were required to create a comprehensive plan in partnership with local public mental health and law enforcement authorities. Many Safe Schools/Healthy Students partnerships also include family members, students, juvenile justice officials, community organizations, and faith-based organizations. The 20 new three-year projects awarded this year add to 77 Safe Schools/Healthy Students projects funded over the past two years.

Physical Education for Progress

Through a new discretionary grant program, the U.S. Department of Education awarded more than $4.7 million to assist 18 local education agencies in initiating, expanding, and improving their physical education programs. The programs will support innovative approaches to health and physical activity that equip students with the knowledge to be healthy and physically active for a lifetime. In authorizing this new program, Congress recognized the role that physical education plays in the development of growing children and how physical education improves the self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, responsible behavior, and independence of young people.

Middle School Drug Prevention and School Safety Coordinators

Research indicates that well-trained, full-time school safety and drug prevention coordinators can help reduce drug use, discipline problems, and violent incidents. With this in mind, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $28 million to 74 school districts in 34 states to recruit, hire, and train middle school drug prevention and school safety coordinators. The coordinators will assist schools in adopting successful, research-based drug and violence prevention programs and strategies, and will develop, conduct, and analyze assessments of school drug and crime problems; collaborate with community organizations, parents, and students; identify additional funding sources for prevention initiatives; and provide feedback to state education agencies on successful programs and activities. They will serve up to seven schools and will work solely on the coordination of drug prevention or school safety programs.

Elementary School Counseling Demonstration Program

Thirty-one school districts in 19 states received over $10.4 million in FY 2001 to support the establishment of elementary school counseling programs. Funds are being used for such activities as hiring and training counselors, increasing access to counselors, and helping share innovations in school counseling. Research indicates that high-quality school counseling services can help prevent young people from turning to violence or drug abuse, and can also improve their long-term academic achievement.

High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among College Students

Grants averaging $136,000 each were awarded to 16 campus- and community-based organizations to develop or enhance, implement, and evaluate strategies to prevent high-risk drinking and/or violent behavior among college students. Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on College Campuses Six college campuses shared $579,625 in discretionary grants under the U.S. Department of Education's third annual competition to identify innovative and effective alcohol and other drug prevention programs. Campuses will use their award funds primarily to maintain, improve, or further evaluate their award-winning programs.

To view a forecast of FY 2002 discretionary grant opportunities, visit the ED web site at www.ed.gov/offices/ OCFO/grants/forecast.html. Please note that the forecast is advisory only and is not an official application notice of the U.S. Department of Education.