Kansas to Share in $38.8 Million Safe Schools Grant (KS)

November 9, 2010

Kansas is one of 11 states that will share in a $38.8 million Safe and Supportive Schools grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the grant is to measure school safety at the building level and provide funds for interventions in those schools with the greatest needs. The ultimate goal is to create and support safe and drug-free learning environments and increase the academic success of students in high-risk schools.

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Kansas’ share of the grant will total $9.4 million over four years. The Kansas State Department of Education plans to use the funds to develop a Safe and Supportive Schools Continuum for support at the high school level. The plan calls for creating a valid instrument to measure school climate by expanding on a number of existing assessments. The development of the school climate measurement in the first year of the grant will assist schools in determining a school safety score based on school climate and culture.
While the first year of the grant will be devoted to planning and completing needs assessments for schools, in years two through four of the grant at least 80 percent of the funds will be devoted to interventions to address identified needs, with a particular emphasis on alcohol/drug use, bullying and violent acts. Funding will also support schools in aligning evidence based interventions with the state’s Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS) program.