School substance abuse prevention partnership grants.

(1) GRANT PROGRAM.—

(a) In order to encourage the development of effective substance abuse prevention and early intervention strategies for school-age populations, the school substance abuse prevention partnership grant program is established.

(b) The department shall administer the program in cooperation with the Department of Education and the Department of Juvenile Justice.

(2) APPLICATION PROCEDURES; FUNDING REQUIREMENTS.—

(a) Schools, or community-based organizations in partnership with schools, may submit a grant proposal for funding or continued funding to the department by March 1 of each year. The department shall establish grant application procedures which ensure that grant recipients implement programs and practices that are effective. The department shall include the grant application document on an Internet website.

(b) Grants may fund programs to conduct prevention activities serving students who are not involved in substance use, intervention activities serving students who are experimenting with substance use, or both prevention and intervention activities, if a comprehensive approach is indicated as a result of a needs assessment.

(c) Grants may target youth, parents, and teachers and other school staff, coaches, social workers, case managers, and other prevention stakeholders.

(d) Performance measures for grant program activities shall measure improvements in student attitudes or behaviors as determined by the department.

(e) At least 50 percent of the grant funds available for local projects must be allocated to support the replication of prevention programs and practices that are based on research and have been evaluated and proven effective. The department shall develop related qualifying criteria.

(f) In order to be considered for funding, the grant application shall include the following assurances and information:

1. A letter from the administrators of the programs collaborating on the project, such as the school principal, community-based organization executive director, or recreation department director, confirming that the grant application has been reviewed and that each partner is committed to supporting implementation of the activities described in the grant proposal.

2. A rationale and description of the program and the services to be provided, including:

a. An analysis of prevention issues related to the substance abuse prevention profile of the target population.

b. A description of other primary substance use and related risk factors.

c. Goals and objectives based on the findings of the needs assessment.

d. The selection of programs or strategies that have been shown to be effective in addressing the findings of the needs assessment.

e. A method of identifying the target group for universal prevention strategies, and a method for identifying the individual student participants in selected and indicated prevention strategies.

f. A description of how students will be targeted.

g. Provisions for the participation of parents and guardians in the program.

h. An evaluation component to measure the effectiveness of the program in accordance with performance-based program budgeting effectiveness measures.

i. A program budget, which includes the amount and sources of local cash and in-kind resources committed to the budget and which establishes, to the satisfaction of the department, that the entity will make a cash or in-kind contribution to the program of a value that is at least 25 percent of the amount of the grant.

(g) The department shall consider the following in awarding such grants:

1. The number of youths that will be targeted.

2. The validity of the program design to achieve project goals and objectives that are clearly related to performance-based program budgeting effectiveness measures.

3. The desirability of funding at least one approved project in each of the department’s substate entities.

(3) The department shall coordinate the review of grant applications with the Department of Education and the Department of Juvenile Justice and shall make award determinations no later than June 30 of each year. All applicants shall be notified by the department of its final action.

(4) Each entity that is awarded a grant as provided for in this section shall submit performance and output information as determined by the department.