The Stronger Connections Grant (SCG) Program is intended to support evidence-based school safety and climate plans, along with other evidence-based strategies for creating safe, healthy, and supportive schools.
Donor Name: Kentucky Department of Education
State: Kentucky
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/15/2023
Size of the Grant: $14 million
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
Safe and welcoming schools depend on meaningful engagement between school and LEA leaders and students, parents, families, and community members, and strong relationships between students and adults.
These connections are vital for ensuring school safety and climate plans are tailored to local conditions, lived experiences, and needs; well-designed; effectively implemented; and clearly communicated, including to families. LEA plans to create safe, healthy, and supportive schools should reflect a comprehensive set of evidence-based components. Examples of critical components include those related to safety assessments and corresponding safety plans and strategies (e.g., emergency operation plans), positive school culture and climate (e.g., Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports [PBIS]), and student wellness (e.g., integrated student supports).
KDE has established an absolute priority to ensure high-need LEAs are served. As defined by this KDE program, a high-need LEA is an LEA where at least forty percent (40%) of the LEA’s student population qualifies for free/reduced lunch (National School Lunch Program), and the LEA must meet at least one of the following characteristics:
- Has a demonstrated increase in the chronic absenteeism rate, exclusionary discipline (out-of-school suspensions and expulsions) rate, referral to the juvenile justice system or Family Accountability, Intervention and Response (FAIR) Team rate, bullying/harassment rate, school violence rate, or school substance use rate since the 2018/2019 school year;
- Has experienced a natural disaster significant enough to qualify the county in which the LEA is located for individual or public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) since January 2021; or,
- Has experienced a school shooting, suicide cluster, terrorism, school bus accident, student homicides (off campus), or hate crimes committed against students, faculty members, and/or staff since January 2018.
Funding Information
The KDE has approximately $14 million available for this grant competition and will make one-time awards to be used over a period of three years for targeted school(s); all schools; or the implementation of a district-wide model. Project activities may begin when MOAs between KDE and the district are in place, likely October 1, 2023. Grant funds must be expended or encumbered by September 30, 2026.
Eligible Applicants
Eligibility is limited to Kentucky public school districts and state schools.
For more information, visit Kentucky Department of Education.
