§ 7131. Federal activities
(a)
Program authorized
From funds made available to carry out this subpart under section
7103
(2) of this title, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Attorney General, shall carry out programs to prevent the illegal use of drugs and violence among, and promote safety and discipline for, students. The Secretary shall carry out such programs directly, or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements with public and private entities and individuals, or through agreements with other Federal agencies, and shall coordinate such programs with other appropriate Federal activities. Such programs may include—
(1)
the development and demonstration of innovative strategies for the training of school personnel, parents, and members of the community for drug and violence prevention activities based on State and local needs;
(2)
the development, demonstration, scientifically based evaluation, and dissemination of innovative and high quality drug and violence prevention programs and activities, based on State and local needs, which may include—
(A)
alternative education models, either established within a school or separate and apart from an existing school, that are designed to promote drug and violence prevention, reduce disruptive behavior, reduce the need for repeat suspensions and expulsions, enable students to meet challenging State academic standards, and enable students to return to the regular classroom as soon as possible;
(B)
community service and service-learning projects, designed to rebuild safe and healthy neighborhoods and increase students’ sense of individual responsibility;
(3)
the provision of information on drug abuse education and prevention to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for dissemination;
(4)
the provision of information on violence prevention and education and school safety to the Department of Justice for dissemination;
(5)
technical assistance to chief executive officers, State agencies, local educational agencies, and other recipients of funding under this part to build capacity to develop and implement high-quality, effective drug and violence prevention programs consistent with the principles of effectiveness in section
7115
(a) of this title;
(6)
assistance to school systems that have particularly severe drug and violence problems, including hiring drug prevention and school safety coordinators, or assistance to support appropriate response efforts to crisis situations;
(7)
the development of education and training programs, curricula, instructional materials, and professional training and development for preventing and reducing the incidence of crimes and conflicts motivated by hate in localities most directly affected by hate crimes;
(b)
Peer review
The Secretary shall use a peer review process in reviewing applications for funds under this section.