§ 7118 — Activities To Support Safe And Healthy Students

Subject to section 7116(f) of this title, each local educational agency, or consortium of such agencies, that receives an allocation under section 7115(a) of this title shall use a portion of such funds to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive programs and activities that— (1) are coordinated with other schools and community-based services and programs; (2) foster safe, healthy, supportive, and drug-free environments that support student academic achievement; (3) promote the involvement of parents in the activity or program; (4) may be conducted in partnership with an institution of higher education, business, nonprofit organization, community-based organization, or other public or private entity with a demonstrated record of success in implementing activities described in this section; and (5) may include, among other programs and activities— (A) drug and violence prevention activities and programs that are evidence-based (to the extent the State, in consultation with local educational agencies in the State, determines that such evidence is reasonably available) including— (i) programs to educate students against the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, smokeless tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes; and (ii) professional development and training for school and specialized instructional support personnel and interested community members in prevention, education, early identification, intervention mentoring, recovery support services and, where appropriate, rehabilitation referral, as related to drug and violence prevention; (B) in accordance with sections 7101 and 7121 of this title— (i) school-based mental health services, including early identification of mental health symptoms, drug use, and violence, and appropriate referrals to direct individual or group counseling services, which may be provided by school-based mental health services providers; and (ii) school-based mental health services partnership programs that— (I) are conducted in partnership with a public or private mental health entity or health care entity; and (II) provide comprehensive school-based mental health services and supports and staff development for school and community personnel working in the school that are— (aa) based on trauma-informed practices that are evidence-based (to the extent the State, in consultation with local educational agencies in the State, determines that such evidence is reasonably available); (bb) coordinated (where appropriate) with early intervening services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.); and (cc) provided by qualified mental and behavioral health professionals who are certified or licensed by the State involved and practicing within their area of expertise; (C) programs or activities that— (i) integrate health and safety practices into school or athletic programs; (ii) support a healthy, active lifestyle, including nutritional education and regular, structured physical education activities and programs, that may address chronic disease management with instruction led by school nurses, nurse practitioners, or other appropriate specialists or professionals to help maintain the well-being of students; (iii) help prevent bullying and harassment; (iv) improve instructional practices for developing relationship-building skills, such as effective communication, and improve safety through the recognition and prevention of coercion, violence, or abuse, including teen and dating violence, stalking, domestic abuse, and sexual violence and harassment; (v) provide mentoring and school counseling to all students, including children who are at risk of academic failure, dropping out of school, involvement in criminal or delinquent activities, or drug use and abuse; (vi) establish or improve school dropout and re-entry programs; or (vii) establish learning environments and enhance students’ effective learning skills that are essential for school readiness and academic success, such as by providing integrated systems of student and family supports; (D) high-quality training for school personnel, including specialized instructional support personnel, related to— (i) suicide prevention; (ii) effective and trauma-informed practices in classroom management; (iii) crisis management and conflict resolution techniques; (iv) of section 7102 of title 22); (v) school-based violence prevention strategies; (vi) drug abuse prevention, including educating children facing substance abuse at home; and (vii) bullying and harassment prevention; (E) in accordance with sections 7101 and 7121 of this title, child sexual abuse awareness and prevention programs or activities, such as programs or activities designed to provide— (i) age-appropriate and developmentally-appropriate instruction for students in child sexual abuse awareness and prevention, including how to recognize child sexual abuse and how to safely report child sexual abuse; and (ii) information to parents and guardians of students about child sexual abuse awareness and prevention, including how to recognize child sexual abuse and how to discuss child sexual abuse with a child; (F) designing and implementing a locally-tailored plan to reduce exclusionary discipline practices in elementary and secondary schools that— (i) is consistent with best practices; (ii) includes strategies that are evidence-based (to the extent the State, in consultation with local educational agencies in the State, determines that such evidence is reasonably available); and (iii) is aligned with the long-term goal of prison reduction through opportunities, mentoring, intervention, support, and other education services, referred to as a “youth PROMISE plan”; or (G) implementation of schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports, including through coordination with similar activities carried out under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), in order to improve academic outcomes and school conditions for student learning; (H) designating a site resource coordinator at a school or local educational agency to provide a variety of services, such as— (i) establishing partnerships within the community to provide resources and support for schools; (ii) ensuring that all service and community partners are aligned with the academic expectations of a community school in order to improve student success; and (iii) strengthening relationships between schools and communities; or (I) pay for success initiatives aligned with the purposes of this section.