U.S. Department of Justice: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program

The STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting (STOP School Violence) Program seeks applications that address the development and operation of school threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and the development of technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of an app, hotline, or website. The proposed technology solutions may be those that could be used during an incident to assist in securing the safety of those involved, to include sharing information with first responders. Two types of applications will be accepted:

• Applications specifically for the development and operation of school threat assessment and crisis intervention teams. Under the school threat assessment area this not only includes threat assessments for individuals, but may also include security surveys, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) training and implementation, and target hardening prevention programs with the intention to limit access to school property to prevent acts of school violence. For the crisis intervention teams, these should include coordination with law enforcement, school officials, and possibly other disciplines from the community.
• Applications for the development and implementation of technology that addresses anonymous reporting through apps, hotlines, or websites. This may also include apps that can assist school personnel and students during an active shooter incident, to include notification and sharing information with first responders.

The STOP School Violence program aims to address specific areas of concern related to preventing and reducing school violence. The program establishes the following categories for applicants applying for the school threat assessment portion of the solicitation:

• Category 1: A state with a population greater than 5,000,000
• Category 2: A state with a population of less than 5,000,000
• Category 3: An urban area or large county defined as having a population greater than 500,000
• Category 4: A suburban area or medium-sized county defined as having a population between 100,000 and 500,000
• Category 5: A rural area or small county defined as having a population of less than 100,000
• Category 6: A federally recognized Indian Tribe

Those applying for the technology portion of this solicitation will apply under category 7, which does not have a population requirement: Category 7: Technology and anonymous reporting.

Objectives for Categories 1 through 6 are to increase school safety by: 1) conducting school threat assessments; and 2) developing crisis intervention teams designed to identify school violence risks and implementing strategies to mitigate those risks. Deliverables are:

• A plan to develop and conduct individual and school threat assessments in target schools identified in the application.
• Completed school threat assessments for each identified school.
• The establishment of crisis intervention teams that use evidence-based strategies and are based on cooperative partnerships with local professional organizations, public safety agencies, and health and human services disciplines, with the intention to reduce school violence in the designated area.
• Report certain data elements identified from completed individual threat assessments using a template that will be provided to selected applicants. This data will be part of a regular reporting requirement. It will contain data elements for each person in which a threat assessment was completed. At minimum data elements will include: demographic information (gender, race, ethnicity), grade level, assessment elements of self-harm and/or harm to others, event that led up to the assessment, and any interventions or dispositions.

Objective for Category 7 are to implement a technological solution, such as an anonymous reporting technology that can be implemented as a mobile phone-based app, a hotline, or a website in the applicant’s geographic area designed to enable students, teachers, faculty, and community members to anonymously identify school violence threats. The method identified will provide the capability for teachers, students, and community members to anonymously report information about potential threats against individuals, within a school district or the community in general. The solution should consider existing resources available in the area, new technology, or any combination of the two that can be used to proactively identify threats that would endanger teachers, students, administrators, public safety officers, or members of the community. Deliverables:

• An anonymous reporting system available via mobile phone, a telephone hotline, or website which enables individuals to anonymously report threats of school violence.
• The product interfaces with existing systems, where applicable.
• The system can share information in an active situation, where feasible.

Amount: A total of $21,150,000 is available to make awards in each of the following categories:

• Category 1: 14 awards of up to $1,000,000
• Category 2: 6 awards of up to $500,000
• Category 3: 14 awards of up to $500,000
• Category 4: 12 awards of up to $250,000
• Category 5: 11 awards of up to $150,000
• Category 6: 5 awards of up to $100,000
• Category 7: 10 awards of up to $200,000

The period of performance is 36-months.

Eligibility: Eligible applicants for this solicitation are limited to states, units of local government, and federally-recognized Indian tribes. The STOP School Violence Act requires the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Director to ensure, to the extent practicable, an equitable geographic distribution among regions of the United States and among urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Applicants may use the grant to contract with or make one or more subawards to one or more:

• Local educational agencies
• Nonprofit organizations, excluding schools
• Units of local government or tribal organizations

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=306023

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