To:                  Religious and Independent School Administrators

From:             Christina Coughlin

Coordinator, Educational Management Services

 

Date:               April 25, 2017

 

State Office of Religious and Independent Schools (SORIS)

School Safety Equipment Grant Guidance

 

Application:   Religious and Independent School – School Safety Equipment Funds

 

The Application and related information will be available on the Internet at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/nonpub/schoolsafety/home.html

 

Purpose:         Provide Religious and Independent schools with reimbursement for expenditures related to certain school safety and health expenses.

 

Eligibility:       Religious and Independent Schools (non-profit or not-for-profit schools only) that have a Department issued BEDS code, have a valid OSC Vendor ID (or which obtain one), have filed BEDS enrollment data for the 2015-16 school year that include grades Kindergarten and higher, and currently open. Eligibility has already been determined based upon Department data.

 

General Information

 

Religious and Independent School Appropriation Funding Methodology:  School projects will be funded according to the following methodology:

 

1.      Schools will be reimbursed for approved expenses, up to the amount of their Total Available Funds (Year 4 Allocation + Remaining Funds, if any, from years 1-3 Allocations). 

 

2.      The Year 4 Allocation amounts will be determined by a per pupil allocation using the official pre-kindergarten through grade 12 enrollment submitted as part of the BEDS data collection from the 2015-16 school year for all eligible schools.

 

3.      The Per-Pupil Amount for year 4 has been calculated by dividing the total State enrollment in eligible Religious and Independent schools into the appropriation amount to obtain a per pupil amount, which is then multiplied by your school’s reported enrollment to arrive at your school’s allocation.  NYSED will post the Year 4 Allocation (plus any remaining Funds from Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3) on the nonpublic school/SORIS website. 

 

 

Remaining Funds from Year 1-3 will carryover: Any funds from Years 1-3 that were not claimed by a school will be treated as carryover funds and be added to the school’s Year 4 Allocation to yield a Total Available Funds amount

 

Eligible Expenses: Funds will be available to schools with expenses that have occurred on or after April 1, 2013 and submitted to the Department by March 31, 2018.  A school may use the Year 4 Allocations for Approved but Unreimbursed eligible expenditures from Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3. Listed below are eligible project expenses for years 1-4 and for year 4 only. 

 

 

Claim Options include:

 

A.    Use Total Available Funds to pay Approved but Unreimbursed eligible expenditures from Year 1-3

·         No further documentation is needed; your school has already provided this information to us in the past and we have retained it.

B.      Use Total Available Funds to reimburse for eligible expenditures not included in prior years

·         Complete Summary of Expenditures section

·         Submit invoices listing items purchased

·         Provide proof of payment such as cancelled check or zero balance invoice

 

Projects eligible for reimbursement for Years 1-4 include the purchase and installation of:

 

·         External lighting to illuminate primary entry doors

·         Access control systems. These may include:

o   An intercom to speak to visitors;

o   Remote electronic door unlatching system;

o   External cameras;

o   Interface with the building management system and

o   Central lockdown buttons, etc.

·         Bollards and steel safety guards

·         Acceptable door hardening items:

o   Door replacement;

o   Door hardware replacement;

o   Door frame replacement;

o   Sidelight removal;

o   Sidelight frame replacement;

o   Change size of door or window vision panels to limit opening size;

o   Change door or sidelight glass materials;

o   Bars, grills or other protective measures over existing glass to prevent access;

o   Security fences;

o   Glass films including security films or tinted films; and

o   Walkie-talkies and radios

 

Projects eligible for reimbursement for Year 4 ONLY include the purchase and installation of:

 

·         Environmental /Health

o   Automatic External Defibrillator (AED);

o   Carbon Monoxide Detectors;

o   Eyewash Stations;

o   Lead Testing in School Drinking Water; 

o   Radon Testing; 

o   Contracted Security Personnel and/or School Employee Personnel;

o   School security and safety assessments to assist school officials in identifying potential vulnerabilities, as well as strengths relating to security and safety for students, staff and visitors;

o   Training to assist Religious and Independent schools in their efforts to create/maintain a safe learning environment free of crime and violence; and

o   Asbestos Testing

·         Fire Prevention

o   Smoke Detectors;

o   Annual Inspection of Fire Extinguishers;

o   Purchase of Fire Extinguishers

o

Projects ineligible for reimbursement include, but not limited to:

 

·         The instillation of bullet resistive glass in perimeter windows other than entrances;

·         Systems to scan visitor ID (such as drivers licenses) and compare those results with law enforcement databases are considered an operation expense and;

·         Other construction expenses

 

 

Additional Assistance: If you have any questions, contact the State Office of Religious and Independent Schools (SORIS), formerly the Office of Nonpublic Schools, SORIS@nysed.gov or (518) 474-6541.