1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; establishing a school-linked 
  1.3             prevention and early intervention grant program for 
  1.4             children ages 5 to 12; appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [SCHOOL-LINKED PREVENTION AND EARLY 
  1.7   INTERVENTION GRANT PROGRAM.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A grant program for fiscal 
  1.9   years 2000 and 2001 is established to provide school-linked 
  1.10  prevention and early intervention services for children ages 5 
  1.11  to 12.  The program is designed to increase the interaction 
  1.12  between parents and school staff and to improve students' 
  1.13  attendance and school participation.  Grant recipients must 
  1.14  provide students in kindergarten through grade 6 with case 
  1.15  management services, individual and group counseling, prevention 
  1.16  education, and volunteers who serve as mentors or tutors for 
  1.17  individual students and their families. 
  1.18     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY.] (a) An applicant for a grant must 
  1.19  be a school or school district and a nonprofit community-based 
  1.20  organization working together to provide school-linked 
  1.21  prevention and early intervention services for children ages 5 
  1.22  to 12.  The nonprofit community-based organization is not 
  1.23  required to be licensed by the department of human services as a 
  1.24  condition for receiving a grant under this section. 
  1.25     (b) A student and the student's family are eligible to 
  2.1   receive services under this section if the student and the 
  2.2   student's family require case management and counseling services 
  2.3   due to educational barriers related to economics, language, 
  2.4   transportation, illness, isolation, or disability.  A teacher, 
  2.5   parent, school social worker, or staff of the nonprofit 
  2.6   community-based organization may refer a student to the program. 
  2.7      Subd. 3.  [APPLICATION PROCESS.] To obtain a grant to 
  2.8   provide school-linked prevention and early intervention services 
  2.9   for children ages 5 to 12, an applicant must submit an 
  2.10  application to the commissioner of children, families, and 
  2.11  learning in the form and manner established by the 
  2.12  commissioner.  The application must describe how the applicant 
  2.13  intends to bring to a school site a comprehensive package of 
  2.14  readily accessible services, including case management services, 
  2.15  counseling, prevention education, volunteer assistance, and 
  2.16  family education, provided without charge to students in need of 
  2.17  those services and their families.  The application also must 
  2.18  describe how the applicant intends to coordinate program 
  2.19  services through the school social worker. 
  2.20     Subd. 4.  [GRANT AWARDS.] The commissioner may award grants 
  2.21  to applicants who meet the requirements of this section.  The 
  2.22  commissioner must base the amount of the grant on the number of 
  2.23  children and families expected to participate in the program.  
  2.24  Grant recipients must use the proceeds to provide school-linked 
  2.25  prevention and early intervention services for children ages 5 
  2.26  to 12. 
  2.27     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.28     The following sums are appropriated from the general fund 
  2.29  to the commissioner of children, families, and learning in the 
  2.30  fiscal years designated for the grant program described in 
  2.31  section 1: 
  2.32       $  250,000     .....     2000 
  2.33       $  250,000     .....     2001 
  2.34     Of this appropriation, $60,000 in each year is to 
  2.35  independent school district No. 283, St. Louis Park, and the 
  2.36  Aquila community together program.  This appropriation is 
  3.1   available until June 30, 2001.