Ensuring Safety in our Schools: Homeland Security Grants for Fiscal Year 2009

INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO: 15
POLICY CODE: EBCA

TO: Superintendents, Heads of Private Schools, School Board Chairs
FROM: Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner of Education
DATE: August 31, 2009
SUBJECT: Ensuring Safety in our Schools: Homeland Security Grants for Fiscal Year 2009

Department of Homeland Security grants are available for SAUs interested in coordinating emergency management initiatives with their County Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs). The grant application guidance is posted on the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) website. I am including below a link to the MEMA website and the page devoted to the Department of Homeland Security Grants: Current Fiscal Year 2009. The total amount of grant funds is $2.277 million. Security priorities and grant application criteria include:

All-hazards emergency planning
Interoperable communications
Training and exercise
Public education and awareness
NIMS (National Incident Management System) compliance measures
School district emergency planning

Applications for the grants can be made through your County Emergency Management Agency no later than the close of business on Friday, September 25, 2009. I realize this does not afford a significant amount of time to work on the grant proposals; however, I’m sure that your County Emergency Management Director will be an excellent resource to assist you with targeting your emergency management needs for the grant proposal.

The link to the MEMA page is: http://www.maine.gov/mema/homeland/homegrantscurrent.shtml. The page includes awards and grant application materials for your reference.

Please feel free to contact Edwin N. Kastuck, Ph.D. School Approval Services at edwin.kastuck@maine.gov or 624-6776 or Rick Soules, Director, Pupil Transportation Services at richard.j.soules@maine.gov or 624-6884 if you have questions regarding the grants or any other aspects of school emergency management.

Thank you.