Title 20 — EducationRelease 119-73
§7118 Activities to support safe and healthy students
Title 20 › Chapter CHAPTER 70— - STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - 21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS › Part Part A— - Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants › Subpart subpart 1— - student support and academic enrichment grants › § 7118
Summary
If allowed under section 7116(f), each local school district or group that gets money under section 7115(a) must use part of the funds to build, run, and check wide-ranging programs and activities. These must work with other schools and community services, promote safe, healthy, supportive, and drug-free places that help students learn, involve parents, and can be run with colleges, businesses, nonprofits, community groups, or other successful partners. Programs can include drug and violence prevention (including education about alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes and staff training), school-based mental health services and partnerships with mental health or health providers (early identification, referrals, trauma-informed practices, and services by state-licensed professionals, coordinated with IDEA early intervening where appropriate), health and safety in school and sports, nutrition and regular physical education, bullying and harassment prevention, relationship- and violence-prevention education, mentoring and counseling for at-risk students, dropout and re-entry efforts, staff training on suicide prevention and crisis response (and other listed topics), child sexual abuse awareness for students and parents, locally made plans to reduce exclusionary discipline aligned with youth PROMISE goals, schoolwide positive behavioral supports (linked to IDEA where appropriate), site resource coordinators to link schools with community supports, and pay-for-success projects that match these goals.
Full Legal Text
Title 20, §7118
Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
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 section 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)human trafficking (defined, for purposes of this subparagraph, as an act or practice described in paragraph (9) or (10) 11 See References in Text note below. 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 section 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.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, referred to in par. (5)(B)(ii)(II)(bb), (G), is title VI of Pub. L. 91–230, Apr. 13, 1970, 84 Stat. 175, which is classified generally to chapter 33 (§ 1400 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1400 of this title and Tables. Paragraphs (9) and (10) of section 7102 of title 22, referred to in par. (5)(D)(iv), were redesignated pars. (11) and (12), respectively, of section 7102 of title 22 by Pub. L. 115–427, § 2(1), Jan. 9, 2019, 132 Stat. 5503.
Prior Provisions
A prior section 7118, Pub. L. 89–10, title IV, § 4118, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, § 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3685, related to programs for Native Hawaiians, and was omitted in the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107–110. A prior section 4108 of Pub. L. 89–10 was classified to section 3068 of this title, prior to the general amendment of Pub. L. 89–10 by Pub. L. 103–382.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as an
Effective Date
of 2015 Amendment note under section 6301 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
20 U.S.C. § 7118
Title 20 — Education
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73