“To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to revitalize schoolyards.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes definitions for terms used in the Act, including "eligible entity" (i.e., a local educational agency, educational service agency, or nonprofit organization with expertise in outdoor learning, nature play, spaces, or outdoor education working in partnership with a local educational agency); "revitalized schoolyard" (i.e., a park-like outdoor environment at an elementary school or secondary school updated to strengthen local ecological systems, provide hands-on learning resources, and foster nature play and social opportunities while enhancing health and well-being, which may include trees and plants, cultivated gardens, outdoor gathering areas, student- and community-designed elements, and serve shared public use); and "shared public use" (i.e., use as a public facility open and accessible to the public outside school hours during daylight hours, to the extent feasible). The section also incorporates definitions of specified terms from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and defines "Secretary" as the Secretary of Education.
This section establishes the structure, duration, and funding allocation for grants under this Act. It (1) reserves 5% of appropriated funds for the Secretary of the Interior to award grants for Bureau of Indian Education-operated schools and certain tribally controlled schools; (2) requires grants to be awarded in biennial cohorts, with each cohort eligible for a one-year planning grant followed by a potential two-year implementation grant if the Secretary determines project viability based on established criteria; (3) allocates the remaining funds 30% for planning grants and 70% for implementation grants, caps total awards to an eligible entity at $1 million across both grant types, limits each grant type to two years (for a total of four years), and authorizes reallocation of planning grant funds to implementation within the cap; and (4) directs the use of surplus funds after initial awards for additional grants to high-scoring prior applicants, subject to specified limits.
This section authorizes the Secretary to award planning grants to eligible entities (i.e., local educational agencies or consortia including such agencies) to develop concept plans for turning outdoor spaces at public elementary and secondary schools into revitalized schoolyards that support ecological, climate, biodiversity, learning, physical, and mental health goals. Planning grant applications must include an initial scope of work, educator professional development plan, relevant state learning standards, and post-grant maintenance plan; concept plans must incorporate public input, prioritize schools with low tree canopy, extreme heat or flood vulnerability, or high free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, ensure ADA compliance, provide design drawings and cost estimates, identify partners, and address elements such as food growing, stormwater management, hands-on learning, arts integration, shade trees, and natural playgrounds using non-petroleum-based materials. Up to 10% of planning grant funds may be used for technical assistance to apply for implementation grants. This section further authorizes implementation grants to planning grant recipients with approved concept plans, allowing multiple phased awards per entity to construct individual schools. Implementation grant funds must be used to carry out some or all elements of the approved concept plan.
This section directs the Secretary, in awarding grants under this Act, to give competitive priority to an eligible entity that either (1) serves students not less than 75% of whom are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (i.e., a low-income indicator), with high schools permitted to use comparable data from feeder schools; or (2) serves a school meeting that 75% threshold, including for high schools using feeder-school data, where the proposed revitalized schoolyard will be developed.
This section directs the Secretary to maintain a clearinghouse of information on outdoor learning spaces that (1) provides examples of such spaces, including successful models; (2) includes input from nonprofit organizations, professionals, and other community members with expertise in outdoor learning spaces and environmental education; (3) provides links and information about state and local entities with relevant expertise; (4) reflects best practices on designs for outdoor spaces relating to nature play, non-petroleum based materials, maintenance, stewardship resources, example partnership programs, green infrastructure in schools, outdoor learning resources, lesson plans, and planning tools; and (5) is housed within the National Center on School Infrastructure, or other appropriate clearinghouse.