The Safe and Drug-Free Schools program is one of several substance abuse- and violence- prevention programs funded by the federal government. Act Requires Federal, State, and Local Actions to Ensure Accountability

The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act establishes accountability mechanisms at the federal, state, and local levels. The act establishes four types of accountability mechanisms: (1) an application process that requires approval of state and local plans; (2) state monitoring of LEAs’ programs; (3) reports on national, state, and local program effectiveness; and (4) LEAs’ use of advisory councils to develop program plans and assist program implementation. The act also requires, indirectly, that Education collect data from states on the effectiveness and outcomes of state and local programs. Education Conducts Monitoring Activities

Education also monitors states’ activities. Overall, Education’s data collection and evaluation activities comprise a (1) national evaluation of drug- and violence-prevention activities, including those funded under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program; (2) national data collection on violence in schools; (3) national survey to gather information about local program improvement activities; and (4) compilation of state-level reports on program effectiveness and progress toward state- and locally defined goals for drug and violence prevention. States Review and Approve Local Plans and Monitor Activities

Nearly all states use approved local plans as the primary means for ensuring a local program’s compliance with the act’s requirements as well as a variety of other methods. States’ use of the plans to ensure compliance often begins when LEAs submit their plans for state approval, with states using the approval process to ensure that a LEA’s planned program conforms with the act’s requirements. A few states reported using a combination of these methods to oversee local programs. Ninety-one percent of LEAs provide drug-prevention instruction. Staff training is the next most offered activity, with 77 percent of districts reporting such training. The lack of uniform information on program activities and effectiveness may, however, create a problem for federal oversight. Though the state auditor challenged the Michigan Department of Education’s methodology for determining program content, Education ruled that “the auditors provided no evidence to demonstrate that the methods used by the subcommittee were in violation of any statutory or regulatory requirements.” Education concluded, “Consequently, there is insufficient information to establish that the [Michigan State Department of Education] has violated the requirements contained in the [Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act] and other applicable regulations related to the proportionate use of these funds for the Michigan Model.”
Though Education officials rejected auditors’ findings on the uses of Drug-Free Schools funds for implementation of the Michigan Model, it sustained audit findings on several other points. (2) What activities are used by Education for overseeing state and local programs? (3) How do SEAs ensure local programs’ compliance with the act? and (4) What specific uses are made of Safe and Drug-Free Schools funding at the state and local levels?
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) the accountability measures the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act requires at the federal, state, and local levels; (2) the activities that the Department of Education uses for overseeing state and local programs; (3) how state education agencies (SEA) ensure local programs' compliance with the act; and (4) how Safe and Drug-Free Schools funding is specifically used at the state and local levels.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program is one of several substance abuse- and violence-prevention programs funded by the federal government; (2) the act that authorizes the program requires four major types of actions to ensure accountability on the federal, state, and local levels: (a) an application process requiring approval of state and local program plans; (b) monitoring activities by state agencies; (c) periodic reports and evaluations; and (d) the use of local or substate regional advisory councils; (3) Education oversees state programs directly and local programs indirectly through required state actions; (4) working along with states, Education reviews, helps states to revise, and approves state plans; (5) Education has issued no program-specific regulations on the act; (6) Education does require states to conform to general and administrative regulations and advises states on program matters, such as allowable expenditures, through nonbinding guidance; (7) the Department may get involved in resolving allegations of impropriety in the use of funds; (8) no overall evaluations of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program have been completed; (9) Education conducts evaluation activities designed to provide both descriptive and evaluative information about the programs; (10) Education's evaluative activities focus on broader aspects of program implementation; (11) Education is indirectly gathering information about the effectiveness of specific state and local programs through reports states must submit to Education every 3 years; (12) the lack of uniformity in what states report may create a problem for federal oversight; (13) nearly all states use the approved local plans to ensure local programs' compliance with the act's requirements; (14) states use local compliance with the approved plans as a way of ensuring that funds are spent on activities permitted under the act; (15) most states use both on-site visits and local self-reports to oversee local program activities; (16) local education agencies (LEAs) are also required to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs; (17) SEAs and LEAs use Safe and Drug-Free Schools funds for a variety of activities; (18) states mostly use their 5-percent set-aside for activities such as training and technical assistance; (19) ninety-one percent of LEAs provide drug-prevention instruction; and (20) staff training is the next most offered activity.