FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
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Jeanine Blomberg
Commissioner of Education
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
DR. AKSHAY DESAI
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
July 3, 2007
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
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District School Superintendents and Directors of University Lab Schools
FROM:
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Linda Champion
Deputy Commissioner, Finance and Operations
SUBJECT:
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School Safety/Emergency Preparedness - Emergency Notification Service
Funding
The 2007 Legislature appropriated $3,000,000 for purchase of school safety/emergency
preparedness - emergency notification services. A copy of the proviso for Specific Appropriation
9C of the General Appropriations Act, Chapter 2007-72, Laws of Florida, is attached. This
proviso language specifies that the funds must be “used toward the purchase of a school
safety/emergency mass notification service that must be fully implemented to provide service in
the 2007-2008 school year.” It also states that the system “will serve to enhance the safety of
school children, parents and staff in emergency situations, such as an impending hurricane/severe
weather incident, fire, bomb threat, homeland security incident, missing child alerts, or other
critical school safety events.” The system must provide for “multi-lingual communication in
English and Spanish and may include other languages and have the ability to notify parents and
staff through email, landline phones, cell phones, TTY/TDD receiving devices, and through other
communication devices considered necessary by the district.”
Participation in this program is voluntary. Each district or lab school choosing to participate has
several options for securing this service:
1.
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Districts that do not currently have a qualifying service may purchase the system by
contracting with a qualified service provider in accordance with their own purchasing
rules.
LINDA CHAMPION
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DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, FINANCE AND OPERATIONS
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325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1214 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0406 • www.fldoe.org
Suncom 205-0406 • FAX (850) 245-9099
District School Superintendents and Directors of University Lab Schools
July 3, 2007
Page Two
2.
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Districts that do not currently have a qualifying service may purchase the system by
utilizing the terms of a contract from another district or by utilizing the state contract
negotiated by the Department of Education during the 2006-07 fiscal year.
3.
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Districts with a current contract for a school safety/emergency mass notification service,
whether or not the contract meets the requirements specified above
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may use the funds to
continue the existing contract; however, all districts are “encouraged to consider systems
or applications capable of simultaneous delivery of an emergency message across all
means and devices of communication.”
The Department has made a preliminary calculation of the amount of funding that will be
available to each district and lab school should all districts and lab schools choose to participate.
A copy of those preliminary allocations is attached. In order to finalize the allocations, we are
asking that you provide a statement of your intentions. A form for this purpose is attached. Please
complete this intent and return it as soon as possible, but no later than July 20, in accordance with
the instructions on the form. Please note that the intent form is not binding and that districts have
until November 1, 2007, to make a final decision. Also attached is a copy of the Request for
Applications, which provides instructions for completion of a formal application that must be
completed and returned before any funds can be released. The application should be submitted as
soon as possible, but no later than November 1, 2007.
Based on the data received from the intent to participate forms, the Department will update the
allocations. Final allocations will be made no later than December 31, 2007.
Attached for your convenience is a list of the vendors who currently have contracts with school
districts in Florida. This list is based on information provided to the Department by school
districts and may not be complete. There may be other vendors with products meeting the
requirements of the proviso language who are not included on this list. If you would like to
receive a copy of the Department’s existing contract, please contact Phyllis Schrammel at
850/245-0735 or via email at Phyllis.Schrammel@fldoe.org.
If you have questions or need additional information, you may contact Julie Collins (850/245-
0676; Julie.Collins@fldoe.org) or Martha K. Asbury (850/245-0735; Martha.Asbury@fldoe.org).
We appreciate your interest in this program.
Attachments
cc:
School Safety Contacts
