Nonpublic Schools to Receive
NOAA Public Alert Radios in September

        The US Office of Non-Public Education (ONPE) and the US Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) are pleased to announce a joint initiative of the US Department of Education, the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to distribute over 182,000 NOAA Public Alert Weather Radios at no cost to nonpublic schools, nonpublic school central offices, public school district offices, institutions of higher education, and preschools across the country.

        NOAA Public Alert Radios are powerful safety tools with the ability to transmit dozens of types of alerts and a broadcast capability that ensures direct access to information on a wide range of emergencies.  The radios constantly monitor the National Weather Services’ warnings, watches, and forecasts, as well as send alerts about hazards in the community from other agencies, such as DHS or the local emergency management agency.  Users are informed of natural disasters, such as tornadoes, technological disasters, such as chemical releases or spills, and other safety issues, such as missing and abducted children (Amber Alerts).

Distribution Plan

        One radio will be sent directly to each nonpublic school.  Distribution will begin this week and culminate with nonpublic schools receiving the radios in September of 2008.  [Note:  Radios will also be distributed to security offices at higher education institutions, nonpublic school central offices, public school district superintendents, and directors of preschools.]  Distribution will begin in mid-August and will continue through the end of September.  A similar distribution to all 97,000 public K-12 schools was completed in 2005 and 2006.

Important Information Included with the Radios

        Included with the radio is a letter from the Secretaries of Commerce, Health and Human Services, Education, and Homeland Security as well as a brochure about the radio.  Before using the radio, each radio must be registered on the NOAA Radio Web site to confirm receipt.  This will assist the government in tracking the success of the distribution process and the actual utility of the radios.

License Agreement for Nonpublic Schools

        Nonpublic schools who accept placement of NOAA radios are required to complete and submit a license agreement.  The license agreement allows nonpublic schools to accept placement of the NOAA radios, while ownership remains vested in the U.S. government.  Placement of the radio in a nonpublic school under the license agreement does not make the nonpublic school a recipient of federal financial assistance.

Programming the Radio

        Once the radio has been registered, it will need to be programmed to receive local information.  Information about how to program the radio is located on the NOAA Radio Web site.  In addition, OSDFS and the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center have developed a NOAA radio newsletter, which is designed to assist schools.

        Individuals that would like assistance with programming their NOAA radio may contact their local Citizens Corps Council, the Department of Homeland Security’s community-based program to promote citizen preparation and participation, or their local National Weather Service office.

Q and A Conference Calls Scheduled

        ONPE and OSDFS will be convening a series of Question and Answer conference calls over the coming weeks to answer any questions that may arise regarding the programming or use of the radios.  A NOAA representative and a representative from DHS will be available on each call to answer technical questions about the function of the radios and to respond to questions regarding working with local emergency management agencies and Citizen Corps Councils.  Conference call details and dates are as follows:

           Dial-in number:  (888) 390-0980

           Pass code:  8723261

           Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 1:00 pm (ET)

           Monday, September 8, 2008 at 1:00 (ET)

           Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 1:00 pm (ET)

              Monday, September 29, 2008 at 11:00 am (ET)