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Title IV, Part A - Capacity Building Initiative

Safe & Healthy Students Home

Safe & Healthy Students

Foster safe, healthy, and drug-free environments that support student achievement. Promote the involvement of parents. Provide drug and violence prevention activities, including educator professional development and student mental health activities. The intent and purpose of T4PA is to provide funds for student physical and mental health rather than just focusing on facility security.

Core Program Categories

Title IV-A grants broad flexibility for allowable activities in this area, which generally fall into four main categories:

  • Mental & Behavioral Health Supports, including school-based mental health services, trauma-informed practices, social-emotional learning (SEL), and crisis intervention and suicide prevention. 
  • School Safety & Violence Prevention, including bullying and harassment prevention, school resource offices (SROs) and safety personnel, and conflict resolution and violence reduction.
  • Health & Wellness Programs, including substance abuse prevention, physical health and nutrition, and chronic absenteeism reduction.
  • School Climate Improvement, including Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and community and family engagement.

 

Title IV-A funds must supplement (add to) and not supplant (replace) state or local tax dollars. For example, a district cannot use Title IV-A funds to pay for a required school nurse previously covered by the local budget.

Every expenditure under Title IV-A must tie directly back to the district’s mandatory comprehensive needs assessment. A district cannot simply purchase a safety program; it must have local data showing a documented need for that specific intervention.

 

A diverse group of elementary school students practice mindfulness meditation in a classroom.

Children in white shirts and dark shorts stretch on blue mats in a gymnasium.
A diverse group of people sit in a circle, engaged in a group discussion.
A young woman and a boy stand in front of a whiteboard, holding a sign with text.
A smiling graduate in a cap and gown is congratulated by family members outdoors.
A young girl with blonde hair tied in a ponytail focuses intently on a craft project at a table.
A blue gym bag, a pink and white duffel bag, and swim fins rest on a red running track.

Examples of Title IV, Part A activities include:

  • Physical Health & Wellness: Promote healthy, active lifestyles by integrating safety practices into school and athletic programs, providing chronic disease management, and offering telemedicine services.

  • Mental Health & Support Services: Expand mental health activities, counseling, tele-mental health therapy, trauma-informed classroom management, and Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

  • Prevention, Intervention & Safety: Tackle bullying, harassment, and drug/violence prevention through mentoring for at-risk students, substance use/abuse recovery services, dropout prevention/reentry programs, and reduced exclusionary discipline.

  • Community & Digital Engagement: Strengthen parent and community partnerships to support student well-being and academic success, while expanding rural and underserved students' access to high-quality digital learning resources and online courses.

State Requirements with Potential Supplant Implications

19 TAC Chapter 74

19 TAC Chapter 74 outlines the curriculum and graduation requirements for Texas public schools. Managed by the Texas Education Agency, it mandates the essential knowledge and skills students must master, establishes the Foundation High School Program, and defines college and career readiness standards.

  • Subchapter A (Required Curriculum)
  • Subchapter B (Graduation Requirements)
  • Subchapters C, F & G (Other Provisions & Graduation Scales)
  • Subchapters AA - DD (Commissioner's Rules)

 

View 19 TAC Chapter 74

 

 

State requirements define the baseline mandates so LEAs can strategically use Title IV, Part A funds to build beyond them.

 

Many of the program examples (listed above) are all or partly state-mandated. To procceed with using T4PA funds, an LEA must: 

  1. Document how they met the state requirement with state or local funds. 

  2. Use T4PA funds to supplement the mandate or requirement by expanding, adding to, or enhancing the original mandate.  

TEA Required Curriculum

Texas law mandates that school districts use state or local funds to provide the Foundation (ELA, math, science, social studies) and Enrichment (fine arts, health, physical education, LOTE, CTE, and technology applications) required curriculum.

Because these baseline subjects are already required, using federal Title IV, Part A funds for basic course delivery constitutes supplanting. Consequently, districts must ensure Title IV, Part A funds are used exclusively to supplement, expand, or enhance existing health, mental health, and safety initiatives beyond what state law already requires.

 

TEA Subject Areas webpage

Potentially Allowable Expenses

Title IV-A funds in this category can cover a wide range of operational costs:

  • Staffing & Salaries: Counselors, interventionists, SROs, and behavior specialists (Title IV-funded portion).
  • Professional Development: Training stipends, workshop fees, and expert consultants.
  • Curricular Materials: SEL, drug prevention, or safety curriculum kits.