(a) Legislative Findings; Declaration of Policy. The welfare of this Commonwealth requires that all school children should be afforded the opportunity to attend a school that is safe and secure. It is the intent of the General Assembly to ensure that all of this Commonwealth's nonpublic schools are afforded opportunities to provide safety and security enhancements for their students similar to the opportunities provided to the public schools.

(b) Definitions. As used in this section:

“Nonpublic school” means any school, other than a public school within this Commonwealth, wherein a resident of this Commonwealth may legally fulfill the compulsory school attendance requirements of this act and which meets the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241).

“School safety and security enhancements” means programs which are designed to address school safety and security and listed in section 1306.1-B(j),¹ which are secular and nonideological in nature.

(c) Program of School Safety and Security Enhancements. A program of school security enhancements shall be provided by an intermediate unit in which a nonpublic school is located, in accordance with standards developed by the School Safety and Security Committee established under section 1302-B² in consultation with the Department of Education. Through the program, an intermediate unit shall make application for school safety and security enhancements upon the request of a nonpublic school or combination of nonpublic schools located within the intermediate unit. School safety and security enhancements for which grants are received shall be provided for or contracted for directly by the intermediate unit or loaned by the intermediate unit to the nonpublic school.

(d) Limitations. In carrying out the duties of this section, the intermediate unit may not use more than five per centum (5%) of the funds it receives under this section for grant administration. If all funds allocated by the intermediate units for administration are not expended for purposes of this section, the funds may be used for other program costs.