 Healthy Schools Act Self-Assessment and Action Plan (SAAP) (reminder)
Schools out of compliance with the health education, physical education and physical activity requirements set forth in the Healthy Schools Act of 2010 and Healthy Schools Amendment Act of 2018 were required to submit a Self-Assessment and Action Plan (SAAP) to OSSE. The deadline for schools to submit the SAAP was Friday, May 31. Schools that are required to submit an SAAP in the 2023-24 school year but have yet to do so have until Friday, June 28 to complete all steps. Schools must submit a plan, receive approval from OSSE and attest to the final assurances to be marked as complete. Schools should submit their SAAP as soon as possible to meet this final deadline. For questions or additional information, please contact OSSE.HYDT@dc.gov.
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FCC Adopts $200 Million Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program
On June 6, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a three-year, $200 million Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program. This program will allow the Commission to obtain actionable data about which cybersecurity services and equipment would best help K-12 schools and libraries address the growing cyber threats and attacks against their broadband networks.
From this program, the FCC aims to learn how to improve school and library defenses against sophisticated ransomware and cyberattacks that put students at risk and impede their learning. The pilot program will allow the FCC to gather the data needed to better understand whether and how universal service funds could be used to support the cybersecurity needs of schools and libraries and to share lessons learned with our federal partners to jointly combat this growing problem.
Click here to learn more about eligibility and how to apply. The FCC expects to initiate this process by opening a pilot program application window this fall.
2023–24 Metric Calculation Confirmation (MCC) Policy and 2024 DC School Report Card Technical Guide are Live (reminder)
Every year, OSSE works with LEA Data Managers through a process called Metric Calculation Confirmation (MCC) to certify the accuracy of all DC School Report Card metrics. The business rules for each metric are detailed in the DC School Report Card Technical Guide. The MCC Policy details how LEAs review, appeal and certify these metrics.
Both documents are now available on our website:
We encourage all LEAs to use the MCC process to review and refresh school profile information such as the school photo and message from the school.
OSSE will provide MCC updates to LEA Data Managers via email and during the monthly LEA Data Manager meetings. We look forward to working with LEAs over the summer in this important work! If you have any questions, please email DCSchoolReportCard@dc.gov.
OSSE Releases 2024-25 School Year School Calendar Guidance and Waivers (reminder)
Guidance and associated waivers for the 2024-25 school year calendar are now available on OSSE’s website. The materials were released May 23, and apply to 2024-25 school year instructional days and calendars. Guidance documents include:
No substantive changes have been made to SY 24-25 guidance compared to SY 23-24 guidance. Rather, edits were made to clarify areas of possible confusion.
Reminder: Full school year instructional and noninstructional days must be submitted in eSchoolPLUS 45 business days prior to the LEA’s start of the school year. LEAs should refer to Calendar Creation in eSchoolPLUS regarding the procedure to submit calendars. Weekly half-day waivers should be submitted on the same date that a school’s calendar is submitted to eSchoolPLUS for OSSE approval, and the proposed weekly half-day should be reflected in the submitted calendar. This means that weekly half-day waivers should also be submitted at least 45 business days prior to the LEA’s start of the school year.
New for SY 24-25: To increase clarity, the waivers to reduce instructional time, request additional situational distance days, and request half-days of instruction are now separated into three distinct forms.
The newly released guidance and waivers only apply to SY 24-25 calendars and instructional days. Schools and LEAs should continue to follow 2023-24 school year guidance for concerns related to SY 23-24 school calendars and attendance.
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Save the Date – Discipline Collection Training Coming Aug. 14 and Aug. 21! (reminder)
OSSE is pleased to announce that the Division of Data, Assessment and Research (DAR) will host two training sessions focused on our annual discipline collection for those who are new to the discipline collection or would just like a refresher. These sessions are ideal for new LEA Data Managers, school leaders and discipline points of contact. However, anyone who works with the OSSE discipline collection is welcome to attend. The same content will be presented both in-person and virtually so you can choose the format that works best for you. The virtual session will be recorded for future use. The following sessions will be offered:
In-person
Wednesday, Aug. 14 | 10–11:30 a.m.
OSSE Main
Eleanor Holmes Norton I
1050 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002
Online
Wednesday, Aug. 21 | 1-2:30 p.m.
Registration will open in mid-July. For questions, contact Jenni Russell Ziarnik at Jennifer.RussellZiarnik@dc.gov.
2024-25 Restorative Justice Technical Assistance Application (reminder)
We invite you to complete the 2024-25 school year Restorative Justice Technical Assistance Application. OSSE is funding a select number of technical assistance opportunities to support schools with restorative justice implementation to aid reentry and recovery, as well as longer-term integration of restorative justice into school policies and practices. The technical assistance will include three main elements:
- Summer Capacity-Building and Planning (Summer 2024)
- Planning and Implementation Assessment (Fall 2024)
- On-site and Virtual RJ Technical Assistance (Fall 2024 - Spring 2025)
Restorative DC will provide the technical assistance specific to the needs of the applying school. All public and public charter schools serving grades K-12 in the District of Columbia are encouraged to apply. For more information and to sign up, please visit bit.ly/RestorativeDCTAApply24-25.
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FY25 ESEA Titles I-IV Phase I Application Opens May 31 (reminder)
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides federal funding to ensure equal opportunity for all students. Under this program, OSSE issues Titles I-A, II-A, III-A and IV-A grants through its annual Phase I Assurances and ESEA Consolidated Application (ConApp).
The annual application process for ESEA Title grants begins with the submission of assurances. The ESEA Phase I application includes assurances for Titles I-A, II-A, III-A and IV-A and has been available in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) since May 31. Details about grant programs within the ConApp are available on OSSE’s website here and preliminary allocations will be available here in the coming weeks.
LEAs are required to submit these Phase I assurances for fiscal year 2025 (FY25) ESEA grants by June 28, at 3 p.m. EST. Once Phase I assurances are approved, your LEA may complete the Phase II ESEA ConApp available in July.
For questions or additional information about ESEA Titles I-IV, Part A please contact Bonnie Bacon at Bonnie.Bacon@dc.gov.
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June 2024
July 2024
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