 Happy Holidays to our excellent educators and staff, and the DC community at large. The LEA Look Forward will return on Friday, Jan. 3.
Mandated Behavioral Health Training Modules
Users have reported technical difficulties accessing and completing Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) mandated trainings. DBH is working with their contractor Kognito to problem solve and resolve these issues. Given the technical challenges, DBH will wait until Jan. 31, 2025 to obtain the module completion compliance data to report for the current two-year compliance period. District law mandates that all public and public charter school teachers, principals, and staff employed by childcare providers complete a behavioral health training once every two years (DC Law 14-56; DC Official Code § 7-1131.17(b)(1)). For additional information or assistance, you may send an email to Dr. Charneta C. Scott at Charneta.Scott@dc.gov.
SY 2024-25 School Health Profiles – Key Dates (Reminder)
On Monday, Dec. 16, all LEA-level users who hold the appropriate roles (e.g., LEA Head of School, LEA Data Manager, LEA School Health Profile POC) were automatically granted access to the new School Health Profiles (SHP) application to begin pre-filling data for schools. LEA Data Managers should ensure that both LEA-level and school-level SHP points of contact are updated via the All Staff application. All users must use the same email address added in the All Staff application to create a new user profile to log-in to the SHP application.
Pre-fill option update: We have identified issues with data validity and reliability linked to the use of the pre-fill option. Specifically, the feature has created a loophole that resulted in inaccurate data being collected for several questions. As a result, we have decided to remove the pre-fill option for this cycle until we can fully address these issues.
Key Dates:
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Monday, Dec. 16: Early Access to SHP Application Granted to LEA-level Users
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Wednesday, Jan. 15: SHP Application Launches for School-Level Users
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Monday, Feb. 3: OSSE Support Tool (OST) Deadline
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Friday, Feb. 14 at 11:59 p.m.: SHP Data Submission Deadline for School-Level Users
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Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 5 p.m.: SHP Data Certification Deadline by LEA Heads of School
Please find a webinar recording here for LEAs explaining the log in process, how to request access for new users, how to navigate through the application, and how to submit and certify the data. The webinar covers how to use the SHP application, how to get access, and important steps LEA data managers can take to ensure their schools complete the SHP by the Feb. 14 deadline. Please note, this webinar is specific to LEA-level users only. OSSE will share a separate webinar for school-level users in the coming weeks, just before school-level users receive access to the application on Jan. 15.
Your questions may be answered in the FAQs document, which is on the OSSE Healthy Schools Act webpage and also at the end of the questionnaire for the 2024-25 school year.
If you have any questions, please contact Norah Khalil at OSSE.SchoolHealth@dc.gov.
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Revised Model Policies: School Safety Omnibus Amendment Act
The School Safety Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018 requires District schools to adopt policies and procedures to prevent and address sexual abuse and acts of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and dating violence. Under this law, District schools must have two policies that, (1) prevent and address student sexual abuse by school staff (DC Code § 38–951.02) and (2) prevent and address student-on-student acts of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and dating violence (DC Code § 38–952.02). In 2019, OSSE released two model policies for District schools and LEAs addressing the requirements under this law. OSSE recently reviewed and revised these model policies. These revisions primarily update citations to ensure alignment with the US Department of Education’s revised Title IX regulations.
LEAs may adopt the OSSE model policies as written or use them as a starting point when developing their own policies. Schools and LEAs that used the 2019 OSSE model policies are strongly encouraged to review the 2024 versions and ensure their policies are up to date. A description of the revisions and the two model policies are available on the OSSE website.
As a reminder, this law also requires schools and LEAs to perform due diligence regarding potential, current and former staff (DC Code § 38–951.03), prohibits assisting certain employment of a perpetrator of child sexual abuse offenses (DC Code § 32–1131.02) and requires schools to provide age- and developmentally-appropriate academic instruction on consent, setting and respecting boundaries and developing and maintaining healthy relationships (DC Code § 38–824.02(b-2)). Schools and LEAs are strongly encouraged to routinely review this law and Title IX and consult their legal counsel to ensure all parts are met.
The revised 2024 model policies, as well as additional materials to support other parts of this law, are available on the OSSE website. Please direct any questions regarding the model policies to osse.schoolhealth@dc.gov.
Information Access for Military Recruiters
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (as amended) requires LEAs to provide military recruiters with certain information and access to enrolled secondary students. Specifically, the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7908) requires each LEA that receives funds under ESEA to comply with a request by a military recruiter for secondary students’ names, addresses, and telephone numbers, except in cases where a parent or guardian, or a student who has reached age 18, has opted out of providing such directory information. Additionally, ESEA section 9528 requires LEAs that receive ESEA funds to provide military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as they generally provide to postsecondary institutions or prospective employers. For example, if the school has a policy of allowing postsecondary institutions or prospective employers to come on school property to provide information to students about educational or professional opportunities, it must afford the same access to military recruiters. Additional information about these requirements is available here.
2024 DC School Report Card (reminder)
We are excited to share the 2024 DC School Report Card! It is live on our website at schoolreportcard.dc.gov. The DC School Report Card is a parent-friendly hub that offers comparable data of public and public charter schools across the District.
We are excited about four new features:
- Compare tool of up to three schools across key metrics
- Improved state assessment performance level chart
- Deeper dives into school accountability data
- Multiple pictures of school communities
In addition to data ranging from attendance to student growth, OSSE is sharing, for the first time:
- Student-Teacher Ratios
- Student-Staff Ratios
- Referrals to Law Enforcement
In future years, we are looking forward to sharing the school climate survey data and course data that we are collecting from all schools. We appreciate all the hard work during Metric Calculation Confirmation (MCC) to ensure that every piece of information is accurate. If you have any questions, please email us at dcschoolreportcard@dc.gov.
Course Data Collection Updates (reminder)
As of Nov. 8, all LEAs should have mapped their Student and Section Course Data Collection data in the LEA Data Mapping Tool.
Unified Data Errors (UDEs) related to this data are now in the 2024-25 school year (SY2024-25) Unified Data Errors Qlik application:
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OSSE has created this short recorded training to explain the Course Collection UDEs.
- The UDE related to course information for students who attend nonpublic schools will be released soon. However, please do not wait to enter course data for nonpublic students.
If there are UDEs that need to be resolved by resubmitting Course Catalog data, the Integrated Data Submission (IDS) process for the Course Catalog Collection data will be re-opened for re-submission from Dec. 9 through Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. Please note that the new submission will completely over-write previous submissions, so the entire spreadsheet of Course Catalog data will need to be re-submitted, not just changes.
LEAs can also schedule a one-on-one meeting for assistance using this link. For additional information or questions, please email Whitney Meagher at Whitney.Meagher@dc.gov.
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Register for Special Education Newsletter
OSSE’s Office of Special Education has introduced the Special Education Newsletter to support LEAs with ongoing training and technical assistance. This newsletter provides information pertinent to all LEA Special Education Points of Contact (LEA SPED POCs) in carrying out their roles, including updates and reminders on special education requirements, data responsibilities, and monitoring activities.
To subscribe to receive the Special Education Newsletter, register here.
Homeless Education Program: McKinney-Vento Monthly Webinar Sessions (reminder)
OSSE’s Homeless Education Program has invited subject matter experts to present on a variety of topics that impact students and families experiencing homelessness. These 1-hour monthly webinars are available to LEA and school employees, homeless liaisons, and community partners. Presentations are scheduled each month from November 2024 through May 2025. The registration links for the January and February 2025 webinars are below.
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025
Time: 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Presenters: Catholic Charities and DHS Office of Migrant Services
Register: forms.office.com/g/rL3sNft12M
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025
Time: 10-11 a.m.
Presenters: OSSE’s Post-Secondary and Career Education/DC TAG
Register: forms.office.com/g/NX6BFPvJYQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. For any additional questions or technical assistance, please contact Tasheen Stallings at Tasheen.Stallings@dc.gov.
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FY24 ESSER Annual Reporting: Phase I Opening in January
Each year the US Department of Education (USED) requires all state education agencies (SEAs) and LEAs that receive Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to complete annual performance reporting (APR).
The fiscal year 2024 (FY24) data collection for LEAs receiving ESSER funding will also occur in three phases through the Integrated Data Submission (IDS) Portal.
The Phase I data collection will take place between Jan. 13 and Jan. 24, 2025. There are no changes to the Phase I data collection from last year. We plan to communicate the collection windows for Phases II and III prior to the opening of Phase I.
For questions or additional information about ESSER reporting, please contact the OSSE ESSER Team at OSSE.ESSER@dc.gov.
Opportunity for Comment on Tydings Waiver Request for Title I, Part A and Title IV, Part A Funds (reminder)
OSSE is seeking public comment on its intent to apply for a Tydings waiver to extend the availability of unspent fiscal year 2023 (FY23) Title I Part A and Title IV Part A funds. If approved, this waiver will provide additional time for OSSE to utilize the funds to support school improvement, well-rounded education, safe and healthy schools, and the use of technology in classrooms.
The proposed waiver would extend the obligation period for these funds through Sept. 30, 2025.
Public Comment Period: Dec. 16-20, 2024
Submit Comments to: con.app@dc.gov
For additional information on the waiver request, please visit OSSE's website.
If you have any questions, please contact Linda Sun at Linda.Sun1@dc.gov.
Fiscal Year 2025 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant Available Dec. 13, 2024 (reminder)
The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the NSLP Equipment Grant is now available in the DC Register. The competitive grant application for the fiscal year 2025 (FY25) NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant will be available on Dec. 13 in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS). This grant opportunity is available to public schools (i.e., schools within the District of Columbia Public Schools), public charter schools and private/non-public schools that currently participate in the NSLP (including the Seamless Summer Option) and who are interested in using the equipment funds to improve the quality and safety of school food service meals. The deadline to submit applications is Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. The award period for these grants is March 14 through Sept. 30, 2025.
For questions or additional information about the NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant application, contact Kimberly Thompson, Grants Management Specialist, at KimberlyA.Thompson@dc.gov.
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January 2025
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