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New: Guide for Developing a School Cardiac Emergency Response Plan
By the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, all public and public charter schools in the District of Columbia must adopt and implement a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP). To assist in this effort, DC Fire and Emergency Services (FEMS) and OSSE have developed a Guide for Developing a School Cardiac Emergency Response Plan. This guide includes a model plan template and identifies the components of a high-quality CERP, including, but not limited to, building a strong cardiac emergency response team through training and drills, maintaining accessible and functional automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and implementing clear protocols for swift and effective intervention.
DCPS schools with questions about developing their School Cardiac Emergency Response Plan should contact healthservices.dcps@k12.dc.gov.
Charter schools with questions about developing their School Cardiac Emergency Response Plan should contact chris.lalik@lalikandassociates.com or dbell@dcpcsb.org.
New: OSSE to Launch Start of School Newsletter for Special Education
OSSE's Start of School Special Education Newsletter will be published on Tuesday, Aug. 19. This newsletter will provide LEAs with information pertinent to all LEA Special Education Points of Contact (SPED POCs), including updates and reminders regarding SPED POC roles and responsibilities, policy and guidance, data systems, monitoring activities, and nonpublic placement processes. Monthly newsletters will be published throughout the school year.
To subscribe to receive the Special Education Newsletter, register here. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Morgan-Donaldson at Karen.Morgan-Donaldson@dc.gov.
New: Resources for Helping Students, Staff Navigate Metro’s New Bus Network
Metro launched a new bus network on June 29, which means the commute to school for students in your LEAs will be different. All routes have new names; routes, frequencies, and operating hours have changed; and some bus stops have changed.
OSSE Start of School Webpages are Now Live (Reminder)
OSSE has launched our 2025–26 Start of School webpages for LEAs with important updates, timelines, and resources to help you plan for a strong start to the new school year. This year’s priorities are grouped into three areas, including Serving All Students, Operations & Data, and Academics with nine core priorities across programs. Visit the webpages here and please submit any questions to this form.
OSSE Parent Portal FAQs for LEAs Available (Reminder)
We are excited to share a new resource: the OSSE Parent Portal FAQs for LEAs. This comprehensive document answers the most frequently asked questions we’ve received from schools and includes guidance to help staff navigate the new process, communicate with families, and better understand your role.
You can access the FAQ document here.
OSSE Parent Portal for Transportation (Update)
The deadline for parents and guardians to enter their child's information in the OSSE Parent Portal for transportation services in the 2025-26 school year has passed. Data shows more than 60 percent of parents with transportation-eligible students has logging into the app. And while we are grateful for the efforts of those who have logged in we know we still have work to do and remain concerned about missing or inaccurate contact information for many eligible students’ families.
We also want to hear directly from you. Are there additional resources that would support your team? Is your school hosting a back-to-school event where OSSE can promote the portal? Just send us an email at osse.communications@dc.gov with your ideas or questions. We're here to help.
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New: LEA Enrollment Audit and Child Count Handbook and Webinar
The 2025-26 school year Student Enrollment Audit and Child Count Handbook is now available on OSSE’s Office of Enrollment and Residency (OER) webpage.
OER will host the annual LEA Enrollment Audit and Child Count Webinar on Thursday, Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. This required session for LEA enrollment audit points of contact (POCs) will cover key deadlines and procedures for the 2025-26 school year. A recording of the webinar will be posted on the OER webpage for staff who are unable to attend.
Registration information was sent to LEA Heads of School and LEA Enrollment Audit POCs. Please ensure your LEA’s contacts are up to date in the All-Staff Collection within the Faculty & Staff (F&S) application, so the appropriate team members receive enrollment communications.
For more information, please contact the team at OSSE.enrollmentaudit@dc.gov.
New: Application Now Open for 2025-26 Superintendent’s Advisory Councils
OSSE is seeking teachers, school leaders and family members to participate in the 2025-26 Superintendent’s Advisory Councils (SACs). The councils meet regularly with OSSE leadership and staff to provide insights and ask questions about OSSE programs and policies.
The applications for the 2025-26 SACs for Teachers, School Leaders and Family Members are now live! OSSE seeks a diverse group of educators, school leaders and family members from across the city who reflect the demographics of the District’s students. Members of the 2025-26 SACs will serve a term of one school year, beginning in October 2025 and ending in June 2026. The first meeting for all three advisory councils will be held in person at OSSE (1050 First St. NE, Washington, DC) in October 2025.
All applications for the 2025-26 Superintendent’s Advisory Councils will close on Friday, August 8, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.:
For questions, please contact Megan Dumond, Special Assistant for Teaching and Learning, at Megan.Dumond@dc.gov or Vonique Jones, Executive Assistant for Teaching and Learning, at Vonique.Jones@dc.gov.
Discipline Data Collection Training Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 (Reminder)
OSSE's Division of Data, Assessment, and Research (DAR) will host two training sessions focused on OSSE's 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. Topics covered will include background information, key dates, collection requirements, data entry overview, and data review and certification. OSSE will offer the following sessions:
In-person
Online
Registration is open now. For questions, contact OSSE’s discipline team at OSSE.data@dc.gov.
Science of Behavior Workshop, Wednesday, Aug. 13 (Reminder)
OSSE will host a one-day science of behavior workshop facilitated by Innovageous. This session will review the basic principles of behavior and how it communicates individuals’ needs. By examining the relationship between individuals’ behavior and the elements of the environment, participants will learn how to align proactive strategies and interventions more effectively.
When: Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Where: Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives (1201 17th St. NW, Third Floor)
This professional learning is open to all DC educators; we strongly encourage school culture team members (e.g., dean of students, behavior technicians, etc.) to join. Register here.
For questions, please contact Byul Yim at Byul.Yim@dc.gov or Jessica Dulay at Jessica.Dulay@dc.gov.
Culturally Responsive Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP), Wednesday, Sept. 3 (Reminder)
School mental health teams (e.g., social worker, school psychologist, etc.) are invited to join OSSE for a one-day science of behavior workshop facilitated by Innovageous.
This session will provide an overview of developing a culturally responsive Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) and implementing it to meet the unique needs of students. Participants will learn how to leverage student backgrounds to understand the function of the behavior, collaborate with families to develop a culturally informed BIP and implement a cohesive intervention plan for the individual student.
When: Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Where: OSSE Headquarters (1050 First St. NE, First Floor)
Register here.
For questions, please contact Byul Yim at Byul.Yim@dc.gov or Jessica Dulay at Jessica.Dulay@dc.gov.
 New: OSSE Grantee Reimbursement Request Submission Policy
The end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 (FY25) was on June 30, 2025. OSSE requires grantees to submit at least one reimbursement request per quarter. After a grantee has an approved application, they may request reimbursement for any allowable expenditures incurred in the approved award period to date.
For FY25, Quarter 3 is the period from April 1-June 30, 2025. Reimbursement requests for this period are due by July 31 in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS).
We look forward to reviewing your submissions. Please do not hesitate to contact your OSSE grant specialists for questions or technical assistance.
Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Whole Child and Educator Wellness (WCEW) Grant (Reminder)
The Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Whole Child and Educator Wellness (WCEW) grant Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) was published Friday, Jun. 6, 2025, at 12 p.m. in the DC Register. View here. The release of the Request for Applications (RFA) has been postponed due to DC Council's continuing budget discussions. The RFA is expected to be released on the District Grants Clearinghouse in August 2025. OSSE will publish a new NOFA in the DC Register and ServeDC's Grants Clearinghouse prior to the RFA release. Please check back for updates.
For questions, please email Kimberly Thompson at KimberlyA.Thompson@dc.gov.
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