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The Department of Education has implemented a Parent, guardian and community concerns web page as required in HF 868. The page encourages individuals with complaints to start with a conversation with the local school district or nonpublic school.
According to Iowa Code 282.1, A “resident” for school purposes means a child who is physically present in a district, whose residence has not been established in another district by operation of law, and who meets one of the following conditions:
- Is in the district for the purpose of making a home and not solely for school purposes;
- Meets the definition of a “homeless student” under state or federal law;
- Lives in a juvenile detention center or a residential facility in the district;
- Or is domiciled with the child’s parent or guardian who is on active duty in the military service of the United States and is stationed at and resides or is domiciled within a federal military installation located contiguous to a county in this state. The parent or guardian of a child who meets the requirements may enroll the child in a school district in a county in this state that is located contiguous to the out-of-state federal military installation. However, the parent or guardian is responsible for transporting the child without reimbursement to and from a point on a regular school bus route of the district of enrollment.
Due to the transient nature of our society, it is not always easy to determine residency. If a student is living with a friend, relative, or any other individual outside of their family for the purpose of making a home and bettering their life, they could be considered a resident regardless of who has guardianship. Factors to consider include:
- Does the student intend to return to the parent’s home in the near future? How often does the student return to visit the parents?
- Does the parent furnish significant financial support for the student?
- Does the parent still have authority over the child?
Creating a legal guardianship does not affect whether the student is a resident. It merely clarifies who gets information from the district and who can make decisions for a minor child. Where the child is making a home is the key issue. If a student is spending more time with their parents or is residing in a district for school or athletic purposes, the student would not be a resident. Ultimately, residency will be determined at the local level. For more information please visit the Residency Issues webpage.
Iowa Code 256.11 allows districts to apply for a waiver in some cases.
Common waivers include:
- Third and fourth units of a world language, if the course is scheduled and has a certified teacher.
- Use of online courses to meet offer and teach
For more information on waivers, deadlines or instructions to complete the application click here. Questions may be directed to your school improvement consultant.
The Universal Desk Audit for K-12 public school districts and K-12 nonpublic schools are due on December 15th. For more information please visit the Department's DA webpage.
Questions can be directed to your school improvement consultant.
To help public districts and state accredited nonpublic schools understand the difference between offer and teach requirements for state accreditation and minimum state graduation requirements the following guidance was revised. Table 1 provides the requirements for public school districts. Table 2 provides the requirements for state accredited nonpublic schools.
Please contact your Department of Education school improvement consultant with any questions.
Holly Barnes 515-669-8157 holly.barnes@iowa.gov Monitors and provides technical assistance for Mississippi Bend AEA Exempt schools assistance Independent Accreditation Nonpublic School Accreditation Specially Accredited Schools Superintendent Notes Equity
Janet Boyd 515-745-3385 janet.boyd@iowa.gov Monitors and provides technical assistance for Green Hills AEA Charter School Consultant Online schools
Buffy Campbell 515-954-8651 buffy.campbell@iowa.gov Monitors and provides technical assistance for Keystone and Central Rivers AEA Contact for private instruction (i.e., home schooling)
Eric Heitz Administrative Consultant 515-326-1018 eric.heitz@iowa.gov Monitors and provides technical assistance for Heartland AEA CASA assistance Differentiated Accountability Equity
Sara Nickel 515-971-7558 sara.nickel@iowa.gov Monitors and provides technical assistance for Great Prairie AEA Open Enrollment Equity
Marietta Rives 515-360-5131 marietta.rives@iowa.gov Monitors and provides technical assistance to Grant Wood AEA Teacher of the Year Coordinator Open Enrollment Equity
Pam Spangler 515-229-6425 pam.spangler@iowa.gov Monitors and provides technical assistance for Prairie Lakes AEA and Northwest AEA Contact for whole grade sharing Coordinator for feasibility studies (school district reorganization and whole grade sharing) Equity
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act - Differentiated Accountability (IDEA-DA) is Iowa’s special education accountability model with a primary focus on improving educational results and functional outcomes for all learners with disabilities. The IDEA-DA model is built to ensure compliance with federal and state law, with particular emphasis on those requirements most closely related to improving educational results for learners with disabilities. Iowa’s IDEA-DA system reflects our state’s commitment to providing leadership, oversight and technical support to ensure all learners have equitable access to educational opportunities. Our system frames improvement and compliance conversations with school districts with the goal of ensuring the promises of IDEA. Districts will receive IDEA-DA designations this fall.
Looking for high quality mathematics professional learning? Then plan on attending the Iowa Council of Teachers of Mathematics ICTM Conference, October 15 at DMACC Ankeny.
Additional featured speakers are:
Contact April Pforts
Iowa e-Learning Central (ILC) is a place to:
Access high quality units and courses for download aligned to Iowa academic standards through the Course Repository;
Find resources for educators, parents and students through the Resource Library and
Share classes across the state through the Exchange.
Access to download units and courses to use in your local Learning Management System (LMS) is easy - just set up access to ILC via EdPortal. The recommendation is to do this only for the school district personne responsible for loading the common cartridge into the district's LMS.
All of the content and resources, other than downloading the unit/course files, are available on the ILC website without an ID or password.
To help districts with an LMS school associated costs, the Department will reimburse districts for costs associated with the purchase and licensing of a qualifying LMS. For more information about ILC, or LMS reimbursement, please contact Stacie Stokes or Gwen Nagle.
Career and Academic Planning News is an electronic publication the Department sends out quarterly. It contains resources and professional development opportunities for school counselors, Iowa Career and Academic Planning (ICAP) team members and teachers who support academic and career planning. You can sign up on the Department’s website.
For any questions, please contact Erica Woods-Schmitz, Education Program Consultant or (515) 330-0185.
Iowa community colleges and school districts interested in creating a college and career transition counselor (CCTC) position are invited to attend an upcoming information session via Zoom on October 6 at 2:00 p.m. Attendee will learn more about the benefits of the CCTC position, best practices and how to apply for financial support.
Up to five recipients will be awarded grant funding to support and expand the CCTC model across the state. School districts may also be able to access operational sharing dollars to support CCTC positions. CCTCs provide a necessary link between secondary schools and community colleges for students and their families. They begin working with juniors and seniors in high school on career exploration and college preparation, and continue assisting them after graduation through their first year attending a partnering community college. With the continued support of a CCTC, students are better prepared to persist and succeed in their postsecondary educational pursuits.
Interested community colleges and school districts will need to register for training sessions prior to October 5. If interested but unable to attend, please complete the registration form, and indicate you would like the recording sent to you following the meeting.
For more information, contact Erica Woods-Schmitz or at 515-330-0185.
In an effort to generate consistency and recognition for work-based learning credit programs across the state, a new resource has just been launched to support districts.
The Work-Based Learning Course Naming and Coding Guide has been published to support districts wishing to be recognized for the work-based learning credit opportunities available in their school districts.
Included in the guide are new SCED codes for school-based enterprises and workplace project-based learning (authentic projects). This resource also provides suggested middle school CTE programming codes for districts to consider using.
In recognition of schools and districts starting off the new school year and finalizing professional development opportunities, the Computer Science Professional Development Incentive Fund’s (CSPDIF) application deadline has been extended through November 4, 2022. Applications are currently open are currently open in IowaGrants.gov (application #463662). The Department will announce winning applications on or around December 5. Contact Justin Lewis for more information.
The Work-Based Learning Coordinator Newsletter is sent out every other month providing timely updates, resources and professional learning opportunities for work-based learning coordinators and those who support them. Subscribe on the Department website. Please reach out to Kristy Volesky with any questions.
The deadline for school districts and nonpublic schools to request an emergency radio for each school building is October 21. Those interested need to complete and submit the School Safety Radio Order Form and indicate whether they prefer radios manufactured by Motorola or L3-Harris/RACOM. The state of Iowa will purchase the radios to help ensure schools have effective, efficient and secure communication with local and state law enforcement authorities, and other first responders, in the event of a school emergency.
More information on the processing timeline can be found on the Governor’s School Safety Initiative page on our website. Answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the School Safety Radio FAQs webpage.
Last week Director Lebo sent you an email asking for your assistance in sharing survey links with your staff and parents and guardians so we can get their feedback on Iowa’s current school accreditation rules.
If you have not already done so, please share the survey information with your staff and families so that they have the opportunity to share their ideas and thoughts on areas within the rules that may be in need of revisions to better meet the evolving educational needs of students, families and communities. We want to ensure that all educators and families across the state have an equal opportunity for their voices to be heard.
It is the policy of the Iowa Department of Education not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, political party affiliation, or actual or potential parental, family or marital status in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Iowa Code sections 216.9 and 256.10(2), Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d2000e), the Equal Pay Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 206, et seq.), Title IX (Educational Amendments, 20 U.S.C.§§ 1681 – 1688), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq.). If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy by the Iowa Department of Education, please contact the legal counsel for the Iowa Department of Education, Grimes State Office Building, 400 E. 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146, telephone number: 515-281-5295, or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, John C. Kluczynski Federal Building, 230 S. Dearborn Street, 37th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604-7204, telephone number: 312-730-1560, FAX number: 312-730-1576, TDD number: 800-877-8339, email: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov
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