|
Contents
With graduations fast approaching we have had quite a few phone calls regarding when schools can dismiss their seniors for the school year under the days/hours rules. So here is a quick reminder of the rules for seniors.
-
Can we still let seniors out a week early? Yes. Seniors may be released for up to 30 hours toward the 1,080 hours or five days toward the 180 days.
-
What if we have extended our regular school calendar to make-up for inclement weather? You may excuse a graduating senior who has met district or school requirements for graduation from attendance during the extended school calendar.
See Instructional Hours vs. Days Guidance for other questions.
|
There are two obligations required when providing notice of nondiscrimination: annual and continuous.
Annual Notice: Section IV-O of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Guidelines for Eliminating Discrimination in Vocational Education Programs of 1979 requires an annual notice prior to the beginning of each school year. The following is a sample annual notice.
The [Name of district] offers career and technical programs in the following service areas:
[List CTE Service Areas] CTE Strands (Updated titles - please review and revise as needed)
It is the policy of the [Name of district] Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district’s Equity Coordinator, Name, Title, Address, Phone Number, E-mail Address, (The notice may include): 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
Continuous Notice: The Title IX, Section 504, and Title II regulations require that notices of nondiscrimination be made on a continuing basis. The following is a sample continuous notice:
It is the policy of the [Name of District] Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district’s Equity Coordinator, Name, Title, Address, Phone Number, E-mail Address
(The notice may include): 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
Guidance for Nondiscrimination Notices - PK-12 Schools
The BEDS Crosswalk (2020) spreadsheet contains course numbers and the appropriate teaching assignments from the Board of Educational Examiners. This tool is helpful as you plan for the upcoming school year to ensure the individual has the appropriate license or endorsement.
In the 2021 legislative session, Governor Reynolds signed House File (HF) 847 into law. The new law required the Iowa State Board of Education to create and the Iowa Department of Education to administer the Flexible Student and School Support (FS3) program, which replaces the Innovative Waiver formerly available in Iowa Code 256.11 and Iowa Administrative Code 281-12.9. If the district plans to have students complete a year's worth of PE during one semester the district must have an approved FS3 waiver. The deadline for the waiver is May 30, 2023. See the FS3 program application instructions for additional information.
Registration is open! This year, Computer Science Professional Development Week (CS PD Week) is June 12-16, 2023 at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. The week is an opportunity for educators across the state to gather together, participate in professional learning to help to expand computer science learning and be shown appreciation. Organizers are working to take away common barriers to joining this in-person event, including providing stipends, lodging and several meals during the week. |
|
 |
The Iowa Department of Education has released the Regional Center Site Location Study, which is intended to support and show institutional partners -- community colleges, school districts, regional planning partnerships (RPPs) -- what a strategically designed network of regional center facilities could look like within their region as well as statewide.
Recommendations of the study include: locations for future regional centers statewide; possible transportation times from school buildings to potential locations; potential partnerships between school districts and community colleges; and the viability and long-term sustainability of recommended locations based on enrollment trends. Additionally, the study includes an interactive web mapping application for use by RPPs, community colleges, school districts and the Department to explore locational details and understand the analysis underlying the study’s recommendations.
The Department commissioned the study with the University of Northern Iowa’s Institute for Decision Making (IDM) and GEOTree and will additionally be coordinating and scheduling virtual stakeholder meetings in the near future within each designated RPP region to formally present the findings of the Study to the field.
The location study will directly support the work of the state's 15 RPPs, who are tasked with establishing a clear plan for providing consistent and equitable access to a variety of high-quality CTE program opportunities for all high school students. The culmination of individual regional planning will result in a statewide network of regional centers that are strategically located to maximize student access and availability of numerous high-quality CTE career academy programs.
The location study also supports work aligned with the Department’s Career Academy Incentive Fund which provides targeted grants of up to $1 million to support partnerships between school districts and community colleges that expand access to high-quality career academy programs, with a focus on programming delivered through regional centers.
For more information, contact Jen Rathje, education program consultant, at jennifer.rathje@iowa.gov or 515-326-5389.
|
Visit and subscribe to the Annual Notices and Deadlines Calendar for a list of state and federal notices and deadlines for all public and nonpublic schools.
Anyone can sign up to receive the monthly Superintendent Notes or see past issues.
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
|
