|
February 12, 2021
Updates in this email:
Millions of dollars in nutrition benefits will be available soon for Minnesota students. Read the February 10, 2021 press release announcing approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of Minnesota's P-EBT plan. In order for families to receive these benefits, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) must collect additional data from schools. Read eligibility information and key messages about P-EBT.
Students who are approved for free or reduced-price meals at any time in the current school year will receive benefits retroactive to September 2020, as long as learning model requirements are met. Any families who might be eligible for free or reduced-price meals, but are not yet approved, should submit an Application for Educational Benefits as soon as possible. In addition, families should make sure their address information is current.
Sign up for the P-EBT bulletin to receive important updates. District and charter school MARSS coordinators and food service contacts have been automatically subscribed to the P-EBT bulletin and are the presumed points of contact. Additional information is available on the P-EBT Data Submissions page.
We have received numerous questions about spring break and recommendations for quarantine after travel. The CDC has published guidance on domestic and international travel during COVID-19, stating they recommend no travel at this time given that it increases the change of getting and spreading COVID-19. CDC has also published a recommendation for after you travel which recommends individuals get tested 3-5 days after travel and stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel, even if the test comes back negative. There is no requirement for schools to enforce the CDC recommendations for quarantine after travel, however because there may be many members of the school community who are returning from travel in many different locations, the two weeks following spring break will carry a heightened risk for potential exposures in the school setting.
For this reason, schools are encouraged to communicate CDC’s post-travel recommendations, and reemphasize all prevention measures with the school community including maintaining 6 feet of physical distance from others whenever possible, masking consistently, staying home when sick and seeking testing as appropriate, hand hygiene, and following quarantine guidance. We are aware that some schools are considering or planning to implement a hybrid or distance learning model for 1-2 weeks following spring break to guard against exposures in the school setting, similar to the approach many took in a delayed return after the holidays.
Additional language to share with your school communities
Considerations before traveling
Given the high level of COVID-19 spread in our communities, any unnecessary travel is highly discouraged. If you must travel outside the state or country for work, study, medical care, or personal safety and security, do what you can to protect yourself and your family.
Before you travel, think about:
- How much COVID-19 is spreading where you are going and how much it is spreading in your local community.
- Whether you or someone you are traveling with could get very sick from COVID-19.
- How easy or difficult it will be to keep 6 feet between people.
- Whether you would be able to miss work, school, or other activities if you get sick.
- For more tips and things to consider when traveling, see CDC: Travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Travel to or from Minnesota
- If you are sick or have tested positive for COVID-19, do not travel.
Out-of-state travel is highly discouraged.
- People who visit Minnesota, and Minnesotans returning after traveling out of state, are asked to stay away from others (quarantine) for 14 days after they arrive in Minnesota. During those 14 days, it is important that you stay home and watch for symptoms. If you must go out, wear a mask, stay 6 feet from other people, and wash your hands often.
- Staying away from others for 14 days is safest. In some circumstances, a shortened quarantine period may be possible. For more information, see Close Contacts and Tracing and Quarantine Guidance for COVID-19 (PDF).
- If you are close to someone with COVID-19 during travel, follow guidelines for how long to keep away from others (quarantine).
- For information on testing, visit Getting Tested for COVID-19.
After traveling
Visit CDC: Travel for more information about traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under Executive Order 21-01, employees who can work from home must work from home.
The Governor’s Work from Home Order (Executive Order 20-99) states that all employees who can work from home must work from home. This is a broad mandate that applies across industries. For school districts and charter schools, this means if a staff member can perform their essential job functions from home, they must work from home. The purpose of this order is to limit unnecessary travel and intermingling of people to limit transmission of the coronavirus and spread of COVID-19. The analysis about whether the essential duties of a job can be done at home should be done on a case-by-case basis and will be dependent on the circumstances of a position. School districts and charter schools should not issue blanket orders that require all staff to work in person. If a staff member cannot perform all their essential job duties from home, they can be required to come into the school building to perform those duties that cannot be performed remotely.
Under the Governor’s Safe Learning Order (Executive Order 20-82), if a staff member is medically at-risk for complications as a result of COVID-19 or has members of their household who are at-risk, the school district or charter school must allow them to work from home to the extent possible. This obligation extends beyond the more general work from home mandate in Executive Order 20-99 and applies to those employees who may not typically be able to work from home but who may be able to as an accommodation for being in the at-risk category or having a member of their household in the at-risk category. School districts and charter schools should use the same HR processes and ADA analysis that they normally use when an employee with a disability requests accommodations in order to perform their essential job duties.
Approaches to Grow Your Own Educator Programs in Minnesota: Programs for High School Students
Minnesota is home to an increasingly racially and linguistically diverse student population, yet the state’s educator workforce has failed to keep pace with these demographic changes. While 35 percent of students in the state are students of color, only 5 percent of teachers are teachers of color. In response to these gaps, the state has created a grant program to facilitate the development of Grow Your Own programs, including for high school students. Please join New America, The Coalition to Increase Teachers of Color and American Indian Teachers in Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Education and local GYO program leaders and participants for a conversation about how Grow Your Own programs in Minnesota are being used to expose high school students to careers in education, boost concurrent enrollment programs to allow high school students to earn college credits, and remove barriers to entering the teaching profession. We will also hear about proposals to expand GYO program types across the state. The event will be focused on pathways for high school students via concurrent enrollment and other models.
Audience: School, district and charter leaders, community organizations and advocates, professional organizations, and others interested in strategies to ensure students have equitable access to a diverse and effective educator workforce.
Event Information: Thursday, February 18, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Registration: Visit the event page at New America to RSVP.
2021 Racial Equity Leadership Institute
The 2021 Racial Equity Leadership Institute is designed to help educators, school leaders and related professionals increase their understanding about race, racial identity, bias, and anti-racist practice. Engaging with a cross-section of stakeholders, participants will discuss the new learning and translate it into action to change our education system.
The program includes eight 2-hour online discussion sessions on race that will use acclaimed online and supplemental multi-media materials from the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. Each session involves one hour of pre-work to review materials. Guest speakers will launch each session followed by facilitated small group dialogues to digest material, its implications, and generate strategies for actions. Sessions are once a month from 4-6 p.m., starting in March (excluding July and August) and ending in December.
District and charter school leaders are encouraged to bring or recruit a team of instructional and other professional staff as well as community stakeholders for this dynamic and engaging opportunity for team discussion and educational planning.
For more details and registration information, visit the event webpage.
Updated Language Available for School Websites to Meet Statutory Requirements for Dissemination of Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) Information
By March 1 of each year, or three weeks prior to the district or charter school’s fall course registration date (whichever is earlier), a district or school must provide up-to-date information about the PSEO program to all students in grades 8-11 (Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.09, subdivision 7). This requirement applies to both districts and charter schools.
This information must be published on the district or school’s website, and in materials that are distributed to parents and students about the PSEO program—and include information about enrollment requirements and the opportunity to earn postsecondary credit. In an effort to provide consistent and helpful guidance about PSEO, updated language is available on the department website that should be used to satisfy this statutory obligation.
-
Access suggested language that covers all the information that must be provided on the website and in materials distributed to families.
- Please ensure that this information is provided to those responsible for your district/high school's website.
- Per state law, this information should not only be posted on the district website, but also in materials distributed to all 8th -11th graders and their families three weeks before students register, or by March 1, whichever comes first. We recognize that unfortunately the passage of time means some districts and charters will not have this to students before they register, or 3 weeks before they register. We strongly urge that this become a high priority and all 8-11th grade students and their families receive this information within a week of the time you receive it.
If you have any questions, contact Beth Barsness, PSEO/Concurrent Enrollment Specialist, 651-582-8336.
|
