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December 30, 2021
Updates in this email:
Test to Stay
On Friday, December 17, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance on Test to Stay. According to the CDC, Test to Stay combines contract tracing and serial testing (testing that is repeated at least twice during a seven-day period post-exposure) to allow asymptomatic school-associated close contacts who are not fully vaccinated and do not test positive for COVID-19 to continue in-person learning.
Schools may consider Test to Stay as an option for keeping asymptomatic school-associated close contacts who are not fully vaccinated and do not test positive for COVID-19 in the classroom as an alternative to traditional quarantine at home. The CDC guidance applies in settings when layered mitigation is in place, including contact tracing, universal masking, and physical distancing.
The CDC released two studies around Test to Stay as well as updated guidance. More information can be found at the links below.
MMWR Test to Stay in LA County
MMWR Test to Stay in Lake County, IL
Updated webpage on COVID-19 Testing in Schools
Updated Science Brief
Updated banner on K-12 guidance
FAQs for School Administrators
Given the limitations in implementing physical distancing and universal masking, among other layered mitigation, the CDC guidance does not apply to early childhood settings.
If you have questions, please reach out to COVIDTesting.MDE@state.mn.us.
Isolation and Quarantine Guidance
This week, the CDC announced it is updating its guidance on isolation and quarantine for the general public to include criteria for when shortened time periods can be applied for how long people should stay home if they test positive (isolation) or are in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 (quarantine). MDH released a statement on this update, indicating that they will review the guidance and update Minnesota's guidance and materials to align with the new recommendations as soon as the guidance becomes available from CDC.
Registration is now open for the 2022 Minnesota School Mental Health Conference on January 27-28, 2022. The theme of this year’s conference is “Cultivating Resilience: Educator, Student and Provider Well Being." MDE, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, sponsor this free, virtual conference, bringing together collaborating partners and providers to build a school mental health framework of practice. Attendees will include schools, community mental health providers, advocates, consumers, policy makers, tribal nations and state government representatives. Attendees will network, learn about latest developments and best practices related to supporting students with mental health disorders and access purposeful tools and techniques to implement and produce a positive impact on mental wellness.
Register or the conference on the Lake County Service Cooperative website
My Life, My Quit Resource
My Life, My Quit, the free and confidential resource for youth to help quit smoking or vaping, has a new flyer for school staff and administrators. The flyer can be linked to newsletters or websites, posted within schools, or distributed in a variety of other ways. The flyer highlights resources that My Life, My Quit can support, such as three quick steps to help students quit nicotine, how to connect students to free quit-nicotine support, information on using My Life, My Quit as an alternative to suspension, and links back to the Minnesota Department of Health school e-cigarette toolkit. Questions can be sent to Anna Arkin, MDH Cessation Community Planner at anna.arkin@state.mn.us.
Reminder: Ed-Fi and Gifted Education Reporting Virtual Training: New Training Dates
Training sessions previously scheduled for January 25 and 27 have been rescheduled to occur on January 10, and will be repeated on January 13. Registration is required.
Reminder: FY23 Voluntary Prekindergarten/School Readiness Plus Applications
Voluntary Prekindergarten and School Readiness Plus Application Open from January 5 to January 31, 2022
The application period for voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) and school readiness plus (SRP) funding for fiscal year (FY) 2023 (school year 2022-23) will open on January 5, 2022 and is due on January 31, 2022.
All currently funded districts and charter schools interested in funding for FY23 must apply during the January application period to receive ongoing funding or to be considered for expansion funding should additional funding become available. Currently unfunded districts must also apply to be considered for funding should additional funding become available. All districts are encouraged to apply annually as the information from the application is used to demonstrate ongoing interest in and need for VPK/SRP funding.
With complete applications, VPK sites funded for the first time in FY17 (school year 2016-17) will receive continued funding for their original number of seats; VPK/SRP seats initially funded in FY18, FY19, FY20, FY21, and FY22 will received continued funding through June 30, 2023.
Information about the application process is available on the VPK/SRP webpage of the MDE website. If you have any questions, please contact MDE.VPK@state.mn.us.
Reminder: Minnesota Department of Health: Skills for Psychological Recovery Training
The Minnesota Department of Health is offering a series of six virtual training sessions on Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR). This is an evidence-informed intervention designed to help individuals gain skills to reduce ongoing distress, promote resilience, and effectively cope in the weeks and months following a disaster or crisis. Sessions will be held on Thursdays from January 13-February 17. CEUs and training certification are available to those who attend all six sessions.
Reminder: Grants to Increase STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Course Offerings – Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023
The documentation for the Grants to Increase STEM Grant Opportunity including the instructions, application, and budget documentation are now available on MDE’s grant opportunity site.
This funding is available to Minnesota school districts and charter schools to encourage low-income and other underserved students to participate in advanced placement (AB) and international baccalaureate (IP) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs consistent with Minnesota Statutes, Section 120B.132.
Please see the grant instructions for the specific, allowable outcomes for this grant program.
Please contact Sally Reynolds at sally.reynolds@state.mn.us for further information.
Reminder: Restorative Practices Educational Sessions and Circle Trainings
Registration is now open for the Restorative Practices (RP) Educational Sessions and Circle trainings in January and February, 2022. Educators and people who work with youth may choose from Restorative Skill Sessions and Circle trainings.
The skills sessions are three, three hour (9 hours total) sessions January 15, 22, 29, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., or February 5, 12, 19, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Circle trainings will be held February 5, 12, 19 and 26, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (20 hours total). Restorative Classroom training on using circle with Anishinabeg and non-native students is offered February 19 and 26, 2022, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The sessions and trainings are for both experienced practitioners and people new to the circle process.
For further information contact Nancy Riestenberg, Minnesota Department of Education, 651-582-8433.
Reminder: Minnesota Indian Teacher Training Program (MITTP) Grant – Now Available
The Minnesota Department of Education makes this state funding available from Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.63, to Minnesota postsecondary institutions and school districts for joint grants that will assist American Indian people to become teachers in prekindergarten-12th grade and to provide additional education for American Indian teachers. This funding will provide scholarships to American Indians. This funding will assist with recruiting American Indians, provide professional development and assist students while working towards licensure as an American Indian teacher or prekindergarten-12th-grade education careers.
Total amount available: $232,000
Maximum grant amount: $92,000
Applications are due January 28, 2022.
MITTP grant application materials are now available on the Competitive Grant Opportunities webpage.
Reminder: Grow Your Own (GYO) Grant – Now Available
The Minnesota Department of Education has funding available under Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.73, for grants under the Grow Your Own (GYO) program to support programs that will increase and diversify the teacher workforce in the state of Minnesota. Eligible districts, charter schools, intermediate districts, and cooperatives may apply for one or both of the following:
- Pathway for Adults
- Pathway for Secondary Students
Total amount available: $6,400,000
Maximum grant amount per pathway: $750,000
Applications are due January 18, 2022.
GYO grant application materials are now available on the Competitive Grant Opportunities webpage.
Reminder: Children's Summit - January 11-14, 2022
The Children’s Summit will take place virtually January 11-14, 2022. The summit will bring together experts from across Minnesota to create solutions for issues facing the state’s behavioral health system for youth. All children deserve access to behavioral health care at a level of care that is appropriate for their needs.
Portions of the summit will be open to the public. The working sessions will be open to select Minnesota experts and leaders who have been invited to participate, including leaders in the fields of health, education, child protection, child development, corrections and more. Their charge will be to create immediate, actionable solutions for the urgent problems facing the mental health system of care for Minnesota’s youth.
The publicly available portions of the summit on January 11 include presentations on equity, breaking down silos between systems and the vision forward for children’s behavioral health care in Minnesota. In addition, a youth presenter will share their perspective on supports that their peers need.
Minnesotans are invited to attend the public sessions for the summit. Links to the meetings will be shared closer to the event on the Minnesota Department of Human Services public participation webpage and through email and social media.
Reminder: Expand Summer Learning Planning, FIN Code 162/163 and Summer 2022
Quality summer programs raise student achievement and provide opportunities for students to recover learning that has been lost in prior years. This is especially significant in this time of responding to the impacts of the pandemic. The topics to learn more about summer programming are detailed below. You can register for a session by clicking on the date and time that works best for you. There will be additional sessions on summer programming posted to the MDE Calendar.
Steps to planning summer programs (for new and fairly new programs) - this is a series of trainings that highlight options and opportunities of
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when and where for summer programming (January 3, 5, and 7)
- look at how to create a schedule and staff summer programs (January 4 and 6); and
- explore different models of credit recovery as a focus for summer programming (January 5 and 7).
Registration is required. There are multiple opportunities and sites need only register for one of each presentation.
For more information, please contact: DiscretionaryARP.MDE@state.mn.us
Reminder: FIN 171 Pandemic Enrollment Loss Grants Applications Due January 10
The FIN 171 Pandemic Enrollment Loss Grant funding application is now open and available. The funding will support services for students that may have been foregone last year due to budget losses. Funds may be used to support new, expanded, or enhanced early learning services, and evidenced-based practices addressing learning loss and academic or student mental health needs, including professional development and training for staff to implement these strategies. School districts, charter schools and tribal schools that experienced declining enrollment last year are eligible to apply.
Program allocations have been loaded into the State Educational Record View and Submission (SERVS) financial system. Eligible districts should accept their award and complete the short application in SERVS. Applications need to be submitted by January 10, 2022 in order to access this grant. Once the application is approved in Grant Management, we recommend that the LEAs do not submit the budget in SERVS until after the final allocation is posted to avoid having to revise budgets. This budget will serve as a description of uses of the funds. Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) staff will review and approve the budget.
The Pandemic Enrollment Loss Allocations are posted on the Federal Relief Funds webpage.
For questions please contact MDE School Finance ARP Pandemic Enrollment.MDE@state.mn.us.
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