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January 14, 2022
Updates in this email:
Please Share: ‘Kids Deserve a Shot’ Vaccine Incentive Program for Minnesotans 5-11 Years Old
Vaccines are the strongest tool we have to prevent serious disease and death from COVID-19. Vaccines are now available for Minnesotans ages 5 and older at no cost. On January 11, Governor Tim Walz announced the launch of the next phase of the ‘Kids Deserve a Shot’ vaccine incentive program to encourage Minnesota families to get their kids 5- to 11-years-old fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Minnesota families who get their 5- to 11-year-old fully vaccinated in January and February can get a $200 Visa gift card. Later this spring, there will be drawings for five $100,000 Minnesota college scholarship drawings for all Minnesotans 5-11 years old who are fully vaccinated.
How families can find a shot for their child:
- Visit gov/vaxforkids to find clinic locations near you.
- Check with their pediatrician, family medicine clinic, or local pharmacy about appointments.
- Watch for vaccination clinics being offered at schools or other community locations around Minnesota.
Communicating with Families
To help educate students and families around the importance of the vaccine, the State of Minnesota has prepared a Youth COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit that includes materials for schools to share with their communities.
Boosters Recommended for People Aged 12 and Older
As a reminder, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced now recommend booster shots for those aged 12 and older five months after the completion of the primary series of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, for some immunocompromised children aged 5-11 years old, CDC also recommends an additional dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to complete the primary series – a total of three doses.
Updated Quarantine and Isolation Guidance
The CDC recently updated their recommendations for isolation and quarantine when sick or exposed to COVID-19: Quarantine and Isolation. This week, MDH updated If You Are Sick or Test Positive and Close Contacts and Quarantine. Additional MDH guidance and materials will be updated to align with CDC over the coming days.
This updated guidance does apply to K-12 school settings. Refer to:
Additionally, CDC has shared the rationale for the change with FAQs on CDC: What We Know About Quarantine and Isolation.
REMINDER: School Testing Program Grant Funding
In the fall 2021, public school districts, charter schools and tribal schools were eligible to apply for grant funding to support creating and maintaining a school COVID-19 testing program. These funds come from the Epidemiology Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Reopening Schools Grant supported through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. View the list of schools that have accepted funds.
The following are allowable expenses for the grants:
- Personnel
- Test kits, collection supplies, other necessary supplies
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Contracts with academic institutions, private laboratories, other non-commercial healthcare entities, and/or commercial entities that may provide all or part of the screening testing needs
- Testing events that may also involve other mitigation activities
- Expenses associated with outreach and assistance to establish or promote testing programs
Public schools that are Cooperative Purchasing Venture (CPV) Member can use one of the 11 COVID-19 testing vendors on the state contract to use their funds. Schools can find instructions on how to make purchases off the state contracts on the COVID-19 Testing Master Contract Program web page.
Questions about school testing programs can be emailed to COVIDtesting.MDE@state.mn.us.
The first version of the Minnesota Department of Education's (MDE) Repository of Evidence-Based Practices is now available on the COMPASS webpage. These resources can be used by school leaders, administrators and educators as they work through their continuous improvement process and/or the Minnesota Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MnMTSS) framework.
The 2022 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) will open on Tuesday, January 18 and remain open until Friday, June 10. District Assessment Coordinators (or other identified staff) received an email on December 1, 2021 with registration information. While schools can register at any point, we encourage early registration so schools have the most time to prepare. If you need additional help with registration, please contact mss@wilder.org.
As part of the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), all Local Education Agencies (LEAs) must provide parents or guardians with notification of their plans to administer the MSS. Read about action items related to PPRA. You may download and share an MSS Infographic to communicate with staff or families, if desired.
In order to receive updates on the MSS, please subscribe to the MSS bulletin. You may email mde.studentsurvey@state.mn.us with any questions.
February Circle Trainings
Registration is open for February Circle Trainings offered by the School Climate Center. The February online circle trainings are open for both those new to the circle process and for experienced practitioners. Participants may sign up for a four-day, five hours (20 hours total) training series on February 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2022 at 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. each Saturday. The registration fee is $285. Sessions include “Circle 1: Building Community,” “Circle 1: People of Color Affinity Circle,” and “Circle 2: Supporting Educators in Loss and Hope.”
Also offered is “Sacred Circle: Teaching Indigenous Students Using Circle,” for those who have some experience with circle and want to use it in the classroom. Participants may sign up for the two-day, five hours (10 hours total) training series on February 19 and 26, 2022 at 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. each Saturday. The registration fee is $145.
Finally, there are two Restorative Practices Educational Sessions on February 5, 12 and 19, 2022 at 9 a.m.–12 p.m.. The topics are “When Harm Happens in the Name of Restorative Practices” and “Understanding Grief and Loss.” The registration fee is $95. For further information contact Nancy Riestenberg, Minnesota Department of Education, 651-582-8433.
Visiting Teacher Program Information Session
Minnesota Department of Education, the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul and Carlos Berrozpe of the Education Ministry of Spain in Chicago will hold an informational session about the Minnesota visiting teacher program on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 from 4-5 p.m.
The programs allow districts access to teachers with native Spanish language skills to teach in immersion, dual language and world language programs. MDE is a designated J-1 visa teacher sponsor. There is no charge to districts for the visas and information about the visa process will be provided by MDE staff. Attendance at the informational meeting is not a commitment to hire a teacher.
Please email Mai Yang at mai.tong.yang@state.mn.us to register for the information session by 12 p.m. on January 26.
ARP ESSER III LEA Spending Plan Reporting
The American Rescue Plan and the federal government’s Interim Final Rule outline the requirements regarding spending ESSER III funds and public reporting. LEAs must publicly share their spending plans, including specifics about (i) their plans to spend on COVID-related health and safety, (ii) 20% of funds to address the impact of lost learning time, and (iii) plans for the more flexible 80% and (iv) how the LEA will ensure that the interventions will respond to the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of students disproportionally impacted by the pandemic, including students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and migratory students.
To help LEAs avoid additional compliance activities related to this requirement, MDE has published all submitted ARP ESSER III (finance codes 160 & 161) applications and provided a guide on where to find the answers to (i)-(iv) in the applications. LEAs can meet the requirement of the Interim Final Rule by linking from their district website to the MDE webpage where this information is published. The link is: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/health/covid19/cares/ESSER/
MDE is also required to submit this website to the US Department of Education. Email mde.federalCOVIDfunds@state.mn.us with questions.
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