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August 5, 2022
Updates in this email:
Screen Use Legislation Guidance Available
During the 2021 Legislative Session, legislation was passed on the use of individual-use screens in public prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms. The legislation went into effect on July 1, 2022. The Division of Early Learning Services has created a document that provides guidance on applying the legislation to classrooms and instruction. You can find it on the High-Quality Early Learning webpage or access it using this link: Guidance: Screen Use Limits for Children in Publicly Funded Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Programs
Child COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Resources
Children age 6 months to 5 years can now get their COVID-19 shots! Talk to your child’s health care provider and make a plan to get them vaccinated. Families can also search for vaccine locations on our Find Vaccine Locations map: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp.
The state’s Community Vaccination location at the Mall of America has Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine available for children age 6 months to 5 years! Fun fact: The whole family can get vaccinated at once! Walk ins are welcome, or you can make an appointment to get you or your little one vaccinated: https://my.primary.health/r/vaxmn
Addressing the Decline of Vaccination Rates of Minnesota Students
Low immunization coverage leaves more students vulnerable to vaccine preventable diseases, missing school and could increase the risk the spread of vaccine-preventable disease within the school environment. Rates of students who are in-progress of getting vaccinated or missing doses have nearly doubled since the start of the pandemic, with 7 to 8% of kindergarten students in-progress or missing doses of required vaccines. Ensuring school-age children get back on track with routine immunizations is critical to ensure broad protection against vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks among students and staff.
What school leaders can do to keep children healthy, protected, and in school:
- Enforce the immunization requirements (Statute 121A.15 Health Standards; Immunizations; School Children (www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/121A.15)and Minnesota Administrative Rules, Chapter 4604, Immunization (www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/4604/)) and ensure students have documentation of vaccination or an exemption on file before enrolling or transitioning to the next grade level.
- Send out reminders to families whose children are in-progress or missing doses and explain that districts must show compliance with state requirements.
- Use multiple opportunities to communicate with parents such as new student orientation, Early Childhood Screening, school activities like open houses or parent teacher conferences, school newsletter (paper or electronic), and your district/school websites.
- Provide immunization resources for students and parents, such as information on how and where to get Free or Low-Cost Shots for Children (www.health.state.mn.us/people/immunize/basics/howpay.html) in partnership with Local Public Health.
- Vaccines for Infants, Children, and Adolescents (health.state.mn.us/people/immunize/basics/kids.html) has a variety of resources that are translated, and can be used by school nurses, early childhood education and childcare providers, and parents.
- Make sure families know that unvaccinated children are at increased risk for vaccine-preventable diseases which could disrupt learning and lead to physical and mental health problems for students. For example, when children are unvaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), public health may recommend children remain at home for several weeks after being exposed in order to prevent an outbreak in the school.
For more Information about Immunizations refer to:
Questions? Email MDH at health.aisr@state.mn.us
Electric School Bus Match Dollars Available
If you are selected for the Environment Protection Agency's (EPA’s) Clean School Bus Program, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will match it with up to $125,000. Don’t miss your chance to apply to EPA’s program now!
Calling all Minnesota schools, school districts and school bus companies: we are excited to share a new grant program with our Minnesota partners that will help increase the number of school districts and other eligible entities able to purchase a new electric bus. If you apply for and are selected for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program, we have match funding available.
Step 1. Apply for EPA’s Clean School Bus Grant Program before the deadline (Aug. 19, 2022)
EPA is currently offering $500 million for zero-emission and low-emission school bus rebates as the first funding opportunity. The application process is simple, and money is available up front.
Step 2: If you are selected by EPA, you can apply to MPCA for additional money
If you are selected for EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, MPCA has up to $125,000 for each eligible applicant to match their EPA grant and up to $7,000 available for the charging station.
For more information on specific eligibility for our match dollars and other considerations, please visit the MPCA website. We will continue to provide updates on our grant match program once they become available via the website and Gov Delivery.
We encourage all those who are eligible to apply for this fantastic opportunity. These grants will support cleaner vehicle technology and reduce harmful air pollution, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They can also help us make another step toward achieving Minnesota’s goal of reducing GHG emissions by 80% by 2050.
ESSA State Plan Amendment Approved by U.S. Department of Education
On March 2, 2022, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) submitted to the U.S. Department of Education an amendment to Minnesota’s state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The proposed changes were developed after engaging with community organizations, educators, and school and district leaders followed by a public comment period.
The amendment was revised based on requirements from the U.S. Department of Education and was approved on July 1, 2022. The final, approved amendment includes multiple changes to the state’s accountability system. Some of these are temporary changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the availability and quality of data, and some are changes that community members, educators, and school and district leaders have been requesting since the initial approval of Minnesota’s ESSA state plan in 2018.
Review the overview summarizing the amendment's changes. The entire state plan is available on the Minnesota State Plan page.
Career and Technical Education Levy Revenue Reporting – Due September 20, 2022
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Levy reporting system opened on July 15 for entering district CTE actual expenditures in FY21 (2021-2022 school year). Actual expenditures must be entered for approved CTE programs by September 20. Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.4531, allows a district with a career and technical program approved under this section to be eligible for career and technical revenue equal to 35 percent of approved expenditures in the fiscal year in which the levy is certified.
Read this memo for additional information. Contact Shelli Sowles at shelli.sowles@state.mn.us or 651-582-8403 with questions.
Reducing Financial Burden for Aspiring School Bus Drivers
$55,000 in State Fiscal Recovery Funds is available from the Minnesota Department of Education to reduce the financial burden for aspiring school bus drivers. The cost of the certification exam associated with obtaining the Class B Commercial Drivers License (CDL) w/School Bus/Passenger endorsement certification will be reimbursed. The cost of this license is approximately $55.
Program Requirements: The individual seeking reimbursement must have received their Class B CDL w/ School Bus/Passenger endorsement and been hired by a school or school bus company. Below is a link to request reimbursement of the above-mentioned certification costs.
Bus Driver Certification Reimbursement Form
60% of the funds will initially be available to companies in the seven-county metro area and 40% will be available to companies in the non-metro area. All funds will be available on a first come first served basis.
Funding availability: These funds will be available retro-active to February 2, 2022 and available through June 30, 2023.
Funding Information: These funds are available through the U.S. Department of Education (CFDA 21.027, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds).
Required Maintenance of Equity Reporting
The maintenance of equity (MoEquity) requirement embedded within the American Rescue Plan (ARP) also includes required reporting to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). This required reporting was clarified in the Notice of Final Requirements published in the Federal Register on June 8 by the U.S. Department of Education (ED).
Some local educational agencies (LEAs) in Minnesota have already completed this reporting. If you have already reported that your LEA IS EXEMPT from MoEquity for the 2021-2022 school year, you have completed current reporting requirements. You will need to do this again in the fall of 2022.
If you have not reported, or if you reported you are NOT EXEMPT, then you must follow the instructions below.
- Use the following Survey Monkey link to reach the data collection required: MoEquity Exemptions Data Gathering Survey
- Fill in the LEA and contact information. If you are exempt, mark which exemption you fall under. If you fall under more than one exemption, choose whichever seems to be the most prominent reason.
- If you have filed for a special exemption with the federal government, please fill in the box with the date you completed the filing and a couple of sentences explaining your reasoning.
- If you are not exempt, fill in the boxes listing all of your sites for which you are required to maintain equity. This is a new step for those who marked not exempt in the previous survey.
If this reporting was not completed by the July 15 deadline, please contact MDE at the email address below. If you are uncertain if your LEA has reported, you may check the updated survey results on the MoEquity website. A frequently asked questions document will also be available within the next week. If there are any questions, please email them to MOEquity.MDE@state.mn.us. Thank you.
Annual Verification of District and School Site Information for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-23
Each year, information regarding schools and districts/charters is updated in the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) master database for organizations (MDE Organization Reference Glossary (MDE-ORG). MDE-ORG validates sites for all major MDE reporting systems, including the Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS), Staff Automated Reporting (STAR), Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Standards (UFARS), Assessments, etc. It is important that a point person is identified as the Site Verification Coordinator for your district. This person has access to request and certify school configuration changes and update other essential contact and address information for all sites within the district.
We ask that you review your organization and school sites, including contacts and addresses, and make changes for the 2022-23 school year. To ensure data collections, payments, and reports are correct, organization and school site information and contacts for the 2022-23 school year must be reviewed and certified by August 31, 2022. Please read the Annual Verification of District and School Site Information for SFY 2022-23 memorandum found on the District and School Site Verification page. This memorandum outlines the timeline and steps to maintaining accurate district and school site directory information which is critical in correctly processing records for your district including students, staff, payments, and federal programs. If you have any questions, please email Michelle Carey.
What Parents Need to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine for Their Children
Children age 6 months to 5 years can now get their COVID-19 shots! Talk to your child’s health care provider and make a plan to get them vaccinated. Families can also search for vaccine locations on our Find Vaccine Locations map: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp. The map will be updated as more appointments become available. Demand is expected to be high, so please be patient if an appointment is not immediately available. There will be plenty of vaccine to protect our littlest children from COVID-19.
Additional information for parents, including in Hmong, Somali and Spanish can be found by clicking on this link.
School Indoor Air Quality Plan Training
Public schools must have health and safety programs that comply with health, safety, and environmental regulations and best practices, including indoor air quality (IAQ) management. The Minnesota Department of Health is offering school IAQ plan trainings in fall 2022. Trainings will be offered in-person statewide and via webinar. This training will discuss the state’s best practices for school IAQ management plans. School staff, service providers, and others are welcome to attend. The training is free. Registration is required. See MDH School IAQ Plan Training for details and registration.
Required Safe Return to In-Person Learning Plan
As a reminder, one condition for receiving ESSER III awards (FIN 160 and FIN 161) was the development, with community input, of a Safe Return to In-Person Learning Plan. Throughout the full period of the ESSER III award, school districts and charter schools must review at least every six months and, as appropriate, revise its plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services. Districts and charter schools must retain and post documentation of the plan development and plan review.
The requirements for the ESSER III Safe Return to In-Person Learning Plan can be found in the Interim Final Rule. These requirements are not new and have not changed. This is a reminder that these Safe Return to In-Person Learning plans need to be reviewed on a six month cycle and updated, as needed. Email mde.federalCOVIDfunds@state.mn.us with questions.
TDE/Q Comp Professional Development Opportunities Announced
Teacher Development and Evaluation (TDE) and Q Comp are programs intended to develop and support teachers so that they are their best selves for each and every learner. To that end, MDE recently announced several professional development opportunities for school and teacher leaders on topics including:
- Peer coaching and observation
- Student learning goals
- Professional learning communities (PLCs)
- Teacher leadership
Visit the TDE/Q Comp professional development opportunities webpage for more information about the offerings and to register.
New School Nurse Orientation
Registration is open for Minnesota’s new school nurse orientation August 9-12, 2022, at Metro ECSU located in Arden Hills, MN. This two-day orientation program provides a framework for practice for RN/Licensed School Nurses with five years or less experience in school nursing. Presentations cover required and essential components of school health services in Minnesota elementary and secondary schools and on the National Association of School Nurses Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice. For more information and program questions, contact Tara Cliff at 952-556-6116 or clifft@district112.org.
Reminder: Fall Professional Development Opportunity: Principal Development & Evaluation Community of Practice
Minnesota statute requires each local district to develop and implement a system for annually evaluating their school principals. What should such a system include and how might it emphasize growth and support?
The purpose of the Community of Practice for Principal Development and Evaluation (PDE) is to: Explore best-practices for successful PDE systems; Better understand your district's current PDE system; Unpack the purpose and goals for developing or revising your current PDE system; Collaborate as a team to develop or revise a meaningful PDE system.
Who should attend? A team of two to five people, including at least one building principal and one principal supervisor. We ask for each individual to register separately. We recommend teams attend the virtual session together to facilitate meaningful conversation during the collaboration time.
Dates: October 4 & 18; November 1, 15, & 29; December 13
Time: 1 - 2:30 p.m. Note - Each session is designed to provide no more than an hour of content, 1 - 2 p.m., and the additional time, 2 - 2:30 p.m., can be utilized by teams for collaboration and planning.
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
The Community of Practice registration form requests your most pressing questions and concerns about PDE in order to assist us in planning the series.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Reminder: Compensatory Reporting Extension
Laws 2020, 7th Special Session, Chapter 2, Article 6, Sections 1 & 2, extended the reporting window for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2022 Compensatory Revenue. Eligibility for the compensatory revenue program is determined by December 15 of each year. Minnesota Session Laws 2020 extended the deadline to January 4, 2021. The legislation also specified that up to the amount of compensatory revenue attributable to the extension must be funded from available federal coronavirus relief funds. This replaces the state aid funding source that would have been attributable to the 2-week extension. The total revenue attributed to the extension is about $13.9 million. Of the amount revenue needed, $2.4 million will be funded from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER II) Fund. The remaining $11.53 million will be funded from the flexible State Fiscal Recovery funds (SFRF) in the American Rescue Plan.
A memo that outlines the roles and responsibilities for districts has been posted on the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) website. In addition, a spreadsheet that shows the amount of compensatory revenue for each school site and district that is attributable to the reporting extension can be found in the MDE website: Data Center > Data Reports and Analytics > School Finance Spreadsheets > General Education > Miscellaneous Spreadsheets > 2022. Not all districts submitted data to MDE during the extension period, so please check the information for eligibility.
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