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August 19, 2022
Updates in this email:
Back To School - Vax To School
A new school year will be here before we know it! Talk to your child’s health care provider to see what vaccines your child needs. https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/immunize/basics/kids.html
Keep your kids on track - schedule a well-child visit now. As children and adolescents are doing more in-person activities, and as we prepare for the next school year, this is a great time to make sure they are caught up on missed well-child visits to get vaccines and check-in on their physical, mental and emotional health. Contact your child’s health care provider to make an appointment. If your child does not have a regular health care provider, there are resources available to help you schedule an appointment: https://freechildcheckups.com/. #BackToSchool #VaxToSchool
Anti-Bias and Trauma-Informed Principles and Practices Training and Supports Grant - FY23
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is committing $1.5 million of the American Rescue Plan (ARP funds to provide training, support, and resources for school staff on anti-bias and trauma-informed principles and practices. The purpose of this grant opportunity is to increase awareness of how bias and trauma impact student learning and provide educators with reflective practices, and the knowledge and skills to assess their own thinking and behaviors as a means to consider what student behaviors may indicate and identify ways to better support students and increase their success. The grants are to develop training and to work with schools to train staff on anti-bias and trauma-informed practices that build critical skills. Your school may qualify to receive up to a $150,000 Grant! Please be aware that completed applications are due Thursday, September 1, 2022.
You can find the full details of the grant and how to apply here.
ICYMI: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Releases New Guidance
On August 11, 2022, the CDC updated their COVID-19 guidance to help people better understand their risk, how to protect themselves and others, what actions to take if exposed to COVID-19, and what actions to take if they are sick or test positive for the virus. As part of this update, CDC also revised their operational guidance for K-12 schools and child care programs. Changes to the guidance included:
· Removal of the recommendation to cohort
· Focused recommendations for conducting screening testing on high-risk activities during high COVID-19 community levels or in response to an outbreak
· Removal of the recommendation to quarantine, except in high-risk congregate settings
· Removed information about Test to Stay
· Added detailed information on when to wear a mask, managing cases and exposures, and responding to outbreaks
While the CDC no longer recommends quarantine (staying home) after an exposure to someone with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people take precautions, including getting tested and wearing a mask, regardless of vaccination status or if they had a previous infection.
MDH has updated the MDH Schools and Child Care: COVID-19 webpage to reflect these changes. The CDC guidance can also be accessed directly using the links below:
Questions about the CDC’s guidance can be directed to the MDH COVID-19 Schools and Child Care Team at health.schools.covid19@state.mn.us.
Reducing Financial Burden for Aspiring School Bus Drivers
Purpose: $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 bus drivers working in the seven-county metro area and 40% will be available to bus drivers working in the non-metro area. All funds will be available on a first come first served basis.
Below is a link to a webpage that may be helpful in learning how to obtain bus driver certification.
https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/Pages/School-Bus-Endorsement.aspx
Funding availability: These funds will be available retro-active to February 2, 2022 and available through June 30, 2023.
Funding Information:
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education
CFDA 21.027, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
Reminder: Mark Your Calendars for "Lights On Afterschool"
Lights On Afterschool is Thursday, October 20, 2022. Lights On Afterschool is a part of a national afterschool movement and celebrates afterschool programs and their role in the lives of young people. As you prepare for your afterschool programming in the 2022-23 school year, please consider hosting an event in October to showcase your program to the community. For ideas on how your program could bring awareness and celebrate keeping the lights on, check out the Lights On Afterschool toolkit!
Reminder: Federal Testing Grant Awards Public Comment
Due to the unanticipated reduction in testing spending caused by COVID-19, MDE is working to manage these remaining funds so that they will be available to cover upcoming development and standard-setting expenses associated with implementing assessments aligned to revised standards. MDE is requesting tydings for federal testing grant awards S369A200024 from the U.S. Department of Education. Under the federal Tydings Amendment, Section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions Act, any funds that are not obligated at the end of the federal funding period shall remain available for obligation for an additional period of 12 months.
As stated in ESEA statute, section 8401, the “State educational agency shall provide the public and any interested local educational agency in the State with notice and a reasonable opportunity to comment and provide input on the request, to the extent that the request impacts the local educational agency.” As such, the public is invited to comment on the Tydings request for federal grant awards now through August 31 by emailing mde.testing@state.mn.us.
Reminder: Accountability Webinars and Key Dates
Two webinars to discuss the changes to Minnesota’s accountability system under its amended ESSA state plan and review this summer’s accountability data release schedule were held August 4 and 9. Additional webinar opportunities will be offered closer to the August 25 public release date.
Key Dates for Accountability
- August 8: Schools and districts receive secure local accountability data; accountability appeals window begins.
- August 12: Accountability appeals window closes.
- August 23: Schools and districts receive embargoed accountability summary data for the entire state.
- August 24: Media receive embargoed accountability summary data.
- August 25: Public release of final assessment and accountability results.
Please contact Michael Diedrich (651-582-8332) with any questions.
Reminder: The Levy Information System is Open as of July 22, 2022
The Levy Information System is now open for data entry related to the Payable 2023 levy. The password to the system is summer2022. Building/Land Lease and Debt Service data is required by August 12. All other data entry is due by August 26. Intermediate districts and cooperatives should use this system to request lease authority for their member districts.
In the coming week, the following documents related to the levy limitations and certification process for 2022 Payable 2023 will be available on the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Levy Certification Process webpage.
- 2022 Payable 2023 Levy Forms and Instructions
- Levy Limitation and Certification Calendar
- Levy Information System Instructions
- School Finance Contact List
- 2021 Revised Adjusted Net Tax Capacity Memo
- Estimate of Referendum Cap Inflation Adjustment Memo on Referendum webpage
If you have any questions, contact Jason Reil (Jason.Reil@state.mn.us) and School Finance Levy staff (mde.levy@state.mn.us).
Reminder: 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.
Reminder: Equity Leads Survey
School Districts and Charter Schools! The MDE Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Center is looking to get connected with the Equity Leads at your respective institutions to share updates, meeting opportunities, resources and tools, and general information to support their work. Please complete the brief Equity Leads of Minnesota Survey to submit the contact details for your Equity Leads. This information will allow the EDI Center to work with and hear from you!
Reminder: Online and Blended Learning Options for the 2022-23 School Year
All school districts and charter schools must notify the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) of their intent to provide blended learning or online learning options using this form prior to the first day of instruction. See the Online and Blended Learning Options overview for more information.
Blended learning is when students learn primarily in the building but receive instruction online for up to 50% of their weekly schedule. Districts and charter schools will notify MDE they are providing blended options and sign quality assurance statements.
Online learning is when students learn for more than 50% of their scheduled class time online away from a school building for one or more courses. For online learning, districts and charter schools must have completed an approved application to be an online provider.
It is important to note that the provisional approval process for online learning was for the 21-22 school year only and is no longer in effect. Email mde.onlinelearning@state.mn.us with questions.
Reminder: COVID-19 Surveillance to Transition
As of August 1, MDH transitioned COVID-19 surveillance in PreK–grade 12 schools and child care settings to facility-level reporting. This means these settings will no longer report on every individual case but will instead submit aggregate numbers of cases from their facility on a routine basis. This transition aims to shift to more sustainable COVID-19 surveillance and data reporting efforts while still monitoring disease incidence in specific populations (e.g., children).
PreK-12 schools, certified child care centers, and child care programs licensed to serve 40 or more children will receive a weekly email with a link to report the total number of student and staff cases of COVID-19 for each building. To facilitate this streamlined reporting, school leaders are asked to complete the COVID-19 Case Report Onboarding Form for PreK-12 Schools survey to indicate who will be reporting COVID-19 data for each of their school buildings by July 25, 2022. Please be sure to coordinate responses between leadership, COVID-19 coordinators, and school health staff.
The MDH COVID-19 Schools & Child Care Team is conducting training to describe the changes to surveillance. Live training and responses to frequently asked questions will be provided during the next MDH School Health webinar:
- Tuesday, August 23, 9–10:30 a.m.
Questions about surveillance changes can be directed to the MDH COVID-19 Schools and Child Care Team at health.schools.covid19@state.mn.us.
Reminder: 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.
Reminder: 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 visiting the Minnesota COVID-19 Response website.
Reminder: 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.
Reminder: 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.
Reminder: 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.
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