NCDPI Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
Did you Know.........
Do you plan on requesting an enrollment increase above 30% for the 2020-21 school year? If so, those amendment requests must be submitted by November 1, 2019. Enrollment increase requests are brought to the CSAB in December each year and discussed and voted on by the SBE in January and February. Low-performing charter schools CANNOT increase enrollment greater than 20%.
Per NC General Statute 115C-218.7, the SBE shall not approve a material revision for enrollment growth of greater than 20% for a charter that is currently identified as low-performing. Enrollment growth of greater than 30% shall be considered a material revision of the charter for any charter school that is not identified as low-performing. The SBE may approve such additional enrollment growth of greater than 30% only if it finds all of the following:
- The actual enrollment of the charter school is within ten percent (10%) of its maximum authorized enrollment.
- The charter school has commitments for ninety percent (90%) of the requested maximum growth.
- The charter school is not currently identified as low-performing.
- The charter school meets generally accepted standards of fiscal management.
- The charter school is, at the time of the request for the enrollment increase, substantially in compliance
with State law, federal law, the charter school's own bylaws, and the provisions set forth in its charter
granted by the State Board.
Please contact Ashley Baquero at Ashley.baquero@dpi.nc.gov or 919-807-3979 if you plan on requesting an enrollment increase greater than 30%. You will also need to input this information into the CSADM system at the appropriate time.
Did you Know.........
For organizations with an elementary grade span that receive Title I funding, the Every Student Succeeds Act (SEC. 1119(a)-(b)) requires coordination with Head Start. A Memorandum of Understanding / Memorandum of Agreement (MOU / MOA) with Head Start is therefore required even if the organization does not operate a Title I preschool program. Organizations will need to upload a current copy of the signed MOU / MOA under the Title I Related Documents section in the CCIP application by December 1, 2019.
The CCIP application will not require the MOU / MOA for initial approval. The deadline for the MOU / MOA has been approved as an extension only for the agreement, not the CCIP application. For more information, contact NCDPI Federal Programs or email ocs@dpi.nc.gov.
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Web Links:
NCStar Burst August 2019
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oYdcuCMrzqdB7L50Ri_eVePiNAJNZQuS/view?usp=sharing
Important Resources for Charter Schools: (Please Read)
Please click on each link.
Charter School Diabetes Memo
Charter School Epinephrine Memo
The Scoop with Coop!
https://www.smore.com/8hcf9
CSLI - Charter School Leadership Institute (2019)
What: Charter School Leadership Institute 2019
When: October 17 and 18, 2019
Where: Envision Science Academy
Registration is open! Click link below.
2019 Charter Leadership Institute registration
Please send your checks for $55.00 per person. Your receipt will be sent to confirm your registration. Parking at Envision will be limited so please plan on carpooling with others from your school.
For more information, contact Claire Porter @ Claire.Porter@dpi.nc.gov
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SAVE the DATE!
What: Leading & Learning Days (formerly LP/CLP bootcamps)
Where: Healthy Start Academy, Durham
When: September 26th 2019
Invitations and agendas will be sent to schools
For more information, contact Claire Porter @ Claire.Porter@dpi.nc.gov
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Charter School Teacher of the Year (TOY)
Dear Charter School Teacher of the Year Coordinator:
NCDPI is pleased to coordinate the 2020 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year (TOY) Program. The program provides an opportunity to honor and recognize exemplary teachers in North Carolina and to call attention to the importance of the teaching profession.
As the TOY Coordinator, you are responsible for your local Teacher of the Year selection process. This process is at the discretion of your Board/Director. You are asked to submit one teacher from your charter school to proceed in the regional process. As a reminder, your nominee must hold a Continuing License, be employed full time, and spend at least 70% of his or her time in direct instruction of North Carolina public school students.
If you are interested in participating or have questions about the process, please contact Sonya Rinehart srinehart@ecps.k12.nc.us As the TOY Lead Regional Education Facilitator, she will communicate with you the next steps. She will also support you entering into this process and making sure we receive your TOY nominee portfolio (due September 13, 2019).
Click the link below for the TOY Schedule:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/185z0zY3126KoMF8nxukRNfnafe9w68fN-6RMzaATWqQ/edit?usp=sharing
NCCAT's first annual Beginning Teacher of the Year deadline is fast approaching on September 6th. Charter leaders, more information on eligibility and process for your charter BTOY can be found at the link below.
www.nccatbtoy.com
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OCS Professional Development Corner (PD)
Come and check out the happenings on our PD website!
www.smore.com/hwt4x
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Planning Year Sessions
Board members from charter schools that are opening in 2020 are required to attend 5 face-to-face Planning Year Sessions from September to January. The school leader and some of the board members are also required to attend the New Charter School Leaders Institute in June. As a customer service, the Office of Charter Schools continues to open up these sessions to all charter schools. If you have a new school leader and/or a new board member interested in attending any of the sessions, he or she must register to attend. Please note the schedule below:
Date
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Time
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Location
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Topic
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September 25, 2019
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8:00 - 4:15
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DPI: Room 150
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Charter School Governance
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October 30, 2019
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8:00 - 4:15
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DPI: Room 150
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Charter School
Finance
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November 20, 2019
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8:00 - 4:15
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DPI: Room 150
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Charter School Operations & Accountability
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December 18, 2019
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8:00 - 4:30
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DPI: Room 150
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Meeting the Needs of All Students
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January 29, 2020
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8:00 - 4:15
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DPI: Room 150
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Our School Opens in 7 Months! Now What?
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June 9 - 10, 2020
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8:00 - 5:00
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DPI: Rooms 150, 224, 564
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New Charter School Leaders Institute
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Registration is now open for the September session. Registration ends on Sunday, September 15th. Please use this link to register: https://forms.gle/xXS62yMDXFsS418JA
For questions, please contact Dr. Kebbler Williams at kebbler.williams@dpi.nc.gov or 919-807-3920.
Upcoming Charter School Advisory Board Meetings - CSAB
September 9, 2019
October 7 - 8, 2019
November 12 - 13, 2019
Upcoming State Board of Education Meetings - SBE
September 4 - 5, 2019
October 2 - 3, 2019
November 5 - 7, 2019
Follow the Office of Charter Schools on Twitter
The Office of Charter Schools is officially tweeting! Follow us @NCCharterOffice for news, updates, and to see the great things happening at charter schools around the state.
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NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Updates
Educators –
Thank you for everything you do for students and your service to our state. North Carolina is fortunate to have you, and our future is brighter because of your hard work. We are excited to be your partners as we start the 2019-20 school year with you.
My team and I have been focused on our shared goals to reduce testing; improve state standards; and increase funding for more and better school safety programs, classroom supplies, school construction, and educator salaries.
Below are highlights you will hopefully see this school year. Some of these efforts are included in the state budget which has not become law as of the time I am writing this letter.
Reducing Testing
• My team and I pushed the federal government and secured approval for a pilot program that can replace local benchmarks and EOGs with a few low-stakes, formative diagnostics throughout the year. My goal is to eliminate the high-stakes EOG and EOC tests.
• We have legislation moving through the General Assembly that will eliminate the NC Final Exams and create a program to reduce the number of local tests administered.
Improving State Standards
• Common Core math is still in our NC Standard Course of Study, which the State Board of Education controls. My team and I worked with the General Assembly to start a program that will allow local districts to opt-out and use different math standards.
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Supporting Classrooms
• We secured a significant increase in state funding for school supplies that will go to you, teachers in classrooms.
• If the state budget becomes law, you will have direct control of $150 this year and $200 next year for the supplies you need for your classroom. Teachers should not have to reach into their own pockets to buy classroom supplies for students. I hope to see this amount in your direct control increase in the coming years.
• Even before the state budget becomes law, we are sending $400 per K-3 classroom in additional funding and thousands of tablets to school districts to support literacy efforts through personalized learning for our youngest learners. This money belongs in classrooms, not Raleigh.
School Safety Efforts
• We will be launching the Say Something App later this year to allow anyone with school safety concerns to report those concerns directly to a dedicated team of specialists. This is in addition to increased funding for school safety and mental health supports in schools.
• We will also be launching the NC Kindness Campaign. Unkindness of any type has no place in our schools. We must work together to reinvigorate this message and reduce bullying, teen suicides, and violence in our schools. Another goal is to support you in improving student discipline in your classrooms, which we know can be a challenge. Thank you for partnering with us on these important initiatives.
School Construction Needs
• After Hurricane Florence devastated eastern North Carolina, we worked overtime to get $80 million of relief funds to districts in addition to the money they received from insurance and the federal government.
• The state budget will launch a new program to invest billions of state dollars in school construction for schools all across the state.
Needed Changes in Raleigh
• I have had the honor and privilege of serving as your State Superintendent for almost three years. Unfortunately, challenges to good governance during that time have clearly demonstrated that the system is broken. This year, I will be promoting long-overdue changes in how the state education agency in Raleigh is governed with the goal of making DPI even more accountable and transparent.
Our North Carolina state toast notes that we are where “the weak grow strong and the strong grow great.” Every student, no matter their background, should be able to work hard and reach their American Dream.
You prepare our children and young adults to be able to make that happen, and we are continuing our work to increase your pay to recognize your important roles in our society. When I entered office, North Carolina was ranked 41st in average teacher salary. We are now 29th (2nd in the South). While we are proud of moving up, we have more work to do and are pushing for continued increases.
Education is one of our greatest tools to help every child succeed. Please know how much North Carolina appreciates you.
Sincerely,
Mark Johnson NC Superintendent of Public Instruction @MarkRJohnsonNC NCsuperintendent.com
Click Here to Watch the Superintendent's Update
Financial and Business Services Newsletter
Please click on the link below for important financial information
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs/resources/newsletters/
Web Link:
MTSS
Please see this memo that outlines potential professional development opportunities for Crisis Prevention Training.
Greetings HR Directors (**New Instructions**) Human Capital/Licensure Webinars
In an effort to keep you all better informed about changes to state policy, NCDPI will begin offering monthly webinars closely following State Board of Education meetings. The purpose of the webinars is to provide you with the opportunity to hear about proposed and approved changes to state policy that have an impact on Human Resources departments.
Because we anticipate many participants, the webinar will not offer a "Q & A" session. We will, however, have a chat feature enabled and will try to answer the most common questions raised from the field. Additionally, we will record these webinars and place those recordings online so you will be able to hear the information even if you are unable to attend. Attendance is, of course, optional, but we hope you all will join us for the webinars.
Charter School directors can designate a staff member to attend these webinars. To do so, the Charter School director/head of school should email Kimberly Evans <Kimberly.Evans@dpi.nc.gov> and request access to the webinar. Please include the designee’s name, position, and email address.
Here is a list of the dates we are planning to schedule the webinars:
September 6
October 4
November 8
December 6
Specific times and the login for the webinar will be provided in the invitation. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Thomas Tomberlin
Director, Educator Recruitment and Support
Office of the Deputy State Superintendent of District Support
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
(O) 919-807-3440
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Dual Language Immersion
A new special program created and entitled, NC-Dual Language Immersion, was pushed out to all instances via the NC Enterprise Controller. This program was created to identify all dual language immersion sections that are being taught in the schools. Atypical to other special programs which are assigned to each individual student, NCDPI will be reporting from the sections table; therefore, the program, “NC-Dual Language Immersion”, only needs to be assigned on the Section Setup screen for all Dual Language Immersion sections. Existing QRDs referring to Dual Language courses and how those have been identified in the past will be updated. New instructions will be shared with SIS administrators
NCEdCloud Badges (QR Code) and Pictograph Login for K-5 Students
Alternative login methods are being offered for younger students of school districts and charter schools to access the NCEdCloud IAM Service. Two alternate authentication options will be available for the start of the 2019 - 2020 academic school year, including badges (QR codes) and pictographs.
As of August 16, a new button to scan a QR code appeared on the NCEdCloud IAM Service login page (see image to the right). Even though all users will be able to click that button, only those students who have a QR code generated by the NCEdCloud will be able to authenticate using this login path.
Please consult with your local technology staff regarding options for requesting, implementing, and supporting these alternate login options for younger students in the NCEdCloud IAM Service.
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Back to School Tips for 2019-2020
Common PowerSchool Start of Year Issues
As you prepare to return back to school, remember to review the quick reference document, Common PowerSchool Start of Year Issues. In it you will find reference materials and tips that are useful in answering common start up questions.
Enrolling New Students and Using the Student UID Search
In order to avoid creating duplicate students, please remember to search the Student UID system when enrolling a new student into PowerSchool. This, along with entering the student information into PowerSchool exactly as it is in the Student UID system, is one of the key components in executing a successful student enrollment. Changes or updates to students demographic information should be done after enrolling the student in your LEA. Explicit instructions on how to perform a student search using the Student UID System can be found in the Student UID: Student Search Guide. If you are not registered to use the Student UID System, a step by step registration process is available at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/cedars/uniqueid/student/registration/.
Also, a “Student Transfer Cheat Sheet"
that gives quick steps to different scenarios of the transfer process is available on the NC SIS site. Please take advantage of this and other resources. If you have questions or need further assistance, contact the Home Base Support Center at (919) 807-4357 or submit a ticket through the Remedy Portal.
NCDPI Standards
Users may now access the new NCDPI Standards from the NC SIS Home page. This link has been placed here for easy access. The spreadsheet is also accessible from the NC SIS Standards Based Grading and Reporting page, as well as the PowerTeacher Pro Resource page. For more documents relating to Standard Based Reporting, visit these pages.
Running the PMR (Principal Monthly Report)
If you have the “red circle” by a school’s PMR, here are a few things you can do to hopefully find the issue.
- Check that students do not have an entry date prior to the first day of school. To search for an entry date prior to the first day of school navigate to the student's search field and enter EntryDate < mm/dd/yyyy (student’s first day of school). Any student returned should have the entry date reviewed and changed to the first day of school if showing a different date. Note: You can also use the PowerTools > School Enrollments Outside the Years and Termsreport to find these students.
- . If finding and correcting the entry date does not correct the issue, review the error message. This will sometimes help in determining the issue. If the problem continues, send this error to the support center for further research. To find the error message at the school level, navigate to Start > Setup – System > Reports > Report Queue Settings - ReportWorks tab. Click the Completed Reports to find and open the failed report. The Error Message Area will identify the problem.
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Back to School Reminder - Set Schoolnet Roles in PowerSchool
As we start the 2019-2020 school year, please remember to update teacher and staff roles in PowerSchool for Schoolnet (Select A Staff Member--->Security Settings--->Applications). Any teacher or staff member who has changed schools or is new to the Public School Unit will need their Schoolnet role updated in PowerSchool. Without a correct role assigned in PowerSchool, teachers and staff will not be able to access Schoolnet or may see inaccurate information. Please be reminded that any changes to Schoolnet roles in PowerSchool requires an overnight sync to take effect. Thank you for your help during this busy time of year!
Upcoming Training
NCEES August Webinars
Mark your calendars for the NCEES August webinars. All webinars will be recorded and posted to the Webinar Series document located on http://bit.ly/ncees-support. Please click here to review the full list: NCEES 2019-2020 Webinars .
New Assistant Principal NCEES Series- Participants only register 1 time for all 10 meetings included in the series.
Description: New assistant principals need consistent ongoing support. This New Assistant Principal NCEES Series will offer 10 meetings over the 2019-20 school year. Each meeting will address timely topics to support NCEES, ensuring fair and reliable practices for assistant principals to support teacher growth. This series will also focus on the growth and development of the AP using the NC School Executive Standards within the AP evaluation process. An agenda outline for all 10 meetings has been developed.
In addition, participants will have a link to submit questions and ideas for topics/ standards to be covered throughout the series. This participant driven agenda will provide relative professional development that is immediately applicable for leader success. A deeper study of the standards will be guided by the feedback survey.
Note: The agenda may change throughout the series depending on professional development needs of the participants.
Link to agenda outline for all 10 meetings
Target Audience: NEW Assistant Principals
Dates: Tuesday, Aug 27, 2019, September 24, October 29, November 26, January 28, February 25. March 31, April 28, May 26, June 16
Time: 4-5 p.m.
WIDA Face-to-Face Workshops
ESL/Title III at the NC Department of Public Instruction is pleased to offer four WIDA face-to-face workshops this school year.
WIDA Workshop
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Dates
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Location
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Engaging Multilingual Learners in Science
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September 11-12, 2019
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Durham Public Schools
Ivy Community Center, 4222 Fayetteville Rd, Durham, NC 27713
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Scaffolding Learning Through Language
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September 25-26, 2019
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Guilford County Schools
Doris Henderson Newcomer School, 411 Friendway Rd, Greensboro, NC 274110
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Leading Schools for Multilingual Learner Achievement
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October 7-8, 2019
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New Hanover County Schools
Spencer Building room 111 1802 15th street Wilmington, NC 28401
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Leading Schools for Multilingual Learner Achievement
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October 10-11, 2019
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Henderson County Public Schools
Historic Johnson Farm 3346 Haywood Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28791
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Registration for the EL Coordinators Meeting - Fall 2019
From: ESL/Title III
To: Title III Directors/EL Coordinators/Designees // ALL LEA/Charter/Lab Schools.
EL Coordinators Meeting Fall 2019
September 18: NEW EL Coordinators
September 19: ALL EL Coordinators
September 20: Break-out Sessions
1. EL Advisory Council and 2. Charter Schools
Registration
Please complete the registration form to confirm your attendance at the meeting. This meeting does NOT have a registration fee. Once you submit your registration form you will receive a confirmation email with all the detailed information (Check your spam/junk folder).
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Other News
Immunization and Health Assessment Compliance Reporting
Each year, all schools are required to report the immunization status of their kindergarten and 7th grade students, according to G.S. 130A-155(c) and G.S. 130A-440. The purpose of these reports is to ensure that all children enrolled in North Carolina schools are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases and to determine the number of children who meet state immunization requirements. Additionally, all North Carolina public and public charter schools are required annually to report on the status of Health Assessments for those students who are enrolling for the first time in a North Carolina public or public charter school (G.S. 130A-441(c)).
Report submission can take place after the 30th calendar day from the school’s official first day. A combined compliance report is available this year, by school name, and must be completed on-line at this link: Annual Health Assessment and Immunization Report. You may use the link to access instructions as well as worksheets to gather your responses prior to entering the online report. Compliance reports are due no later than November 1, 2019 but may be completed at any time prior to that date.
Communication From The Consultant
The Technical Assistance Summary provides valuable school health information. School Health Coordinators and/or School Nurses are encouraged to review this quarterly circular so you can stay up-to-date with news and announcements from the Charter School Health Nurse Consultant.
Annette Darden Richardson, MSN, RN, NCSN
Charter School Health Nurse Consultant
Division of Public Health - Children and Youth Branch
NC Department of Health and Human Services
Office: 252-339-3009
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NCHEP will be conducting its annual New Homeless Liaison Compliance Training for Charter Schools on September 12th. Those who are new homeless liaisons with 2 years or less experience and who did not attend the new homeless liaison training held during 2018-19SY should participate in this all-day professional development.
Charter Schools New Homeless Liaison Training
September 12, 2019
UNC Greensboro (main campus)
Elliott University Center
1st Floor - Dogwood Room
507 Stirling Street
Greensboro, NC 27412
Register for the Charter School New Homeless Liaison Compliance Training
The topics for training will include:
- Compliance with the McKinney-Vento Act
- Transportation
- Early Childhood Education
- Higher Education (RDS)
- Non-Regulatory Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education
- Roles and responsibilities of the homeless liaison
- Identification and services for homeless children and youth
- The dispute resolution process
- Subgrant funding and requirements
- Data collection and reporting requirements from the State
- Collaboration with other LEAs, the community, and NCHEP
- Needs assessments
- Website requirements
For more information about the New Homeless Liaison Compliance Training, please visit the web page on the NCHEP website. This is a free professional development event, but registration is required. See the link above to register.
We look forward to seeing you at the New Homeless Liaison Compliance Training!
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