NC SBE Director of Government and Community Affairs - September 10, 2020

Welcome to this week's edition of the NC State Board of Education's Legislative Update. As we begin this new week, it means that our NC Public Schools have been admirably and successfully serving our students, and their families for going on four weeks. In overcoming the impact of COVID-19, we have required a great deal of sacrifice, resiliency, and flexibility as our state has faced unprecedented change. Our schools, their administration, faculty, and staff, have ALL responded with a collective commitment and dedication and our legislative team says, THANK YOU!

We also hope you all had a relaxing and recharging Labor Day weekend as we ended the 2020 NC General Assembly's "Short Session" with Thursday's Sine Die and the ratification of HB 1105 Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0, by both the House and Senate.

HB 1105 has been signed by Governor Cooper.  It is now Session Law 2020-97.

Major Education Allocations

• $10M for improving Internet connectivity for students through mobile Internet access points.  Cost of devices, not subscription. This would be in addition to the $11M in PRC128
• $20M for PPE. This would be in addition to the $7m appropriated in HB1023 
• $17M  for grants for EC students' services. This would be in addition to the $20M in PRC132

Major Education Policy Changes

• Eliminates the requirement for DPI to adjust initial allotments for the actual best 1 of 2 ADM
  • Allocation transfers for new and growing charter schools will be made, therefore the result for LEAs would be the initial allotments less the charter school transfers
• Increases the cap for the 2 virtual charter schools by 3,800 students
• Requires principal salaries to be determined based on the 2019-20 ADM for principal pay as of January 1, 2021
• Temporary flexibility for transportation allocation
  • Allows LEAs to use funds provided from the transportation allotment (PRC056) for school nutrition, childcare, sanitizing schools and buses, in-person instruction, and remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic

For complete details on HB 1105 Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0, visit the NC General Assembly Page at https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2019/H1105. 

I wanted to take a brief moment to thank all those who have guided me, mentored me, and partnered with me, through the first "Session" representing the NC State Board of Education: my partner in this work, Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith; Chair and Vice-Chair, Eric Davis and Alan Duncan, for their faith and leadership; my mentor, Cecilia Holden; SBE Members and Advisors; Anne Murtha and Karson Nelson, my stalwart legislative teammates; DPI leadership and staff for your constant collaboration; the General Assembly Members and their staff, particularly the Legislative Analysis and Fiscal Research Teams; the Governor's Office and staff; NCASA, NCSBA, RTI, and NCAE's legislative teams; and the many "thought partners" across NC who have worked tirelessly to promote the well-being and learning opportunities of our students. Lastly, thank you, to our districts and charter schools- your leaders and administrators, principals, educators, and other faculty and staff. I have been humbled by your model and example.

Only in our collective partnership will we transcend the immediate issues of COVID-19’s impact on NC Public Schools and provide the resources needed to make our schools whole and revitalize the spirit our communities require to move NC Public Schools- “Beyond Normalcy.”

"We Strive and Rise, Together." Freebird McKinney

House and Senate Adjourned - Sine Die Thursday, September 3, 2020 Adjourn to Date Certain then Sine Die | (S870) Ch. Res 2020-5 Amend Adjournment Resolution | (S873) Ch. Res 2020-7 When the Senate and the House of Representatives adjourn, they stand adjourned sine die.     2019-2020 Legislation with Effective Dates of July 1, 2020 NCGA Legislative Calendar   The 2021 Long Session of the North Carolina General Assembly will convene Wednesday, January 13, 2021

House Bill 1105- Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0- AN ACT TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL AND REVISED USES FOR FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUNDS, TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR DISASTER RECOVERY, AND TO MAKE OTHER REVISIONS OF LAW.

HB 1105 - Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0

OVERVIEW:  The PCS for House Bill 1105 would provide additional and revised uses for federal coronavirus relief funds, provide funding for disaster recovered, and make other revisions of law.

• 3.3(8), for DPI to improve Internet connectivity for students via mobile Internet access points, is increased from $11M to $21M.
• 3.3(46), $9M for the GREAT program, is modified to provide additional programmatic details concerning disbursement and eligibility requirements.
• 3.3(63), for DPI for CDC- and federal guidance compliant-PPE in public schools to facilitate inperson instruction, is increased from $7M to $27M. These funds may also be used for COVID-19 testing.
• 3.3(64), for DPI for grants to applicant public school units for services for exceptional children who lost critical services due to COVID-19 related school closures, is increased from $5M to $22M. DPI is encouraged to use the additional funds for in-person services for qualifying children.
• 3.3(75) - provides $87M in additional unemployment assistance for the remainder of 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
• 3.3(89) - provides $1.1M to DPI to be allocated to Communities in Schools of North Carolina, Inc. for PPE and to assist students with remote instruction, nutrition, family support, and mental health.
• 3.3(90) - provides $115,000 to DPI to establish the Smart School Bus Safety Pilot Program in Mount Airy City Schools in response to COVID-19, as provided in Section 4.16 of S.L. 2020-4, as enacted by Section 1.3 of this PCS.
• 3.3(91) - provides $1M to DPI to be allocated to Alamance-Burlington Schools for school nutrition, transportation, technology, remote instruction, PPE, temperature screening tools, and other goods and services necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 3.3(92) - provides $500,000 to DPI to be allocated on the basis of ADM to all public school units in Bertie County, Camden County, Chowan County, Perquimans County, Tyrrell County, and Washington County for school nutrition, transportation, technology, remote instruction, PPE, temperature screening tools, and other goods and services necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 3.3(96) – Provides $1M for the New Teacher Support Program to provide mentoring and coaching support to beginning teachers who are employed in public schools most impacted by COVID-19 at no cost to the local school administrative units.
• 3.3(100) – $1M to DPI to make available to public school units one or more Gaggle safety management products to enhance student safety while providing remote instruction in response to COVID-19. .

• 3.3(103) – Provides $50,000 to the Department of Administration, Division of Non-Public Education, to fund temporary positions to assist in processing the increased volume of homeschool filings.

• 3.3(103a) – Provides $19.9M to the YMCA of the Triangle Area, Inc., for the NC Alliance of YMCAs for a grant program to facilitate remote learning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 3.3(106) - Provides $600,000 in CARES Act funds to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, to continue increasing access to Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits for individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in response to COVID-19.

• 3.3(106a) – Provides $35M to DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, for grants to licensed child care providers for remote learning opportunities for children.
• 3.3(106b) – Provides $8M to DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, for assistance payments to parents using remote learning opportunities for the care of their children.
• 3.3(108) - Provides $100,000 to Backpack Ministry, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides food to students, to address food service demands due to COVID-19.
• 3.3(109) - Provides $300,000 in CARES Act funds to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, to establish a student health collaborative pilot program.
• 3.3(115) – Provides $30M to DIT for the GREAT Fund for supplementary funding.
• 4.12 Establishes the Extra Credit Grant Program. The only criteria for receiving a grant is that the family filed a 2019 tax return on or before October 15th, indicated they were State residents for all of 2019, and reported they had at least one child eligible for the federal child tax credit. The amount of the grant is $335 per family. 1.2 million families, with almost 2 million children, are expected to qualify for the grant.
• 4.13 Permits funds in the transportation allotment to be used flexibly for the 2020-21 school year for school nutrition, school- and community-based child care, sanitizing schools and buses, personal protective equipment, and remote instruction
• 4.16 Establishes the Smart School Bus Safety Pilot Program in Mount Airy City Schools, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to improve the transportation of students through technology.
• 4.17 Details additional requirements regarding the $30M to the Department of Information Technology for a special supplementary grant period under the GREAT act to expand broadband infrastructure and provide Internet access to unserved homes and businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 4.18 Requires DHHS, Division of Social Services (Division), to use funds allocated to the Division under this act to collaborate with the SBE and DPI in establishing a student health collaborative pilot program to assist students with their mental and physical well-being while in a public school setting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Part III - Other Revisions of Law, as follows:

• Section 3.1 Directs the State Board of Education not to reduce allotments to public school units if there is a difference between anticipated and actual average daily membership.

• Section 3.1A Revises the definition of average daily membership (ADM) in the 2020-2021 Principal Salary Schedule to avoid a change in salaries on January 1, 2021, by continuing to use ADM amounts from the 2019-2020 school year.

• Section 3.2 Permits two virtual charter schools to increase student enrollment by 3,800, as allotted to each school, for the 2020-2021 school year only.

• Section 3.3 Modifies the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program to (i) no longer cap the amount of funds that could be used for students entering kindergarten and first grade and (ii) change the income eligibility threshold to broaden who may participate in the program. 

• Section 3.7A Provides flexibility for certain child-care licensing requirements by (i) authorizing use of community-based organizations (CBOs), (ii) clarifying the cooperative arrangements exemption under the definition of child care, and (iii) requiring CBOs to comply with the sanitation requirements for licensed child-care facilities.

• Section 3.14 makes various changes to the GREAT act to enable the Department of Information Technology to more effectively administer the broadband grant process.

   

  BACKGROUND:  This act provides additional and revised uses for federal Coronavirus Relief Funds provided in S.L. 2020-4, 2020-32, and 2020-80.

SL 2020-81 (S212) Capital Appropriations/R&R/DIT/Cybersecurity    Broadband infrastructure projects funded through appropriations to the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology Fund established in G.S. 143B-1373(b). § 143B-1374.  Satellite-Based Broadband Grant Program. (H1228 Satellite Broadband Grants)   Unserved household. – A household located in this State that does not have access to broadband service from a wireline or wireless service provider. A household that is included in an area where a grant from the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program pursuant to G.S. 143B-1373 has been awarded is not eligible for a grant under this section.   (b) The Satellite-Based Broadband Grant Fund is created as a special revenue fund in the Department of Information Technology. Monies in the Fund do not revert but remain available to the Department for the purposes provided in this section. State funds appropriated to this Fund shall be considered an information technology project within the meaning of G.S. 143C-1-2.   NCDIT GREAT Grant     2019-2020 GREAT Program Guidance Document Tier One Counties- All locations must be located within Tier One counties as designated by the NC Department of Commerce for 2019 North Carolina Broadband Mapping Tool

NC State Board of Education The agendas, COVID-19 Response and Legislative Updates can be found through the links below: Agendas for the September SBE meeting:  Wednesday, September 2nd - here Thursday, September 3rd - here StrongSchoolsNC - Public Health Toolkit (K-12) here. COVID-19 Response For North Carolina Public Schools here. Remote Instruction Plans in Response to COVID-19 Crisis here.  Remote Learning Resources here. SBE approves Allocation of $70 million from CARES Act Funds for Remediation and Summer Bridge Programs here. Final Remediation & Summer Jump Start Guidance in Response to COVID-19 Crisis here. Agendas for the July SBE meeting:  Wednesday, July 8th - here  |  Thursday, July 9th - here Freebird McKinney's Legislative Updates:  March Legislative Update April Legislative Update May Legislative Update  June Legislative Update  July Legislative Update  August Legislative Update September Legislative Update Live Audio Streaming of SBE meetings are available at this link. Link to SBE Meetings here.   Next monthly meeting:   SBE October Planning and Working Session- Tuesday, October 6th through Thursday, October 8th, 2020.

NC State Board of Education - Legislative Priorities

• Early Grades Literacy
• Leandro Focused Initiatives
• Teacher and Principal Preparation, Professional Learning Opportunities, and Compensation 
• School Accountability and Teacher Effectiveness Models
• School and District Assistance and Turnaround
• Connecting High School Students to Post-Secondary and Career Opportunities
• Supporting the Whole Child, including Social/ Emotional and Mental Health Support, as well as Child Nutrition Programs (Second Chance Breakfast)
• Internet/ Broadband Connectivity
• NC Education Corps

Highlights from the September NC SBE Meeting

Accountability Update: 2020-2021

This discussion is a follow-up to the State Board of Education’s directive in June 2020 to provide an overview of test development given the spring 2020 waiver from the administration of statewide assessments. Included in this discussion will be (1) a review of the innovative assessment pilot as approved by the U.S. Department of Education and (2) information on the cost savings of not administering tests in spring 2020 and the projected costs for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 school years.

• Click here to review the presentation.
• Click here to review a supporting document from superintendents from the Northwest Region.

Read to Achieve

• 2020–21 Read to Achieve Local Alternative Assessments

Cohort Graduation Rate for the 2019-20 School Year

• 2019–20 Cohort Graduation Rate Executive Summary
• Link to Cohort Graduation Rate Data

NC Department of Health & Human Services: Deputy Secretary Susan Gale Perry

• NCDHHS: K-12 Reopening Briefing

NC Athletic Association: Fall Sports: Commissioner Que Tucker

• NCHSAA Presentation

2020-21 North Carolina Educator Evaluation System (NCEES) Overview

• Guidance for Observing Remote and Blended Learning
• Supporting Remote and Blended Instruction Using NCEES

Transportation Allotment Flexibility for PRC056

The State Board of Education acted to amend policy ALOT-003 with regard to the PRC 056 Transportation Allotment by adding the following special provision:

“8) Notwithstanding the purpose and other special provisions of PRC 056, PRC 056 funds may also be used to support yellow school bus operations for purposes which support students’ nutrition or instruction in any state of disaster or local state of emergency declared under 166A of the General Statutes.”

During a declared state of emergency, this flexibility allows LEAs to decide the most effective way to use school bus transportation resources to support students’ nutrition and instruction given the operational situation in their district. PRC 056 funds may now be used for school bus operations which support students’ needs even when those needs don’t involve physically moving students to and from their assigned school building.

 

Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funding Consideration

• Allocations for K-12 Public Schools

Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee Occurred Tuesday, September 1, 2020   Agenda 9-01-2020   Update on myFutureNC | Executive Summary Progress Report Dale Jenkins, Chair, myFutureNC Board of Directors Cecilia Holden, President and CEO, myFutureNC Presentations on the North Carolina Virtual Public School Performance Audit State Auditor’s Office - Beth A. Wood, State Auditor Department of Public Instruction/State Board of Education Eric Davis, Chairman, State Board of Education Dr. Beverly Emory, Deputy Superintendent, Department of Public Instruction Eliz Colbert, Executive Director, North Carolina Virtual Public Schools

COVID-19 Response For North Carolina Public Schools The COVID-19 Response for North Carolina Public Schools, issued by the North Carolina State Board of Education and Department of Public Instruction, provides guidance to public school leaders in response to school closures resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency.     Gov. Roy Cooper directed the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE) in collaboration with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to develop a plan to:     Ensure access to a quality education for students through the remainder of the school year; Provide students with remote learning while school buildings are closed; and Ensure that all school employees – including janitors, bus drivers, teaching assistants and cafeteria workers -- will work in safe environments and be paid.

DPI – Financial Business Services- Funding and Legislative Information   Summary of 2020-21 Legislation   2020-2021 Allotment Policy Manual Updated September 8, 2020 COVID Allotment Policy Manual 2020-21 Updated September 8, 2020   State COVID Appropriations and Provisions   COVID Allotment Policy Manual 2020-21 S.L. 2020-97 (HB1105) S.L. 2020-3 (SB704)- Requirements and Guidance on School Calendar S.L. 2020-4 (HB1043) PRC121 Summer Learning Program $70m - Policy and Allotment PRC122 Contracting Mental Health Professional $10m - Policy PRC123 Nondigital Resources $3m - Policy PRC124 Student Computers and Devices $30m - Policy PRC125 School Nutrition $75m - Policy and Allotment and Guidance PRC126 Personnel Computers and Devices $5m - Policy PRC127 Bus WiFi $1m - Policy PRC128 Home and Community WiFi $11m - Policy and Allotment (Draft) PRC129 Learning Management System $1.488m - Policy PRC132 Grants for Exceptional Children Services $15m - Policy PRC133 ELISS Grants $5m - Policy PRC135 Cybersecurity $4.5M - SL 2020-4   Federal CARES Act   PRC163 Allotment Policy Updated May 21, 2020 K-12 Emergency Relief Fund - Planning Allotments Updated May 15, 2020 Federal Legislation CARES Act Summary Updated April 24, 2020   Funding and Allocations   2020-2021 Allotment Policy Manual COVID Allotment Policy Manual 2020-21 Updated September 8, 2020 FAQ Gov. Cooper memo - COVID-19 Allotment and Public School Budget Flexibility

PRESS RELEASE:  Governor Cooper Directs $95.6 Million to Support Students Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic Aug 12, 2020      Governor Roy Cooper directed $95.6 million in new funding to help support K-12 and postsecondary students most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who can benefit from support during the upcoming school year. The funding is North Carolina’s share of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund, a part of the federal CARES Act. The GEER funds are intended to provide emergency support to school districts, postsecondary institutions, or other education-related entities for addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.    The Governor is directing the following investments to support K-12 students across North Carolina: $40 million to the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to hire more school nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists in our public schools. $20 million to the State Board of Education and DPI to support the academic needs of at-risk students and students with disabilities through additional in-school supports, such as after-school programming, tutoring, or hiring more teachers or teacher assistants.   The investments in K-12 education will help students continue learning despite the pandemic and also align closely with efforts to help North Carolina meet its constitutional obligation to provide all students with access to a sound, basic education and resolve the Leandro case.    See Complete Press Release here.   PRESS RELEASE: Projects in 11 rural counties awarded more than $12M in GREAT grants and COVID-19 Recovery Act funding   County — Applicant/Provider   Bertie — Roanoke Connect Holdings Columbus — Atlantic Telephone Membership Corporation Duplin — CenturyLink Edgecombe — CloudWyze, Inc. Graham — Zito Media Greene — Nfinity Link Communications Inc. Martin — CloudWyze, Inc. Nash — CloudWyze, Inc. Robeson — Atlantic Telephone Membership Corporation Rockingham — Spectrum Southeast, LLC Swain — Sky Wave, Inc.    Winning projects are expected to connect 8,017 families and 254 businesses, farms and community institutions to high-speed internet   See Complete Press Release here

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act: 

• CARES Act will provide $1.4 billion in federal COVID-19 relief in the state budget.
• The $2 trillion economic relief package provides assistance to workers, small businesses, families and state and local governments.

Governor Cooper’s proposal for the federal aid to North Carolina:

• •$740.4 million for education and state government services
• •$375 million for small business and local government assistance
• •$313 million to public health and safety

LINK: Recommendations to Address COVID-19’s Immediate Needs- Office of State Budget Management

K-12 Public Education Bills that have become Session Law See the August 28th Update for an overview of the latest bills - HERE

North Carolina State Board of Education
“State of the Shire”—Community Affairs Update

The finalists for the 2020 @WellsFargo Principal of the Year

• West: Lori Fox, Haywood Early College (Haywood County Schools)
• Northwest: Kisha Clemons, Shuford Elementary School (Newton-Conover City Schools)
• Southwest: Jennifer Brinson, Wolf Meadow Elementary School (Cabarrus County Schools)
• Piedmont: Ashley Lemley, Southwood Elementary (Davidson County Schools)
• North Central: Ruth Steidinger, Olive Chapel Elementary (Wake County Schools)
• Sandhills: Alfred Jean Hammond, Upchurch Elementary (Hoke County Schools)
• Northeast: Sheila Evans, White Oak Elementary (Edenton-Chowan Schools)
• Southeast: Deborah Hoffman, Jacksonville Commons Elementary (Onslow County Schools)

Wells Fargo Principal of the Year Overview | Past Principals of the Year

Watch the ceremony on YouTube at https://bit.ly/32q7Mtc.

Lighting Our Way Forward - Superheroes

Thanks to our Pandemic Superheroes   Shining Our Lights, this flipbook showcases the start of the 2020-21 school year with some awesome moments across our state. WELCOME BACK #BeyondNormalcy

Light Our Way Forward - School District Visits

Getting Back to School Updates

August 25, 2020

10:00 a.m. – Noon

Wallace Educational Forum 

• Welcome/Introductions  Freebird McKinney - Lynn Moody
• Outdoor/Physical Spaces  Anthony Vann
• Buses  Tim Beck
• Food & Nutrition  Lisa Altmann
• Athletics  Rick Vanhoy
• Technology  David Blattner
• Nurses/Health Assistants  Carol Ann Houpe
• Virtual School Visits   Students
  •  CGES 
  •  WRMS 
  •  ERHS 
• Summit Virtual K-8  Amy Pruitt
• Access For All Students  April Kuhn
• Finance/HR Updates  Carol Herndon

           Questions and Answers

           Closing Comments/Reflections 

Greene County Schools Back to School Update with Senator Don Davis and Superintendent Dr. Patrick Miller

Carteret County Schools Back to School Update with Sen. Norman Sanderson, Rep. Craig Horn, Rep. Ashton Clemmons and Superintendent Dr. Rob Jackson

The Innovation Project's (TIP) Upcoming Lunch & Learn Series: The Historical Opportunity for Courageous Leadership

Ms. Ann McColl of The Innovation Project (TIP) invites Board members to their series on courageous leadership. 

Lunch and Learn Series

–Friday, September 25 | October 2 | October 9

–12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m - Presentation

–1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Continued Open Discussion

•2020 is a turning point year. There are extraordinary opportunities for transformation. For healing. For courageous leadership. To better understand these opportunities, TIP will take a look at three times in North Carolina history where we had the opportunity for transformation in education and race equity.

•1868 - The Coalition for Justice

–Friday, September 25, 12:00 p.m. -1:30 p.m.

–Courageous leaders have come together in North Carolina after the Civil War to create one of the best constitutions in the country for public education. The constitutional convention is led by a coalition made up of newly franchised black delegates as well as native and out-of-state white delegates. Together they fight for funding, for a system of education, and to keep designations by race out of the constitution

. 

•1901 - White Supremacy Seeks Inequity

• Friday, October 2, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
• The pendulum has swung back to white supremacy. In the great campaign for education, inequity is built into the model for public education. Remarkably, philanthropic forces still came together in the aftermath to attempt to create opportunities for black students within the education system. 

•1956 - The State at a Crossroads 2 Years After Brown v. Board

• Friday, October 9, 12:00 p.m. -1:30 p.m.
• Two years after Brown v. Board of Education, North Carolina is at a crossroads: will it move towards equity and integration or defy the Supreme Court? What will be the role of courageous leaders?

Legislative Calendar

Monday, September 21, 2020

Key COVID-19 Resources: Drill down through these links for valuable information and tools NCDPI: Coronavirus Guidance for Schools and Districts Remote Instruction Guidance Website COVID-19 Response For North Carolina Public Schools  President’s Guidelines for Opening Up America Again Governor Cooper’s Executive Orders on COVID-19 NCDHHS – NC Department of Health and Human Services: COVID-19 Response in North Carolina North Carolina COVID-19 Information and Resources Hunt Institute: K-12 Reopening Plans by State UNC-TV/ NCDPI At Home Learning CDC – Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidance for School Settings World Health Organization: Rolling updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) U.S. Department of Education Public School Forum of NC Coronavirus (COVID-19) Map: Coronavirus and School Closures Featured Remote Learning Resources From Elsewhere Kahoot! Distance Learning Guide for Schools Schooling at Home:  Resources for parents and students (UNC School of Education) An Educator's Resource to Distance Learning, Remote Learning, and eLearning (from Ditch that Textbook by Matt Miller) eLearning Activities (from Ditch that Textbook by Matt Miller) Google Sheet of Companies Offering FREE Education Services (from Amazing Educational Resources on Facebook) Learn Platform is currently aggregating a large list of edtech products offering COVID-19 support. Teaching Remotely in Times of Need by Torrey Trust, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst Remote teaching and learning in Office 365 Microsoft Teams for Education webinars Tips and Tools for Teaching Remotely - Free Technology for Teachers Blog Resources for Teaching Online Due to School Closures Google: Explore Distance Learning Resources for Schools Affected by COVID-19 Resources to Support Teleschool Plans: COVID-19 (CommonLit) State eLearning Policies and Resources.xlsx Preparing Students to Learn From Home With Chromebooks NCSU - Creating an Academic Continuity Plan NYC Department of Education — Learn at Home Pennsylvania Department of Education — Flexible Instructional Days (Arkansas) Fayetteville Public Schools Alternative Methods of Instruction If you have questions or concerns, call the COVID-19 Helpline toll free at 1-866-462-3821.            To submit questions online, go to ncpoisoncontrol.org and select “chat.”

North Carolina General Assembly 

ONLINE RESOURCES:

• Highlights of the NC Public School Budget 2018
• DPI/SBE Reports to the General Assembly
• About the Legislature
• Who Represents Me?
• How a Law is Made
• House Member List
• Senate Member List
• North Carolina Constitution
• House Page Program
• Senate Page Program
• Governor’s Page Program
• Youth Legislative Assembly
• Educational Resources
• An Introduction to the NC General Assembly – Elementary School Ages
• NC Government – Middle School Ages

Legislative Info and Acronyms  This section includes details pertaining to acronyms and bill information referenced throughout the K-12 Education Legislative Update newsletters.   Biennium- A two-year term of legislative activity Public Bill- Legislation enacted into law that applies to the public at large Local Bill- Legislation put into law that has limited application (How many counties)- Local bills do not have to be signed by the governor Sponsor- The legislator who presents a bill or resolution for consideration Resolution- A document that expresses the sentiment or intent of the legislature or a chamber. Resolutions, when finalized, go to the Secretary of State Glossary of Legislative Terms- LINK   DPI = NC Department of Public Instruction LEA = Local Education Agency NCGA = North Carolina General Assembly LB/LOB = Legislative Building/Legislative Office Building  SBE = North Carolina State Board of Education   HB/SB = House Bill/Senate Bill JR = Joint Resolution SL = Session Law GS = General Statute  PCS = Proposed Committee Substitute

OFFICE OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Freebird McKinney –  Director of Legislative and Community Affairs  |  984-236-2248    
• Anne Murtha  –  Legislative Specialist  |  984-236-2256

To view previous Weekly Legislative Updates click here.

 The NC Department of Public instruction offers a number of topics for subscription.

• To subscribe to the Weekly Legislative Update, click here.
• To subscribe to other NC Department of Public Instruction topics, click here.