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Weekly Newsletter- July 13, 2021

• Complicated issue involving multiple levels of govt
• Toolkit became a requirement thru the initial emergency Covid leg that applied to 2020-21
• The reopening bill (S 220) required LEAs to follow toolkit; the bill does not apply to charter schools 
• The authority now requiring schools to follow the toolkit are executive orders
• EO 220 (6/11/21) lifts most masks requirements but requires schools to continue using masks and requires PSUs to follow the toolkit
• This is now where the requirement to follow the toolkit comes from
• Last toolkit updated 6/11/21 – masks required in school with some exceptions
• Toolkit will likely be amended in the next few weeks following amendments to CDC guidance
• S 173, currently in conference, would give PSUs authority to make decisions regarding mask requirements

• LEAs vary greatly in terms of what they require to process local payments 
• H335 passed w/bipartisan support
• Requires LEAs to pay per pupil funds within either 30 days of enrollment verification form from charter school or receiving monies into local current expense fund
• Sets out consequences if LEA does not pay by deadline – includes procedures charters must follow to notify LEAs of late payments
• If doesn’t pay after those procedures are followed (LEA has 15 days) the charter receives 3% late fee and 8% continuing interest
• Requires State Superintendent to establish uniform procedures and forms for invoicing LEAs
• Bill sets out what charters are required to provide – LEAs cannot ask for other information

25 YEARS OF NC CHARTER SCHOOLS! Two Charter Leaders Share 2021 Charter One North Carolina Charter Schools Principal of the Year Recognition As charter schools celebrate 25 years in North Carolina, two outstanding charter school leaders were recognized as Principal of the Year. Congratulations, Thomas McKoy of Reaching All Minds Academy and Steven Pond of Peak Charter Academy!   Click here to read the full press release.   Check it out on Twitter.   See more on our OCS PD Padlet

Various coverage of this momentous milestone: Press conference Charter Day highlight Senate floor statements Senator Berger's release MyFox8.com/buckley-report - A Look At The History Of Public Charter Schools In North Carolina MyFox8 - How effective are North Carolina’s charter schools? EdNC - State Leaders Commemorate 25th Anniversary of NC Charter School Law WRAL - NC DPI extends Principal of the Year eligibility to charter school leaders News Argus - NC Charter schools 6-22-2021 The Daily Courier - North Carolina policymakers celebrate 25 years of charter school law The Sanford Herald - NC Charter schools 6-22-2021 The Laurinburg Exchange - Advocates mark 25th anniversary of N.C. charter schools law N&O - Advocates celebrate 25 years of charter schools in NC, despite critics’ concerns Carolina Journal - Corey DeAngelis helps N.C. mark 25th anniversary of charter school law The Mountaineer - North Carolina policymakers celebrate 25 years of charter school law Johnson City Press - North Carolina policymakers celebrate 25 years of charter school law

Upcoming Events and Reminders!

Save the Date!

"Vision Casting: Bringing Clarity to 2021 and Beyond," the annual NC Association for Public Charter Schools conference, is coming up on July 15th and 22nd, 2021. Registration is free! Learn more and register here.

Rethink Ed Webinar Information; July 15th & 29th. Click for details.

OCS OFFICE HOURS is on Summer Break and Will Return in August.

REGISTER: New Technical Contact PowerSchool IPT Certification in August 2021

OPEN NOW: 2021 NC Charter Applications

The 2021 NC Charter School Application process is open as of Friday, May 28^th at 5 pm Eastern Time (ET). The 2021 charter application window will close on July 30, 2021 at 5pm ET. Applicants who are interested in opening a charter school in 2022 under the accelerated timeline, or in 2023 under the standard timeline must submit their charter applications on or before the July 29, 2021 application close date.

Both the online application and $1,000 application fee must be submitted on or before July 30, 2021 at 5pm ET.

The link to the 2021 NC Charter School application is posted on the NCDPI Charter Schools Application page found here. 

MEMO - Key Dates for 2020–21 Reporting and Updates for Spring 2021 and Fall 2021

IB Important Update - Invoices

Required Participation in USED’s Office of Civil Rights Data Collection

Superintendents and Charter Leaders, 

Please find the attached letter from Superintendent Truitt containing information on the U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection, which requires the participation of every PSU. 

• Civil Rights Data Collection Letter.pdf

MEMO: Science of Reading Professional Learning and K-3 Formative/Diagnostic Assessment

ESSER Reminder

Dear Charter Directors,
This is a reminder that the 2021-2022 Eligible Schools Summary Report (ESSR) must be submitted in PowerSchool for all local education agencies (LEAs) and charter schools in North Carolina. All charter schools are required to report these data regardless of whether they accept any federal funds and the report is used to meet several requirements, such as School Report Card, CEDARS and Teacher Loan Forgiveness.  Thank you in advance for your support.

Information regarding the data collection can be found at  https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/federal-program-monitoring/federal-program-data-collection

School Mental Health Policy Report

Dear Charter School Leaders, 

As you may know, all charter schools are required to report their progress on meeting the guidelines set forth by the NC State Board of Education's SHLT-003:School-Based Mental Health (SBMH) Policy.  This is a new reporting requirement, and we have included the required reporting questions in the Healthy Active Children's (HAC) policy report.  You will be able to complete your report online. In the online reporting portal, you will indicate that you are a charter school, and you will be directed to the SBMH policy questions.  To make it easier for you to assemble your report information prior to going online, a Word version of the online survey is attached to this email. Please complete the online survey to submit your report.  

The information needed to complete the SBMH progress report will come from your School Mental Health Improvement Plan, which is required to upload and must include the mental health training program and suicide risk referral protocol.  

Please note the deadline to complete the HAC Progress Report / School Mental Health Policy Report is September 15, 2021. 

You can access the reporting portal through the link below.   

2021 Healthy Active Children Policy Report Survey

If you have questions or challenges in completing this online survey, please contact Les Spell at Les.Spell@dpi.nc.gov.  

We appreciate the time and energy spent in completing this report and look forward to reading each submission. The Healthy Active Children Report / School Mental Health Policy Report is a valuable tool in efforts to provide quality school health systems that will raise academic achievement and promote physical and mental health among North Carolina’s schoolchildren.  

Thanks for all you do.

Les Spell

Data and Policy Consultant

NC Healthy Schools

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

984-236-2815

Les.Spell@dpi.nc.gov

School Mental Health Policy Report pdf

School Mental Health Policy Report doc

Follow-Up for Monthly NCDHHS Joint COVID Call

Additional resources referenced in the call:

7.6.21 DPI Slide Deck

7.6.21 DHHS Slide Deck

ASTHO Guide with Testing Resources (Includes examples of what other schools are doing and insights from their experience thus far. Several schools cover considerations around parental consent.)

Resources Galore

School Business Website

School Business – July 9, 2021

NC SIS Weekly Email Bulletin

NC Center for Safer Schools NEWSLETTER - July, 2021

July 2021 K-12 Monthly Mathematics Update

NCDPI Arts Education Newsletter - July 6, 2021

STEMtastic News - July 2021

K-12 Education Office of Government and Community Affairs Update - Friday, July 9, 2021

CSADM Phase II Info

NCDPI School Counseling Updates

Opportunity: Announcing the 2021 Injury-Free NC Academy on Comprehensive Suicide Prevention

Let’s Get Ready! A Family’s Guide to Support Kindergarten Readiness

Resources for GLE, NC's Seal of Biliteracy

Digital Learning Standards Course for 2021

Please be sure to keep EDDIE up to date!

• OCS Guidance on CPR Graduation requirement, Occupational Course of Study course changes and work requirement.pdf
• OCS Guidance on Title IX-New Compliance Requirements
• OCS Guidance SB199 Sex Trafficking Prevention Training and SB476 Mental Health Plans
• OCS Guidance for Charter Schools SB681/Session Law 2020-78 Enrollment Priorities, Assessments Memo, and CARES Act additional funds available 7/17/2020 
• OCS Website Guidance for Charter Schools