On Friday, March 27, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos addressed the White House Task Force press briefing to update the nation on the steps the Department is taking on behalf of students, parents, and teachers and thank the president and vice president for their leadership during this National Emergency. ED is in constant contact with governors and education leaders at the state, local, and building levels and the Department is “using every tool possible to extend flexibility to states and communities.”

Recognizing that not all students and communities have the same technology resources and access to the Internet, the Secretary lauded leaders who are employing innovative and creative solutions to help students continue learning.

“Distance learning is happening,” she stated. “States like New Hampshire and Florida have implemented phased and tiered approaches to meet the needs of students in their states…In remote Colorado mountain towns without internet connectivity, teachers are putting weekly learning packets together and they’re holding office hours by phone to help their students when they’re stuck. South Carolina is deploying 3,000 buses with mobile Wi-Fi hotspots to help kids in remote areas access learning that way.

“Ultimately, we know everyone is grappling with the challenge of keeping students safe and healthy while also building capacity for remote learning,” the Secretary continued. “It’s an important moment to realize that learning can—and does—happen anywhere and everywhere.

“These are tough times, but ‘We the People’ are tougher.”

The White House, the Department of Education, and other federal agencies continue to release and update a significant amount of guidance to support schools, educators, and families regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus). For updated information, please visit Coronavirus.gov, CDC.gov/coronavirus, and USA.gov/coronavirus.

For education-related information, the Department has established a dedicated Coronavirus webpage (ed.gov/coronavirus), which includes resources for institutions of higher education and for K-12. This information is continually updated so please check back for the latest.

• The website includes information from Federal Student Aid (FSA) for students, borrowers, and parents. 
• The Office of Postsecondary Education has issued guidance, including an FAQ, for interruptions of study related to COVID-19.
• The CDC has issued guidance for administrators of US Institutions of Higher Education to plan, prepare and respond to COVID-19.
• Also, see a letter from the Office for Civil Rights that addresses potential discrimination associated with coronavirus.

The Department has provided additional information for families and communities including:

• At-home activities for students and parents to continue learning while not in school;
• Information regarding certain flexibilities under the Every Student Succeeds Act, or “ESSA;”
• Information regarding services to children with disabilities;
• A fact sheet from our Office for Civil Rights on the risk of Coronavirus in schools while protecting the civil rights of students; and a short webinar on Online Education and Website Accessibility;
• Information on the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, or “FERPA,” including a webinar, as it pertains to K-12 and higher education students;
• Information for Accrediting Agencies Regarding Temporary Flexibilities Provided to Coronavirus Impacted Institutions or Accrediting Agencies.

The Department will continue to update its website, ed.gov/coronavirus. Please direct education related questions to COVID-19@ed.gov. 

The Secretary announced a new streamlined process for providing states funding flexibilities to best meet the needs of students and educators during the COVID-19 national emergency. The new flexibilities, authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, allow schools to repurpose existing K-12 education funds for technology infrastructure and teacher training on distance learning, among other flexibilities to move resources to areas of highest need during the national emergency. 

"Across the country, students, teachers and families are proving that learning can and does happen anywhere," said Secretary DeVos. "By extending additional funding flexibility to schools, we are helping to ensure student learning continues and supporting teachers as they transition to virtual classrooms. Local leaders have asked for the ability to steer more resources to local needs, and these new tools will help them do just that."  

To provide additional financial assistance during the COVID-19 national emergency, the Department will halt collection actions and wage garnishments to borrowers for a period of at least 60 days from March 13, 2020.  As a result, the U.S. Treasury will not withhold money from defaulted borrowers’ federal income tax refunds, Social Security payments, and other federal payments.  At the same time, the Secretary directed the Department to refund approximately $1.8 billion to more than 830,000 borrowers.  Additionally, private collection agencies have been instructed to halt all proactive collection activities, including making phone calls to borrowers and issuing collection letters and billing statements.  Visit StudentAid.gov/coronavirus for more information.

In March, the Department released a new fact sheet clarifying that federal law should not be used to prevent schools from offering distance learning opportunities to all students, including students with disabilities. This new resource from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is designed to assist schools in providing distance learning while remaining in compliance with federal law. As the fact sheet states, schools "… should not opt to close or decline to provide distance instruction, at the expense of students, to address matters pertaining to services for students with disabilities. Rather, school systems must make local decisions that take into consideration the health, safety, and well-being of all their students and staff.”

Secretary DeVos earlier this week proposed new rules that would govern distance learning for higher education students. Work began more than a year ago on the proposed Distance Learning and Innovation regulation, but the COVID-19 National Emergency underscores the need for reform and for all educational institutions to have a robust capacity to teach remotely. Among the reforms included in the proposal are provisions to emphasize demonstrated learning over seat time, remove confusion over whether a course is eligible for Title IV aid by defining “regular and substantive” interaction between students and instructors, clarify and simplify the requirements for direct assessment programs, and encourage employer participation in developing educational programs.

Following up on feedback she received from town hall meetings between the Department and state career and technical education (CTE) directors, Secretary DeVos has announced new flexibilities for CTE leaders required to submit local CTE plans under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act (Perkins V). “The 12 million students in career and technical education programs today are tomorrow’s first responders, nurses, and medical assistants—those who are right now on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus,” the Secretary said. “They are also those who will help rebuild and grow our economy. This Administration’s commitment to CTE programs is unwavering, and the flexibilities provided today will help to ensure their critical work continues.”

ED GAMES EXPO SUPPORTS DISTANCE LEARNING

An IES blog post, “The ED Games Expo ‘Goes Viral’ to Support Distance Learning,” details the 82 learning games and technologies developed with funding across the federal government that are available online at no cost until the end of the school year.

The US Department of Agriculture has made several announcements to provide flexibility, relieve burdens, and assist students and other residents of rural communities.

• U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a series of flexibilities to make it easier for children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities to get food during the COVID-19 national emergency and remove administrative roadblocks for the dedicated local staff who serve them. USDA is now allowing states to permit parents or guardians to take meals home to their children. It has also issued waivers on the times meals may be served (to make meal pick-up easier), the requirement that meals be served in group settings (to support non-congregate social distancing), and the requirement that afterschool meals and snacks served through certain programs be accompanied by educational activities (to minimize exposure to the novel coronavirus).
• USDA has extended the deadline for the ReConnect Pilot Program applications to April 15.
• Rural Development (RD) has taken a number of immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses and communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Opportunities for immediate relief are being offered by the RD Guaranteed Loan Program, the Rural Housing Service, the Rural Utilities Service and the Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
• RD has also announced deadlines for upcoming Community Facilities and Distance Learning

• Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program - Application Deadline: April 10.
• Second application window for Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program funding - Applications for window two may be submitted through grants.gov beginning April 14, 2020, and are due no later than July 13, 2020
• Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant - Electronic Application Deadline: April 30, 2020 via grants.gov | Paper Application Deadline: May 5, 2020
• Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant: Supplemental 2019 Disaster Relief Act Funding: Deadline: April 30, 2020 via grants.gov | Paper Application Deadline: May 5, 2020
• USDA Rural Development has launched a COVID-19 resource page to keep our customers, partners, and stakeholders continuously updated on actions taken by the Agency to help rural residents, businesses, and communities impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus for information on Rural Development loan payment assistance, application deadline extensions, and more.
• USDA warns SNAP recipients to be on the lookout for potential scammers using the COVID-19 situation to steal personal information. USDA is issuing this warning after receiving reports of several possible SNAP fraud attempts.

The FCC has announced new flexibility during the COVID-19 outbreak. To provide relief to E-Rate program participants affected by this unprecedented national pandemic, the FCC is temporarily waiving and extending several E-Rate filing and service implementation deadlines.

The Wireline Competition Bureau reminds schools and libraries that are closed due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak that they are permitted to allow the general public to use E-Rate-supported Wi-Fi networks while on the school's campus or library property.

The COVID-19 Cases in Appalachia map from the Appalachian Regional Commission displays the current number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Appalachia. Higher numbers of cases are marked by larger dots, while smaller numbers of confirmed cases are represented by smaller dots. By clicking on a location, users can see confirmed COVID-19 cases and any related deaths at the county level. This map is automatically updated throughout the day drawing on data collected by the Johns Hopkins University. Due to frequent changes, it is advised that users refresh their browsers often when viewing the map.

The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is announcing funds for the Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Program. The goal of the HTYPE Demonstration Program is to fund local educational agencies (LEA) to develop and implement programs to prevent human trafficking victimization through the provision of skills-based human trafficking training and education for school staff and students as specified in the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018.

Burton Elementary is in Rexburg on the eastern side of Idaho. The school is located approximately eighty miles from the entrance of Yellowstone and Teton National Parks and two miles away from Brigham Young University-Idaho.

One of the key strategies that has led to success at Burton Elementary is identifying the needs of individual students. Academic, behavioral, mental health, and social/emotional needs are identified and addressed first by a grade level collaboration team.

The principal attributes student success to "amazing families, students, and teachers working together for the success of each student." Burton Elementary focuses on each student, individually. A school-wide program named "walk-to-read" ensures every student receives reading intervention at their instructional level, every day. This program is supported by the special-ed and Title I program in the school.

Read more about National Blue Ribbon School Burton Elementary…