Articles of Interest
Alexandria City Public Schools debuts new telehealth program to address student mental health | WSET
Montgomery Co. School Board sets collective bargaining rep for administrative personnel
Shenandoah County School Board again discusses library book selection policy | Nvdaily
National Articles of Interest
Supreme Court rejects multiple public school cases on first day of 2023 term | K-12 Dive
The do’s and don’ts of accelerated learning recovery | K-12 Dive
Rising inflation worsens the ‘teacher pay penalty’ | K-12 Dive
ACLU sounds alarms on school surveillance technologies | K-12 Dive
Restorative discipline practices in Chicago reduce student arrests | K-12 Dive
Schools challenged by stubbornly high chronic absenteeism in COVID’s wake – Chalkbeat
Using the full school grounds for lessons unlocks hidden opportunities | K-12 Dive
Small successes can motivate students to persevere through difficulties | K-12 Dive
DOE Updates
ALL In Virginia
As school divisions move towards launching their ALL In high-intensity tutoring, the VDOE wants to make sure that school divisions are receiving the support they need for success.
ALL In resources can be found on the VDOE ALL In VA webpage. New FAQ’s have been added this week and can be found here. Spending plans will be posted on the ALL In VA webpage as they are approved.
Office hours to support school divisions with the completion of their spending plans start October 10th. Office hours will be available on Tuesdays from noon to 1pm. VDOE staff will be on call to support any questions that you may have. The September 22 Superintendent’s Email featured additional information on spending plans.
Ed. Department Updates
FCC CONSIDERS REINSTATEMENT OF NET NEUTRALITY RULES
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced on Tuesday that she plans to reinstate net neutrality oversight of broadband providers that was rescinded under former president Donald Trump. Rosenworcel announced the effort at the National Press Club, kicking off a renewed fight over regulation. She is proposing the FCC take the first steps to commit to rules that would treat broadband internet as an essential service, putting it on par with water, power, and phone service. The proposal largely mirrors original rules adopted in 2015 under then-President Barack Obama and adds a clause on national security to close a loophole that allows foreign adversaries to access US broadband services. “In the wake of the pandemic and the generational investment in internet access, we have a window to update our policies to make sure that the internet is not only open, but fast and fair, safe, and secure,” she said. “Now is the time for our rules of the road for internet service providers to reflect the reality that internet access is a necessity for daily life.” A fact sheet can be found here.
ED OUTLINES PROCEDURES TO EXTEND PANDEMIC AID SPENDING
Last week, the Department of Education (ED) outlined procedures schools will use to extend spending deadlines for nearly $130 billion in federal pandemic aid. In a letter to funding grantees, ED writes that “with one year remaining in the [American Rescue Plan (ARP)] fund period, it is important that States and local educational agencies continue to use emergency relief funds for effective, evidence-based strategies.” The letter also acknowledges that some grantees may require flexibility liquidating remaining Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) and Emergency Assistance to Non-Public School (EANS) funds under ARP that have been properly obligated by the September 30, 2024 deadline. The letter to grantees announces that the general liquidation extension that has been available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) and Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Acts will be available for ARP. While state and local education officials have long awaited ED plans for ARP extensions, the School Superintendents Association (AASA) has identified some issues with the announcement. AASA is saying procedures for other federal relief essentially require states to track every financial transaction that would be covered by an extension request. Repeating that process for potentially thousands more transactions will create an “unmanageable” situation that puts “a tremendous burden” on state and local education authorities, they added. Secondly, AASA states that for CARES and CRRSA ESSER, ED is only considering extensions for projects that were intended to be completed by the obligation deadline but were unexpectedly delayed by a specific circumstance.
If continued for ARP, AASA claims, this may limit the reach of ARP funds. Lastly, the association suggests that continued mental health supports and services or any non-academic extensions would not be applicable for liquidation extensions nor would delays pertaining to construction of new or improved facilities.
