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                                                         Dec. 31, 2020-Jan. 7, 2021


Important Announcements
  • School Health and Safety Guidance Technical Assistance
  • Help Revise the DC Social Studies State Standards  (reminder)
  • Graduation Requirements Flexibility  (reminder)
  • OSSE Releases Model Child Find Poster for LEAs Serving Students Ages 3-5  (reminder)
  • LEA COVID-19 Nonpublic School Reminders  (reminder)
  • Important Immunization Reminder and Requirements for In-Person Learning  (reminder)
  • Special Education Transportation Reminders in Preparation for Return to Service  (reminder)
Professional Development, Leadership Opportunities & Events
  • 2021 Winter/Spring Professional Development Catalog
  • Become an Ally Partner for DC Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness  (reminder)
  • 2020-21 Community Schools Community of Practice  (reminder)
  • Climate Action Heroes Virtual Field Trip with National Children’s Museum  (reminder)
Important Dates & Deadlines to Remember
 
School Health and Safety Guidance Technical Assistance
OSSE's Health and Wellness Division is offering the following technical assistance:
  • Biweekly technical assistance calls led by OSSE and in partnership with DC Health, PCSB, DCPS, and the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Education. The online calls provide support regarding the implementation of health and safety guidance during the COVID-19 recovery period. These Monday calls take place from 1-2 p.m. every other week. The next call is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Register for this and all upcoming calls.
  • Office hours on Wednesday, Jan. 6 and Thursday, Jan. 7 to provide one-on-one support and answer schools’ questions about OSSE's Health and Safety Guidance for Schools. Register for a time slot. The OSSE team will contact you via phone at your chosen time to answer your questions directly.
  • Question submission form for schools and LEAs to submit questions to OSSE regarding health and safety reopening guidance. Submit a question via this Google Form.
For more information, please contact OSSE.HealthandSafety@dc.gov.

Help Revise the DC Social Studies State Standards! Application Now Open for the Technical Writing Committee  (reminder)
OSSE invites K-12 educators and stakeholders to apply for the DC Social Studies Standards Technical Writing Committee whose members will review and revise the existing standards. The application for the Technical Writing Committee is now open and will close on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. Please view the online application to learn more about the responsibilities and time commitment required for this committee. For questions about the Technical Writing Committee application, please contact Annette Thacker-Bartlett at Annette.Thacker@dc.gov.

Additional background: The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) and OSSE are leading a revision of the current DC social studies standards, which were last revised in 2006. This revision process presents an opportunity for the standards to be culturally responsive, anti-racist, to impart important social studies content in the early grades, strengthen student knowledge of democratic principles and values, and promote civic engagement. Visit the SBOE website to learn more about the revision process.


Graduation Requirements Flexibility  (reminder)
The Council approved emergency legislation providing flexibility from graduation requirements for the 2020-21 school year. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the emergency legislation and it will be effective until Wednesday, March 17, 2021. The law takes the following actions:
  • Waives the community service requirement for a senior who would otherwise be eligible to graduate from high school in the 2020-21 school year; and
  • Waives the Carnegie Seat Time requirement of 120 hours of classroom instruction for the 2020-21 school year to students in an LEA with an approved continuous education plan.
This flexibility is the same provided to graduates in the 2019-20 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. LEAs may make diploma decisions based on these flexibilities at this time. 
 
Temporary legislation awaits Council action that will extend this flexibility beyond March 2021; this legislation awaits a second reading and action by Mayor Bowser. We will update you as the temporary legislation moves through the legislative process. For questions, please contact Justin Tooley, deputy chief of staff, at Justin.Tooley@dc.gov.


OSSE Releases Model Child Find Poster for LEAs Serving Students Ages 3-5  (reminder)
On Tuesday, Dec. 22, OSSE issued an updated model child find poster, available on OSSE’s website. This model poster contains information for families on LEA responsibilities under Part B of IDEA relating to child find, initial evaluation, and identification of students with disabilities. In January 2019, OSSE issued LEA Child Find Guidance and Model Child Find Policy and the Model Child Find Referral Form Template. The model child find poster is an additional resource in this toolkit, designed to engage families in the IDEA required referral and evaluation process in instances where they have developmental, behavioral, or learning concerns about their child. This document is printable on standard size paper in grey-scale. Upon return to school buildings, LEAs are encouraged to include their LEA point of contact information in the poster header, and hang it in a highly visible place within their building main entryway for families to view. LEAs are encouraged to update LEA point of contact information when it changes and continuously engage families in education about the availability of this free service through their LEA.

For questions, please contact the Division of Systems and Supports, K-12 policy team at OSSE.DSEpolicy@dc.gov.


LEA COVID-19 Nonpublic School Reminders: Nonpublic Learning Plans and LEA Requests for Continued Payments to Nonpublic Schools  (reminder)
Nonpublic school Continuous Learning Plans: For continued payment in the 2020-21 school year, nonpublic schools must submit an updated learning plan to OSSE and the LEA of enrollment each time the plan changes or dates are extended. The plan should be developed in collaboration with each DC LEA that has a student attending the nonpublic school and should align with the District of Columbia’s 2020-21 School Year LEA Continuous Learning and School Recovery Plan. Additional information regarding learning plans can be found on OSSE's website.
 
LEA Requests for Continued Payments to Nonpublic Schools: In order for nonpublic schools to continue to receive payments from OSSE throughout the 2020-21 school year COVID-19 period, LEAs must submit an updated request to continue payments to nonpublic schools for each nonpublic special education school serving LEA’s enrolled students (pursuant to Chapter 28 of Title 5-A of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (5-A 28 DCMR § 2821.15). LEAs should complete the Request to Continue Nonpublic School Payment form. Completed forms should be uploaded to OSSE’s Nonpublic Invoice Box File Transfer Protocol (FTP) for Online Invoice Submission.

For questions, please contact Yvonne Smith at YvonneS.Smith@dc.gov.


Important Immunization Reminder and Requirements for In-Person Learning  (reminder)
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of protecting children against contagious diseases. Now, more than ever, families should make appointments and receive their necessary immunizations and flu shots. A list of health providers and locations offering pediatric immunizations is available on the DC Health website.

To protect the health and safety of all students, DC Health and OSSE have advised that all schools adopt the Immunization Policy for In-Person Attendance for the 2020-21 school year. This includes notifying and potentially removing non-compliant students from in-person instruction after a 20-school day period due to the public health risks of in-person congregation without up-to-date immunizations. Parents/guardians should be notified immediately by the school if their student is not up-to-date on their immunizations, regardless of whether the student is participating in distance or in-person instruction. Students who have been in the distance learning posture this school year must be up-to-date on their immunizations before returning for in-person instruction.

OSSE's website has resources, training and information available for schools and families to support meeting immunization requirements. For questions about the Immunization Policy for In-Person Attendance, please contact OSSE.SchoolHealth@dc.gov. For questions about immunization information, data, and locations where families can receive immunizations, schools can contact DC Health at DOH.Immunization@dc.gov or visit the DC Health Immunization Program webpage.


Special Education Transportation Reminders in Preparation for Return to Service  (reminder)
OSSE's Division of Student Transportation (OSSE DOT) is providing transportation services for the 2020-21 school year, for schools offering “hybrid” (combination of distance and in-person) or “in-person” learning. While we recognize and appreciate the updates we have received for school calendars to reflect a model that includes in-person services, we wanted to remind you of our timeline for submitting your school calendars, to include the day you will begin in-person learning and the associated Transportation Request Forms (TRFs) for your eligible students who will use transportation services.

According to our Special Education Transportation Policy, OSSE DOT has 10 business days to process transportation requests. However, given the higher volume of requests at the start of the school year along with the need for data verification, staff notifications, and various other preparation activities, DOT requests that all calendar updates and TRFs be submitted no less than 20 business days (four weeks) prior to your first day of in-person learning for the applicable student group to ensure transportation services are provided. Once services begin, requests will be processed on a rolling basis according to our policy.

OSSE DOT has made several changes based on federal and local health guidance to ensure the protection, safety and well-being of our students, staff, and the school communities we serve. As a part of our reopening plan, we will provide families with information regarding the internal measures OSSE DOT will be taking to create a safe transportation environment with student-specific routing information prior to the first day of service. LEAs and schools can access this information on OSSE's website and are welcome to share it with families as well. Additionally, all school buses are now named, “District of Columbia Student Transportation,” to be more inclusive of all educational programs supported by transportation services.
 
It is our goal to make the transition to school-based learning as safe and seamless as possible for the families and schools we serve. For additional questions or concerns, please contact our TOTE Support Line at (202) 576-5520 or DOT.Data@dc.gov.

2021 Winter/Spring PD Catalog: Virtual Professional Learning for DC Educators
OSSE's Division of Teaching and Learning (TAL) 2021 Winter/Spring PD Catalog is now available. OSSE TAL has several professional learning opportunities now open for registration, including asynchronous sessions that can be done over the winter break, as well as new professional learning series beginning in January or February 2021. To see which sessions are already open for registration, view the December 2020 TAL PD Bulletin or browse the OSSE Training Registration application. For questions, please contact the relevant member of the TAL PD Team.

Become an Ally Partner for DC Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness for the 2020-21 School Year  (reminder)

As an initiative for Homeless Awareness Month in November 2017, OSSE’s Homeless Education Program expanded awareness and support for youth experiencing homelessness in the District of Columbia by establishing the Ally Partner Program. Ally Partners are school-based employees who identify themselves as individuals to whom students experiencing homelessness can go to for help, without worrying about stigma or embarrassment. Ally Partners will collaborate with LEA and school-based homeless liaisons to ensure that McKinney-Vento guidelines are adhered to and protect the privacy of the student’s residency status.

To qualify to serve as an Ally Partner, one must:
  • Be an OSSE employee, an LEA/school based employee or community partner in the District who is passionate about the success of children and youth experiencing homelessness;
  • Be willing to commit to serving for the 2020-21 school year (ending July 31, 2021);
  • Be willing to have your name and contact info available for public reference on OSSE’s Homeless Education Program Ally Partners webpage for the 2020-21 school year;
  • Be willing to display sticker/signs/posters to identify as an Ally Partner where students experiencing homelessness can confide and seek out resources; and
  • Request a commitment letter from OSSE’s Homeless Education Program to be completed and returned via email to Tasheen Stallings at Tasheen.Stallings@dc.gov.
You also must complete two trainings to become certified:
  • Attend a OSSE Homeless Education Program Ally Partner Training on one of the following dates. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar:
    • Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, 10-11 a.m. Register
    • Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Register
    • Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 10-11 a.m. Register
    • Thursday, April 8, 2021, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Register
  • Complete one of the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) Live or Self-paced webinars.
    • Note: completing one of the live webinars will result in receipt of a certificate of attendance. Please submit a copy to Tasheen Stallings at Tasheen.Stallings@dc.gov.
For additional information, please visit the Ally Partner Program webpage or contact Tasheen Stallings at Tasheen.Stallings@dc.gov.

2020-21 Community Schools Community of Practice  (reminder)
For the 2020-21 school year, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), will host a Community of Practices (CoPs) series on community schools. The CoP sessions will be offered on a bi-monthly basis through April 2021 and are open to all District of Columbia schools interested in receiving training and technical assistance on creating and sustaining a community school model.

The next virtual community schools CoP meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, from 1-3 p.m. and will focus on supporting community schools through the topic, Finance and Sustainability of Community Schools. Register

For more information or questions, please contact Melissa Harper-Butler at Melissa.Harper-Butler@dc.gov or (202) 478-2409.

Climate Action Heroes Virtual Field Trip with National Children’s Museum  (reminder)
National Children’s Museum launched their second virtual field trip, Climate Action Heroes, which empowers children to join the fight against climate change by discovering their inner climate action hero superpowers. The 20-min, interactive video and accompanying resources are available to families and educators across the country at no cost to help inspire the next generation to defeat climate change. Let's combine our climate action superpowers to protect Planet Earth!

Grades three to five classrooms may now request a free 60-min virtual extension session with Museum Educators. While all educators are encouraged to apply, District classrooms within Wards five through eight will be given priority. For questions, please contact Fieldtrips@nationalchildrensmuseum.org.

 
January 2021
February 2021
March 2021
OSSE Leadership Team and OSSE Contact Resources

OSSE Key Points of Contact for LEAs
OSSE Organizational Chart

OSSE will continue to update and redistribute these resources quarterly. If you have a question not addressed in these resources, please contact OSSE Communications at OSSE.Communications@dc.gov.


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