CASB Serving You!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• CASB members can access recorded webinars on our website. The most current ones are:"What You Need to Know About the Mill Levy Correction," “Policy Governance New School Year Checklist,” and “COVID-19 in Children: Colorado Situation Update.” The newest podcast is "Onboarding New Board Members Part I".
• CASB Regional Meetings are now underway! Don’t miss this great opportunity to connect with your peers in person this fall. In addition, any member can register for the Virtual Regional Meeting on September 29.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CASB Serving You!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• CASB Regional Meetings are now underway! Don’t miss this great opportunity to connect with your peers in person this fall. In addition, any member can register for the Virtual Regional Meeting on September 29.

Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights Opens Investigations in Five States Regarding Prohibitions of Universal Indoor Masking

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened directed investigations in five states exploring whether statewide prohibitions on universal indoor masking discriminate against students with disabilities who are at a heightened risk for severe illness from COVID-19 by preventing them from safely accessing in-person education. OCR sent letters today to the chief state school officers of Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah, outlining how prohibitions of universal indoor masking prevent school districts from implementing health and safety policies that they determine are necessary to protect students from exposure to COVID-19, including those with underlying medical conditions related to their disability.

U.S. Department of Education Approves Five More State ARP Plans

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) authorized $122 billion in additional pandemic aid funding to K-12 schools this past spring. Since then, the U.S. Department of Education distributed two-thirds of this funding to states via a formula detailed in the legislation. However, the department held back the remaining third of these funds until states and territories submitted plans detailing how they would make use of these resources to support students as they recover from the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The department approved five more of these plans and disbursed the additional funds to those states. States receiving recent approval include Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, and Minnesota.

Using ARP Funds to Address Lost Instructional Time for Students

The U.S. Department of Education has published a new resource titled “Strategies for Using American Rescue Plan Funding to Address the Impact of Lost Instructional Time.” This guide to help school districts meet the needs of students who have been impacted by learning loss includes information about staffing solutions, social-emotional learning, parental engagement, home visits, assessments, and related areas. The guide also includes resources to help students with disabilities. Through ARP ESSER funding, districts are to utilize a portion of funds to (1) address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions; (2) ensure that the interventions implemented respond to students’ social-emotional, mental health, and academic needs; and (3) address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, multilingual learners, migratory students, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care.

New Resource from NSBA’s Center for Safe Schools

As we emerge from a global pandemic, teachers, administrators, parents, and students are reeling from a year of virtual school, public health emergencies, civil unrest, increasing violence, social isolation, and family trauma. As schools return to in-person instruction, we must not lose sight of the foundational elements of school safety while also preparing for the new challenges this past year has presented. The initiatives and strategies discussed in "Returning to School Safely: School Safety Considerations for the 2021-2022 School Year" will assist schools in recovering from the trauma of the past and planning for a more successful future.