Humboldt County Office of Education: Resources for Schools & Districts | COVID-19

As the possibility of quarantines and school closures increase in response to COVID-19, it is important for every agency to have a Continuity of Learning Plan in place, whether it leverages the use of technology to provide independent study or distance learning, or simply involves sending copies of paper assignments home to students

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New Department of Labor Posters

The Department of Labor has created new posters regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

• Employee Rights: Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave under The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
• Federal Employee Rights: Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave under The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act Notice – Frequently Asked Questions

Emergency ADA Funding Information

In the event of school closure and/or loss of attendance due to unforeseen emergency conditions, school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education should submit a J-13A waiver material decrease request to the CDE in order to mitigate the loss of ADA funding.  Approved material decrease requests will provide these LEAs with the authority to add apportionment days to their reported ADA, thereby alleviating what would otherwise be a loss in LCFF funding.

FAQs on the J-13A waiver request forms can be found on CDE’s web site at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/pa/formj13afaq.asp.

J-13A waiver request forms can be found at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/pa/documents/j13a.pdf.

Any impacted school or LEA can contact EmergencyServices@cde.ca.gov to connect with the CDE team for assistance.

CDE Meal Waiver For School Districts During Coronavirus-Related Closure 

The California Department of Education (CDE) has received a special waiver called CA COVID19 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will enable a school district that had previously been approved to operate the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or Seamless Summer Option (SSO) to provide meals to students during a coronavirus-related closure. Read CDE’s full News Release.

State Testing, Resources and Information

CDE Information and Resources regarding COVID-19 and California’s Response

The California Department of Education (CDE) is monitoring the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and working closely with agency partners. Local educational agencies (LEAs) are encouraged to follow California Department of Public Health recommendations and should identify plans for communicating with families and consider learning supports for possible school closures.

Read CDE’s Full Article.

Please refer to the CDE Coronavirus (COVID-19) web page for resources and a letter from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond to county and district superintendents, charter school administrators, and school principals regarding COVID-19 and guidance for kindergarten through grade twelve schools and school districts.

The CDE Assessment Development and Administration Division have protocols in place should schools close just before or during CAASPP and ELPAC testing. These protocols have been used when natural disasters or emergencies have occurred. The CDE will work directly with LEAs, schools, and the US Department of Education to facilitate the next steps on a case-by-case basis. If a school or district expects or experiences a school closure that significantly undermines test administration, the LEA coordinator should notify the CAASPP Office by phone at 916–445–8765 or by email at caaspp@cde.ca.gov or ELPAC Office by phone at 916–319–0784 or by email at elpac@cde.ca.gov.

Guidance from the Federal Government

A Factsheet on the Impact of COVID-19 on Assessments and Accountability under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act addresses a range of concerns about how extended school cancellations and absences may affect school accountability.

In addition to the possibility of waiving testing requirements, the Education Department may consider a targeted waiver for schools that don’t meet the minimum student participation rate of 95 percent in state tests, the guidance says.

And the department will also consider targeted waivers for schools that see high rates of chronic absenteeism related to the coronavirus. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia include chronic absenteeism as a school quality indicator in their ESSA plans.

Guidance on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, outlines how schools can honor their obligations to student privacy while communicating with the public about COVID-19 or while sharing information with health agencies that are working to track its spread.

“Through information sharing and coordination with public health departments, educational agencies and institutions can help protect their schools and communities,” that document says.

Parents must provide consent before schools can release any personably identifiable student information publicly, it cautions, but some educational records and health data kept by schools may be released to relevant health agencies under FERPA’s health or safety emergency exception.

Guidance on Students with Disabilities and the Coronavirus reminds schools that, if they “continue to provide educational opportunities to the general student population during a school closure” through activities like distance learning and online programs, they must ensure that students with disabilities also have equal access to the same opportunities.

That guidance, which mirrors a directive the department previously released related the H1N1 virus, also urges that homebound services and individualized education plan meetings may be required for medically fragile students who stay home to avoid getting ill.

Governor Eases Public Meeting Requirements for School Boards

In support of public health guidance promoting social distancing to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on March 12, 2020, that eased certain Bagley-Keene Act and Brown Act requirements for local and state legislative bodies.

Read the full Fiscal Report.

Senate Bill No. 117 Education Finance: average daily attendance and timeline waivers: protective equipment and cleaning appropriation: COVID-19. 

Date Posted	Announcement	Agency
3/12/2020	State Health & Emergency Official Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts	CDPH
3/10/2020	COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for People at Risk for Serious Illness (PDF)	CDPH
3/10/2020	Guidance for schools (PDF)	CDPH
3/10/2020	Directrices para las escuelas sobre el nuevo coronavirus o COVID-19 (PDF)	CDPH