Resources for Charter School Principals & Educators during COVID-19

The FCSA team continually gathers information, resources, and guidance issued by various organizations — including the US DOE, CDC, Florida Dept of Education, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the World Health Organization, and FCSA Marketplace partners — and posts it here to keep our member school leaders and educators informed. In these stressful times, please reach out to the Florida Charter School Alliance — Lynn@flcharteralliance.org or Rarza@ralpharza.com — if you have a question or need assistance as we navigate these unchartered waters together.

The FCSA hosts a weekly Principals Chat Session.  The goal of the chat is to share COVID-19-related updates with school leaders, address any questions or concerns they may have, and provide a platform where principals from around the state can connect, share what’s working, and come up with solutions to the challenges schools are currently facing.  Click here for a recap of recent Principal Chat Sessions.  To attend the next Principals Chat Session, contact Lynn@flcharteralliance.org.

Reopening Plan Template for Charter Schools from FDOE (released July 9, 2020)

The Reopening Plan Template has two options available for schools.

Option 1:  The charter school or network provides a narrative plan, and the FDOE template is used to identify on which page the information on the relevant assurances can be found.

Option 2:  The charter school or network fills out the information in the space provided on the template.

All charter schools must submit their innovative reopening plans to their sponsoring school district for review and approval. Districts do not need to send these plans to the state. Compliance with the assurances in the template is a matter to be addressed between a public charter school and its sponsor. However, as was made explicit in the Emergency Order, “either a school district or a charter school governing board may request assistance from the Department to resolve any disputes over a sponsor’s approval of a charter school’s reopening plan. The Department will seek to resolve such disputes within three business days.”In either case, the template must be provided to your sponsoring school district by their submission deadline date.

Charter school plans do not require the formal vote of the governing board.  Click here to see the template memo from FDOE.

The Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) is coordinating with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide free cloth face coverings for all public schools through local Emergency Operations Centers.  Local Emergency Management (EM) Directors will call their school district contact (most cases security or facilities lead) to come and pick them up. Our expectation is that the school district will communicate with their charter schools.  The distribution and shipment to County EOCs is based on EVERY public school – public and public charter – receiving an allocation of 15+ cloth masks (3 packets that include 5/packet) for each individual that falls under certain professions including Librarians/Audio-Visual Workers, Instructional, Non-Instructional, and more.  More here: Face Covering Information Sheet_12 June2020

• June 15, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Pandemic: Public Assistant (PA) Guidance for Public Education Institutions – Slide Deck
• June 15, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Pandemic: Public Assistant (PA) Guidance for Public Education Institutions – Webinar Recording

FDOE RELEASES REOPENING PLAN

On June 11, 2020, the Florida Department of Education released Reopening Florida’s Schools and the CARES Act packet outlining recommended guidelines for reopening K12 schools this summer. The comprehensive report provides opening steps for K12, early learning, and higher education institutions as well as outlines CARES Act per-pupil allocation ($212 per student) and more.

K12 CARES Act Funding Breakdown

Click here to view the webinar slides from an FDOE presentation about K12 CARES Act funding — including details about Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), GEER Summer Recovery Program, CARES Act allocation formula for charter schools, and more.

CDC Suggestions for Youth and Summer Camps

Updated June 9, 2020 — The CDC offers suggestions for ways in which summer camp administrators can help protect campers, staff, and communities, and prevent the spread of COVID-19. These suggestions are meant to supplement—not replace—any state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which camps must comply. Continue reading.  CDC posters (like the “wash your hands! poster shown here) and print resources can be found here.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Facilities

Property Works – a full-service facilities maintenance company – is up to date on the latest information on what steps to take to coordinate facility cleaning and disinfecting.

For more information about Property Works school reopening services, contact Lady Perez at 561-312-1207.

Reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 by cleaning and disinfection is an important part of reopening public spaces that will require careful planning. Please reference the Disinfecting & Cleaning Guidance for School developed by the CDC.  More details available here. 

Florida Department of Education Guidance & News

DOE Emergency Order 2020-EO-02 FINAL

FLDOE COVID Resource page

• The Re-Open Florida Task Force is charged with developing recommendations for Governor DeSantis on when and how the state should reopen its economy. Here is a presentation the FDOE developed on that issue: FDOE 4-27-20
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Extends Child Nutrition Flexibilities – On May 19, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the extension of three nationwide waivers through August 31, 2020 to give child nutrition program operators the flexibility to continue to feed children while promoting social distancing and keeping families safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

1. 1. Non-Congregate Feeding: Allowing meals to be served to children outside of the normally-required group setting to support social distancing.
   2. Parent Pickup: Allowing parents and/or guardians to pick up meals and bring them home to their children.
   3. Meal Times: Waiving requirements that meals be served at certain standard times to allow for grab-n-go options. This also allows for multiple days-worth of meals to be provided at once.

Supporting English Language Learnings during COVID-19

ELLs should follow the same guidelines as non-ELL students – Requirements for graduation and promotion, and final course grades will be evaluated as though those assessments which were canceled did not exist.  The FLDOE prepared a PowerPoint {http://fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19861/urlt/COVID-Super-SALA.pdf)  that addresses many questions school leaders may have regarding English Language Learners.  The presentation also includes a list of free sites for bilingual materials and activities your school can use.

• March 26, 2020 Superintendents Call: Supporting English Language Learners:  http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19861/urlt/COVID-Super-SALA.pdf
• FLDOE Information on serving Students with Exceptionalities: March 24, 2020, Superintendents Call: Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS), http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19861/urlt/COVID-19Logistics.pdf

• New Procedures for Retention of English Language Learners in Grades K-5 — According to guidance from the Florida Department of Education, promotion decisions should be made in consultation with parents, teachers, and school administrators based on students’ classroom performance and progress monitoring data.  Please see district guidelines regarding retention documentation and meeting requirements.

FCC AND U.S. Department of Education promote remove education so students can continue learning

The Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Education announced efforts to promote the use of $16 billion in funding from the CARES Act’s Education Stabilization Fund for remote learning. The agencies will work with governors, states, and local school districts as they leverage funding to best help students learning from home during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. More here. 

CARES Act: Low- or No-Cost Lending Programs for Charter Schools – Charter schools that have a 501(c)3 status with the IRS, and for- or non-profit education management companies with fewer than 500 employees may be eligible to apply for SBA 7(a) Paycheck Protection Program or SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans. More information on each program is available here.

How to apply for Non-profit Relief Funds. 

Federal COVID-19 Response Legislation and Charter Schools

From March 6 through March 27, 2020, the U.S. Congress passed a series of three laws intended to strengthen the capacity of federal, state, and local governments and health systems to prepare for, prevent, or respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), or provide relief for individuals, businesses, and state and local governments affected by health or economic impacts of COVID-19 and related closures.  Continue reading.

Relief Financing for Charter Schools

Charter School Capital launched the free COVID-19 Relief Financing program — providing eligible charter schools in FL with free financing through 2020 to cover immediate funding needs and create a cash reserve safety net for what’s to come in the 2020-21 school year. Free COVID-19 Relief Financing is available to all qualifying charter schools actively serving 150 or more students. For more information about the program and eligibility requirements, please visit this link. 

Educating Students with Disabilities During the Time of COVID-19

• The National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools shares resources on how to better serve students with disabilities.
• The Department of Education answered questions on how to provide services to children with disabilities. On March 21, the Department issued updated guidance clarifying that while federal law mandates that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in everything schools provide, including online learning, districts have flexibility in reaching that goal and that federal law should not be used to prevent schools from offering online learning.
• From the School Choice Week team:  …schools are working through what online learning looks like and how to include all students.  Students with disabilities have services that are guaranteed to be delivered by law included in their IEP. How can schools effectively provide special education via online learning?  Click here to read the article.

• The U.S. Department of Education released new guidance on March 12, 2020, specifically tailored to the current health crisis. The new guidance specifically addresses school closures and moving to other modes of education for students with disabilities.  More here. 

The COVID-19 health crisis is impacting authorizers, school operators, families, and students in countless ways. One less obvious way is the disruption or postponement of a variety of public meetings critical to open decision making and timely dissemination of information. This guidance can help charter school authorizers ensure that school boards under their purview make necessary adjustments to protect public health while maintaining public transparency and trust – even in these extraordinary times.

Charter schools governing boards should continue:

• Posting public notice of scheduled, as well as emergency, meetings online and on usual channels, with information about the platform, to optimize opportunities for stakeholder access and attendance, such as web links or call-in numbers
• Conducting business in virtual Executive Sessions closed to the public only in limited cases defined by law; and
• Posting meeting minutes that summarize discussion and decisions reached as promptly as possible.

SBA Emergency Loans Now Available to Charter Schools

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) now has the authority to offer emergency loans to both small businesses and nonprofits under its Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program in eligible areas. While SBA authorities are focused on small businesses, we worked with federal lawmakers to ensure that the loan funding for this crisis is offered to charter schools and other nonprofits to borrow up to $2 million for up to 30 years at 2.75 percent for nonprofits. These loans are designed to help businesses and nonprofits meet financial obligations and operating expenses that would not be of concern if the COVID disaster had not occurred. For questions, please contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or e-mail disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. To apply, go to the SBA website.

CARES Act: How to Apply for Nonprofit Relief Funds toolkit

How Charter School Boards Can Govern in an Unprecedented & Unexpected Crisis 

What charter school governing boards do even in the smoothest of times have a direct impact on the quality and sustainability of their school. These are far from smooth times. Every school in this country is now facing a genuine crisis and enormous uncertainty. We are here to guide and support board members of public charter schools as they step up and partner with their school leader, authorizer, and local decision-makers to help the school, staff, families, and children navigate through the crisis. More here.

Charter Board Partners offers webinars that are specific to the needs of charter school governing boards:

• Setting and Monitoring High-Quality Goals.  Friday, May 1, 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET –  Goals set the direction and expectations for the school. The board needs to monitor and organize practices to ensure these goals are met.  Debbie Lister from Education Board Partners will facilitate the webinar and provide activities, sample goals and action steps to help you accomplish this. Register here.
• Supporting and Holding your School Leader Accountable. Friday, May 15, 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET – We are all familiar with the research and common sense about how essential a strong leader is for a great school. The board is responsible and accountable for school performance, and conducting a strong, professional, annual evaluation is its most powerful lever. Is your evaluation process serving your school and your leader well? Join us to learn and share about the essential elements, tools, templates, and steps to take to do this well. Register here.
  

Resources for Principals and Teachers:

FCSA partner Carnegie Learning has officially launched resources for teachers who need support facilitating an at-home learning model. Carnegie Learning is providing teachers with access to video resources, lessons and skills practice pages.  This might make the creation of assignments for students much quicker and simpler.  Click here for the learning library

Check out Carnegie Learning’s National Webinar Series which includes a variety of sessions designed to both connect you with other math educators from across the country and to build your capacity to deliver engaging math lessons virtually.  Click here for a list of informative webinars and collaboration and networking opportunities geared specifically for your grade and/or course.

Carnegie Learning is offering iCulture —  a unique cultural immersion resource for Spanish, French and German — free to teachers and students through the summer of 2020. iCulture gives students access to travel videos, day in the life videos, current news articles, and songs that are all 100% target language, age, and school appropriate, and include topics of interest to teens and young adults.  More info here. 

E-Rate Program Support

The Federal Communications Commission announced a temporary waiver of E-rate program gift rules, allowing schools and districts participating in the federal telecommunications and information services discount program to receive free broadband, Wi-Fi hotspots, networking gear, or other equipment and services as the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic closes schools and pushes the need for remote learning.  More here.   For erate related questions, please contact edward.hosler@solixinc.com.

Renaissance offers solutions that can help educators, families, and students with at-home learning. This includes complimentary access options for digital reading with myON, and online practice with Freckle for math, ELA, science, and social studies.   Contact Dawn.McKeel@renaissance.com for details.  There’s also a library of free informative webinars available to educators:

At Home or in the Classroom: High-Impact Strategies for Student Learning – As a Florida educator, you’re challenged with building an Instructional Continuity Plan that is impactful on student learning, as well as easy to implement and scale. Join this webinar to explore proven best practices for remote learning, including Renaissance solutions that guide growth whether students are learning from home or in the classroom.

• • Research on the impact of long-term school closures
  • Assistance available through the Elementary and Secondary Education CARES funds
  • Tips for supporting learning across all subject areas with nonfiction books and articles
  • Why improved access to digital books and expanded choice engages readers
  • How to provide standards-based math and ELA practice at the right level for each student
  • Methods for engaging students with project-based science and social studies assignments

Click here to access the webinar recording.  

Click here to see the presentation

In the Classroom and the Living Room: Guide Student Growth with Targeted Practice  – Research has proven that high-quality practice is one of the most effective ways to help students build strong literacy and mathematics skills. Join this webinar and discover how to provide the just-right level of practice needed to keep students on track to achieve standards mastery for reading and math—whether they’re learning from home or in the classroom.

Learn how to improve student achievement with Renaissance solutions that support both classroom and remote learning:

• • Target instruction at the right level for each student with adaptive, standards-based practice
  • Boost student motivation with personalized practice and achievable goals
  • Support learning across every subject with nonfiction books and articles for all content areas
  • Differentiate instruction across math, ELA, science, and social studies
  • Engage readers with unlimited access to digital books and news based on their interests

Click here to access the webinar recording 

Click here to view the presentation  

Harris School Solutions offers tools that offer comprehensive and consistent processes for data collection, analysis, and action. For example, EdInsight takes a holistic approach to student growth by empowering educators to: monitor and share ALL forms of assessment data for MTSS tracking, quickly identify at-risk students  to seamlessly assign and progress monitor interventions, access curriculum and create, share and schedule lessons, build and administer assessments…and their customizable observation tool, eWalk, enables you to:

• customize your template(s) with individualized criteria or use premade documents
• create and share your walk-through schedule to optimize communication
• email a copy of an observation for transparent and comprehensive collaboration
• e-signature capability for efficiency
• create customized reporting to monitor progress
• create and administer student and staff surveys
• video and photo-taking capability for self-analysis and/or group reflection

To schedule a demonstration, contact Lisa Redman at lredman@harriscomputer.com,  (727) 459-9085.

OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCES “KEEP CALM AND CONNECT ALL STUDENTS” BLOG SERIES

The Department’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) has launched a blog series, “Keep Calm and Connect All Students,” addressing the challenges students, families, teachers, school leaders, and states face as they shift to distance learning and digital resources during this health crisis. You can send your questions and feedback on the series to tech@ed.gov or via Twitter @OfficeofEdTech

Grab and Go Instructional Materials from Instruction Partners offers ready-made learning plans and materials for K–9 students. These materials include directions for use, grade-level assignment bundles, and communication templates for leaders. To provide the highest level of access for students, all assignments are intentionally compatible with analog/print learning models, and all Grab and Go materials are freely available for use. Instruction Partners developed these:

• To support educators who have been struggling to sort through the overwhelming abundance of online resources in order to implement a coherent distance learning plan.
• To help students and families stay engaged in continuous learning.

Instruction Partners is posting new materials bundles every week for each grade.

Free online courses from the  University of Phoenix, College of Education’s Continuing Teacher Education collection.

These courses can help you transition smoothly from in-person to online learning during the COVID-19 crisis.  Courses include: Using Apps in the Classroom, Using Google Tools in the Classroom, Using Social Media in the Classroom, Multimedia for Educators, Technology Integration for Educators, Technology Survival for Educators, and Becoming a Connected Educator. Enroll here.

PBS Teachers

Teachers, integrate Ken Burns’s film “The National Parks” into your classroom with full episodes, clips, lesson plans, activities, and more on PBS LearningMedia.

Resources for Learning at Home When Schools Close

A list of home learning resources and strategies from TNTP.  Click here.

10 Student-Tested Chrome Extensions

Many teachers and students use Google Chrome, and it’s easy to customize with these extensions that really benefit students.  More details here. 

A new community of resources and support for parents, educators, and students

Learn Everywhere

Parent and Teacher Resources from Khan Academy

School closed? Khan Academy is here for you with free resources to keep everyone learning.  Click here.

Resources for learning from home during COVID-19 school closures

Resources for learning from home during COVID-19 school closures – Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Educational YouTube channels to help students find and explore their interests

Great YouTube channels for middle and high school student for learning from home during the COVID-19 school closures

Mindfulness app for families, teachers

Engaging in meaningful remote learning

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have temporarily shut their doors, and we don’t know for how long. Parents everywhere are wrestling with the new normal, working from home, and for those without the support of remote learning through their schools, navigating how to teach from home, and keep students engaged in their education. Jaime Casap, Google’s chief education evangelist, shares what parents can do to engage students in meaningful remote learning experiences, all the while balancing their work. Click here to watch that webinar.

Hotlines

Florida Department of Health hotline: 1-866-779-6121 – The Florida DOH has a landing page for COVID-19 in the state. There are pages for travelers, businesses and health care providers along with updated details about the latest cases in the state and information about self-isolation.

Center for Disease Control (CDC): 800-232-4636 – The CDC also has a landing page for coronavirus with the latest information about cases in the U.S., preventative measures for people, businesses, schools, and health professionals and what to know about both domestic and international travel.