ESSA letter
As the calendar pages continue to fly, I know that many of you are coming up on district due dates for the next school year. With that in mind, I wanted to let you know that the revised and updated ESSA Complaint Procedures were posted on our website this morning. ESSA, like NCLB, states the requirement that DESE’s Complaint Procedures document is distributed to parents each year. Many districts choose to publish the Complaint Procedures in their student handbook. If this is your district’s practice, you will want to replace the 07/17 NCLB Complaint Procedures with the updated document.
Another requirement often met through publication in the student handbook is the Parents Right-to-Know notification concerning teachers’ qualifications. The right-to-know requirement remains in ESSA, but the description of teachers’ qualifications has changed somewhat. Please note the change in the language in the excerpt below, and revise your district notification accordingly:
ESSA Section 1112 (e)(1)(A)
(e) PARENTS RIGHT-TO-KNOW.—
(1) INFORMATION FOR PARENTS.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—At the beginning of each school year,
a local educational agency that receives funds under this
part shall notify the parents of each student attending any
school receiving funds under this part that the parents
may request, and the agency will provide the parents on
request (and in a timely manner), information regarding
the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom
teachers, including at a minimum, the following:
(i) Whether the student’s teacher—
(I) has met State qualification and licensing
criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in
which the teacher provides instruction;
(II) is teaching under emergency or other provisional
status through which State qualification
or licensing criteria have been waived; and
(III) is teaching in the field of discipline of the
certification of the teacher.
(ii) Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals
and, if so, their qualifications
These two annual notifications are a requirement at each of your Title I served buildings.
Let me know if you have any questions. I’d be glad to help!
Becci Taylor | Supervisor | Federal Programs | Office of Quality Schools
Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Phone: 573-522-6182 | Fax: 573-526-6698
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