HOUSE and SENATE

The House and Senate were in recess this week and will resume next week.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) delayed the previous Administration’s “state authorization” rule for distance education programs until July 2020.

ED delayed by two years the “significant disproportionality” rule which was aimed at addressing racial disparities in special education, originally put in place by the previous Administration. The bulk of the rule is delayed until July 2020, while the portion of the rule requiring the inclusion of children aged three through five in analysis of significant disproportionality, set to originally take effect in 2020, has been delayed until July 2022.

ED announced that Puerto Rico will be the first school district approved for the Student-Centered Funding Pilot program (more commonly referred to as the Weighted-Student Funding Pilot) adopted as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

ED announced the approval of Oklahoma’s consolidated State plan under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). California, Florida, and Utah remain as the only States to not yet have their plans approved by ED.

The Administration rescinded several guidance documents issued under the previous Administration that emphasized permissible ways for schools and colleges to take race into account to promote student diversity.

ED’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report on ED’s oversight of accreditors, specifically on the accreditor recognition process used by ED.

EVENTS

Penn Hill plans to provide clients with a summary of the following event next week:

• July 9: House Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communication Subcommittee hearing on “Protecting our Future: Addressing School Security Challenges in America”

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES 

Penn Hill Group provides a list of grant opportunities and summaries for select grants. Please visit our website for more information