U.S. Ed. Sec. Cardona and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra have announced a joint effort to expand school-based health services. The announcement said the pandemic has challenged the health and well-being of youth, highlighting pre-existing inequities in access to health services. USDE and DHS will provide additional technical assistance, resources and support to schools, including guidance on federal funding available for school-based physical and behavioral health services and recommendations for using Medicaid in delivering these services.
Category: Federal Government Actions
Letter to Educators and Parents Regarding New CDC Recommendations and Their Impact on Children with Disabilities (March 26, 2022)
On March 24, 2022, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote a letter to educators and parents regarding new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations and the recommendations’ impact on children with disabilities. This letter addresses the needs of students with disabilities as we move into a new phase in our response to the pandemic. The letter addresses the CDC’s February 2022 framework for identifying COVID-19 Community Levels and encourages schools to lead with equity and inclusion to ensure all students have access to in-person learning alongside their peers.
The letter includes sections on leveraging the individualized education program or Section 504 process to ensure schools have protections in place to protect in-person learning; continuing use of layered prevention strategies to keep school communities safe; and ensuring students receive education and services in the least restrictive environment. Click below to access the:
USDE to Hold Briefing on FY 2023 Budget (March 26, 2022)
The U.S. Department of Education will hold a briefing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request on Monday, March 28, starting at 3:00 p.m. To access live streaming of the briefing, click here.
Budget materials will be posted here (when available).
EPA Announces the “Clean Air in Buildings Challenge” to Help Building Owners and Operators Improve Indoor Air Quality and Protect Public Health (March 20, 2022)
On March 17, 2022, as part of President Biden’s National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan released March 3rd, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the “Clean Air in Buildings Challenge,” a call to action and a concise set of guiding principles and actions to assist building owners and operators with reducing risks from airborne viruses and other contaminants indoors. The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge highlights a range of recommendations and resources available to assist with improving ventilation and indoor air quality, which can help to better protect the health of building occupants and reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.
“Protecting our public health means improving our indoor air quality. Today, EPA is following through on President Biden’s plan to move our nation forward in a healthy, sustainable way as we fight COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic, building managers and facility staff have been on the frontlines implementing approaches to protect and improve indoor air quality to reduce risks and keep their occupants safe and healthy, and we are so grateful for their efforts,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge is an important part of helping us all to breathe easier.”
Infectious diseases like COVID-19 can spread through the inhalation of airborne particles and aerosols. In addition to other layered prevention strategies like vaccination, actions to improve ventilation, filtration and other proven air cleaning strategies can reduce the risk of exposure to particles, aerosols, and other contaminants, and improve indoor air quality and the health of building occupants.
Key actions outlined in the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge include:
- Create a clean indoor air action plan,
- Optimize fresh air ventilation,
- Enhance air filtration and cleaning, and
- Conduct community engagement, communication and education.
While the recommended actions cannot completely eliminate risks, they will reduce them. The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge presents options and best practices for building owners and operators to choose from, and the best combination of actions for a building will vary by space and location. Such steps would depend upon public health guidance; who and how many people are in the building; the activities that occur in the building; outdoor air quality; climate; weather conditions; the installed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment; and other factors. American Rescue PlanExit and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds can be used to supplement investments in ventilation and indoor air quality improvements in public settings.
EPA and the White House COVID-19 Response Team consulted with the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Energy, and several other Federal agencies with roles in promoting healthy indoor air quality in buildings to develop the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge. Today’s announcement also highlights an array of resources to help building owners and operators meet the Challenge. The document will be made available in Spanish, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic and Russian.
More information on the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge is available at Clean Air in Buildings Challenge.
USDE Issues Guidance On How IDEA Applies To Private Schools (March 14, 2022)
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has issued a new 55-page Q&A document providing guidance regarding the role of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when parents opt to send their children with disabilities to private school. Students with disabilities have broad rights when they attend public school, but federal officials are now weighing in on how the law applies when parents choose private school instead. Although under IDEA students with disabilities have the right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE), whether or not that entitlement extends to children at private schools depends.
In some cases, children enrolled at public schools are placed at private schools by their parents when they do not believe that FAPE has been provided by the local school district. In other cases, children are sent to private schools by their district as a means of providing FAPE.
According to the USDE, the document updates and supersedes guidance previously issued in 2011 and applies specifically to a third category of kids — those placed in private school by their families without first enrolling at public school and for whom FAPE is not an issue. In these cases, federal officials say that some provisions of IDEA still apply.
To read more, click here.
To view the USDE document, click here.