[Mesppsdir] FW: PRIORITY NOTICE: 2024-2025 Reminders and Updates Related to Unanticipated School Closures
Ferguson, Sarah (DOE)
Sarah.Ferguson at maine.gov
Mon Oct 28 11:57:08 EDT 2024
FYI -
Sarah
From: Maine Department of Education <communications.doe at maine.gov>
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2024 9:39 AM
To: Ferguson, Sarah (DOE) <Sarah.Ferguson at maine.gov>
Subject: PRIORITY NOTICE: 2024-2025 Reminders and Updates Related to Unanticipated School Closures
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Priority Notice from the Maine Department of Education
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PRIORITY NOTICE: 2024-2025 Reminders and Updates Related to Unanticipated School Closures
Dear Champions of Education,
We recognize that construction, weather, and other unanticipated emergencies may impact your ability to have instruction occur at any of your schools throughout the year. We are providing the following reminders and updates related to the number of required instructional days, actions necessary to adjust your calendar to make up missed instructional days, the process to request a waiver of the required number of instructional days, and the process to request a waiver for child nutrition purposes.
Additional information can be found on our school calendar waivers page<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=d18047d20d&e=4bb1694fe4>.
If you have questions about:
* Instructional day requirements, changes, and waivers, please contact Pamela Ford-Taylor at pamela.ford-taylor at maine.gov<mailto:pamela.ford-taylor at maine.gov>.
* Unanticipated school closure waivers for child nutrition, please contact the Child Nutrition office at 207-624-6842.
Required Number of Instructional Days
Each school administrative unit (SAU) is required to maintain at least 180 days for all of its schools, with at least 175 days used for instruction<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=c0e42c3119&e=4bb1694fe4>. Rule Chapter 125<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=96fe1b7693&e=4bb1694fe4> defines an instructional day as a day during which both students and teachers are present, either in school or in another setting, and engaged in a portion of the day that is devoted to the teaching-learning process. An instructional day must be a minimum of three hours in length for K-12, and for grades 1-12, it must average five hours in length over a consecutive two-week period. Other minimum requirements for public preschool programming can be found in Rule Chapter 124<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=0f07583713&e=4bb1694fe4>.
SAUs that provide meals to students and adhere to the requirements for an instructional day may count a remote day toward the 175 instructional days requirement.
In addition, there is often confusion related to the required number of instructional days for graduating students. According to statute<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=73f3ead1b7&e=4bb1694fe4>, SAUs may allow secondary students to graduate up to five days prior to the regularly-scheduled end of the school year. The regularly-scheduled end of the school year is the anticipated last day of school established by the adoption of the calendar by the school board.
Making Up and Waiving Instructional Days
Rule Chapter 125<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=9c3c07157a&e=4bb1694fe4> requires that school administrative units make up any instructional day lost due to unforeseen circumstances. Pursuant to the Rule, SAUs may consider:
* Rescheduling or shortening scheduled vacation periods;
* Postponing the scheduled closing date of school;
* Providing up to 25 one-hour extensions of the instructional day to equal a maximum of five 5-hour make-up instructional days in a school year in accordance with a plan approved by the Commissioner;
* Conducting classes on the weekend; and/or
* Developing other ways to make up school days missed due to weather or emergency closures not included above, which will be incorporated into a plan approved by the Commissioner.
To submit a plan to reschedule instructional days, please use the form found at the top of this page<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=3576ac485e&e=4bb1694fe4>.
If a school board determines that, after utilizing the aforementioned methods to make up instructional days, it will not be able to provide 175 instructional days in each of its schools, it may consider requesting a waiver of the required number of instructional days from the Commissioner. The Commissioner may consider a waiver upon receipt of a letter from the chair of the school board which describes the efforts made to make up the days, as well as the hardship that would be realized if the minimum number of days was not waived.
To submit a letter and request for a waiver of instructional days, please use the form found at the top of this page<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=f6b1d72afa&e=4bb1694fe4>.
Unanticipated School Closure Waivers for Child Nutrition
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has been approved to offer a waiver to allow local program operators to serve meals in a non-congregate setting when congregate meal service operations in schools are limited due to natural disasters, unscheduled major building repairs, court orders relating to school safety or other issues, labor-management disputes, or when approved by the State for a similar unanticipated cause. This waiver allowance is for up to a 10-day approval, beyond which an approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Regional Office is required.
Requests to use waivers, using the link below, must be submitted at the time of the unanticipated closure (within 48 hours of the event, prior or post).
Unanticipated school closure WITH remote learning - can be counted as an instructional day.
SAUs should decide which waiver is applicable for their particular circumstance, and Child Nutrition staff should make those choices on the form linked below.
National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP): School buildings are closed, with remote learning offered.
* Non-Congregate Meal Service waiver - waives the congregate meal service requirement to allow for meals to be eaten outside of the cafeteria setting
* Meal Service Times waiver - allows meals to be served to students outside of the regulatory window
* Parent and Guardian Meal Pick Up waiver - allows parents/guardians to pick up or receive meals instead of, or in addition to, the individual student
* Offer Versus Serve at the Senior High School Level waiver - allows high school meals to meet the served model requirement
Child and Adult Food Program At-Risk ONLY: School buildings are closed with remote learning offered.
* Non-Congregate Meal Service waiver - waives the congregate meal service requirement to allow for meals to be eaten outside of the cafeteria setting
* Meal Service Times waiver - allows meals to be served to students outside of the regulatory window
* Parent and Guardian Meal Pick Up waiver - allows parents/guardians to pick up or receive meals instead of, or in addition to, the individual student
* Enrichment Activity Requirement waiver - waives the requirement to include enrichment with meal service
To apply for the use of the Unanticipated School Closure waiver for NSLP, SBP, and CACFP, you must use this form<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=767cc95801&e=4bb1694fe4>, created to collect necessary information to track usage of the waivers and ensure requirements for use are being met.
Unanticipated school closure WITHOUT remote learning - cannot be counted as an instructional day.
SAUs should decide which waiver is applicable for their particular circumstance, and Child Nutrition staff should make those choices on the form linked below.
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO): School buildings are closed without remote learning.
* Non-Congregate Meal Service waiver - waives the congregate meal service requirement to allow for meals to be eaten outside of the cafeteria setting
* Meal Service Times waiver - allows meals to be served to students outside of the regulatory window
* Parent and Guardian Meal Pick Up waiver - allows parents/guardians to pick up or receive meals instead of, or in addition to, the individual student
* Service of Meals at School Site during Unanticipated School Closure waiver - to allow meals to be served at school sites during a school closure
To apply for the use of the Unanticipated School Closure Waiver for SFSP/SSO, you must use this form<https://maine.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a582edd6473e477ef6307c769&id=0ece31d2ec&e=4bb1694fe4>, created to collect necessary information to track usage of the waivers and ensure requirements for use are being met. In addition, a streamlined SFSP application must be created, or changes must be made to your annual School Nutrition Program application.
Please note that subsequent reporting will be required in this year's waiver approvals. Please be prepared to report on the following in the spring:
* the number of meals served,
* site locations,
* dates the waiver was used,
* reason(s) for the unanticipated closure,
* a description of how the waiver resulted in improved services to children, and
* a summary of benefits and challenges associated with the waiver
Sent October 28, 2024
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This email was sent to Sarah.Ferguson at maine.gov<mailto:Sarah.Ferguson at maine.gov>
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