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Education Forward: Operating Schools During a Pandemic Guidance Updated

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction guidance for operating schools during a pandemic has been updated. Recent additions include information in governance, infection control and mitigation, teaching and learning, and technology.

New information on the COVID-19 regulatory flexibility framework under “IMPLEMENT: District Level,” is meant to provide schools with the flexibility needed to be responsive in the COVID-19 landscape. Things like attendance, fire and tornado drills, Educator Effectiveness, truancy, and more are addressed on the web page under the implementation phase for districts. When applicable, information for districts on how to apply for waivers for state requirements is included.

New information on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act outlines several new resources focusing on building capacity for, and expanding access to, high-quality online instructional resources, training for educators in the provision of online and remote instruction, and expanding and building capacity of school staff to provide mental health services.

Additional information about nutrition under “IMPLEMENT: District Level,” emphasizes the need to continue collecting the necessary forms and information from families to ensure schools will be able to continue serving students under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program when the USDA funding ends and for individual student data reporting purposes.

Updated information about infection control and mitigation under “IMPLEMENT: District Level,” provides new guidance aligned with best health recommendations from the Department of Health Services.

Finally, there is newly added guidance for arts education under “IMPLEMENT: School Level,” to support art educators. Along with general considerations, topics for art educators include learning space considerations, social-emotional learning implementation, learning strategies, and resource use.

For more information, visit the DPI Education Forward: Operating Schools During a Pandemic web page.

For questions, contact Tamara Mouw, tamara.mouw@dpi.wi.gov.