Elementary and Second Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Waiver August 31, 2012 Dear Parent or Guardian, On May 29, 2012, the United States Department of Education (USDoE) granted the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) a waiver of several provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The purpose of this letter is to explain how parts of the ESEA Flexibility waiver under Title I, Part A of NCLB relate to your child’s education. Notice to Parents Under Title I, Part A of NCLB, districts were required to notify parents if any of their schools or the district itself were identified for Improvement. This provision has been waived, and districts no longer are required to send a letter out to notify parents of School or District Improvement status. Public School Choice Under Title I, Part A of NCLB, districts were required to offer students attending schools identified to be in Improvement status the opportunity to attend another public school not so identified. Districts were required to provide or pay for the provision of transportation to the transfer school. This provision has been waived, and districts are no longer required to offer this option. Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Under Title I, Part A of NCLB, districts were required to offer students attending schools identified for Improvement, Year 2 and higher the opportunity to receive Supplemental Educational Services (SES), free tutoring services using external providers. This provision has been waived, and districts no longer are required to offer SES. In the place of SES, districts are required to set aside 20% to expand learning time. William Bick Primary will use this money to offer a before school reading program and Hill Intermediate School will use this money to offer an after school reading program. Additional information concerning Ohio’s ESEA Flexibility waiver application and other waiver provisions can be found on the ODE website (ODE Web Site Waiver Provisions) and the USDE’s flexibility webpage (http://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility). You may contact the district’s Title I coordinator, Matt Wagner, at 734-2271 ext. 4 or at wagner_m@betheltate.org for more information. Melissa Kircher |