5. Categories of School Staff Eligible for Vaccine:
Please note that several types of school staff qualify for COVID-19 vaccines under Phase 1 as “health care workers doing non-COVID-facing care,” including school nurses, occupational therapists, certified athletic trainers, behavioral health clinicians, audiologists, speech and language pathologists, and mental and behavioral health providers.
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6. ESSER II Funds:
The Department has posted initial guidance on the use of federal Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief (ESSER) II money to fund local contribution increases in FY2022 based on the Governor’s House 1 Chapter 70 proposal. This document will be updated as needed to respond to additional questions or provide more detailed information.
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7. LearnLaunch Workshop:
LearnLaunch, with support from DESE, will offer a workshop on Sustaining a Strong Educator Workforce. This workshop, the first in a series, will focus on defining the challenges and creating a productive work environment. The workshop will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2 and at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 4. Register here and explore the Prepare Educators Building Block tool.
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8. Launch of YRBS Data Collection Community of Practice:
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Data Collection Community of Practice aims to build connections and relationships among DESE, schools, districts, counties, and regions involved in youth risk behavior data collection efforts. The goal of the Community of Practice is to increase the effectiveness of both statewide and local youth risk behavior surveys. The Department will host two 45-minute information sessions about the launch of the Community of Practice: at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2 and at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 4. Anyone interested in participating in an information session is asked to please register online. Please email OSFS.SchoolBasedSurveys@mass.gov with any questions.
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9. Online Academic Support Services for High School Students:
Online academic support services for high school students are now available at no cost to schools, with support for teachers provided by JFYNetWorks staff. The state-funded contract with JFYNetworks will also enable schools to provide stipends to teachers for any time needed to help support students on the online academic support services above and beyond their usual contract hours. If interested in accessing these services and for more information, please email JFYNetworks Executive Director Gary Kaplan at info@jfynet.org.
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10. COVID R.E.L.I.E.F. Communities of Practice Alliance:
The COVID R.E.L.I.E.F. (Recognizing Emotional Learning, Innovations, and Engaging Families) Communities of Practice Alliance, with support from DESE, will seek to be a model for how to harness the power of building equitable relationships with all members of the school community to generate shared wellness goals and action plans aligned with the Whole School Whole Community Whole Child (WSCC model). Participants will also have access to an online portal to keep conversations going and build sustainable partnerships. Interested parties can register online. The alliance will run from March through June and resume in August.
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11. Nominations and Applications Open for 2022 Teacher of the Year:
The Department, with assistance from the Teacher Collaborative and the Teachers’ Lounge, is looking for the 2022 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Over the last decade, only 1 out of 4 finalists for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year has been an elementary educator. Anyone can apply this year, but preference will be given to elementary teachers. More information is available here, including links to nominate a teacher by Monday, March 8 and the link to the teacher application, which is due Monday, March 22. Teachers do not have to be nominated to apply!
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12. Communities of Practice for Health and Physical Educators:
Beginning in March, in partnership with the DESE, Lighthouse Health and Wellness Education will launch two communities of practice for health and physical educators to engage in facilitated discussions about integrating concepts into health and physical education classrooms. The Engaging Students by Infusing Technology in Health and Physical Education Community of Practice will run from Wednesday, March 10 through Wednesday, April 28, and the Trauma-Informed and Equity-Focused Approaches in Health and Physical Education Community of Practice will run from Wednesday, March 17 through Wednesday, May 5. Each community of practice will be limited to 40 participants who commit to being present at all four sessions and engaging as a member of the community.
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13. MTEL Alternative Pilot:
The Department is seeking entities to offer or develop pilot assessments that can be used as alternative assessments to the Subject Matter Knowledge Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTELs). The request for responses/bid solicitation is posted online, the deadline for submitting inquiries is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 15, and information on submitting inquiries is in the bid document. Full guidance can be found in attachment A. Through these pilots, DESE hopes to learn about alternative ways to assess prospective educators’ content knowledge in a way that maintains a high standard for the profession while also helping to diversify the educator workforce and positively impact students. Submissions are due by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 5. In order to respond to this bid, register on the COMMBUYS website. For help registering, please contact the COMMBUYS helpdesk at: COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or (888) 627-8283 or (617) 720-3197. The state also has job aids and webinars for vendors.
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14. Vaccine Awareness Campaign:
The state has developed a multilingual public awareness campaign: “Trust the Facts. Get the Vax.” The campaign promotes the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and urges residents to get vaccinated when it is their turn. Vaccine graphics, fliers, and posters in multiple languages are available, as are COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions. In addition, the Department of Public Health has developed a guide for providers, community groups, and others to host meetings or local forums regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
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