Plugged In To Education

August 26, 2022

Coverage of updates in lower education, higher education & human services.

Highlights

State Education Department and Department of Health Align COVID Protocols with CDC

In a joint letter, the NYS Education Department and the NYS Department of Health announced they are encouraging school districts and schools to utilize the CDC’s Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to support safe in-person learning as a resource for COVID-19 mitigation strategies in the K-12 setting. According to the letter, this guidance from the CDC represents the most up-to-date COVID-19 mitigation strategies for the K-12 setting while considering COVID-19 Community Levels. A 2022-23 School Year FAQs for Schools and 2022-23 School Year FAQs for Parents and Caregivers has also been posted.

OCFS Releases New Quarantine Guidance for Child Care Providers

Earlier this week, OCFS released new guidance for all licensed, registered or legally exempt group providers regarding COVID-19 requirements for child care programs. It replaces all prior guidance, including the letter that OCFS sent on May 31, 2022.

Governor Hochul Announces Expansion of Tuition Assistance Program to Part-Time Students

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of a $150 million expansion of New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), which will now provide TAP to approximately 75,000 additional students who are pursuing their degree part-time. With this announcement, part-time TAP will be available on a pro-rated basis to eligible students taking six to 11 credits per semester with no full-time prerequisite. Students enrolling in the Fall 2022 semester may apply for part-time TAP by filling out the federal FAFSA application.

President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief

President Biden announced a three-part plan to provide relief working families as they continue to recover from the strains associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This plan offers targeted debt relief as part of a comprehensive effort to address the burden of growing college costs and make the student loan system more manageable for working families. According to the press release, the Department of Education will work quickly and efficiently to set up a simple application process for borrowers to claim relief.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Education announced a final extension of the pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections through December 31, 2022. Borrowers should plan to resume payments in January 2023.

Governor Hochul Announces $44.4 Million in Assistance for Struggling Families with Children

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the distribution of $44.4 million in federal pandemic funding to help struggling New Yorkers with children to cover back-to-school and early life nutritional expenses. Administered by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund will provide New Yorkers on Public Assistance with one-time payments of $214 for each child ages 3 to 17 and $150 for each child younger than 3 in their household.

Resources for Heath Care Worker Bonus Program

The Department of Health has posted information and resources on their website regarding the New York State Health Care and Mental Hygiene Worker Bonus (HWB) Program, including a recording of the August 19 Town Hall, and FAQ. A second pre-recorded webinar will be forthcoming, along with updated FAQ.

Personnel Announcements

Council on Children and Families. The Council on Children and Families announced the appointment of Vanessa Threatte as the new Executive Director, effective August 24, 2022. In her new role, Ms. Threatte will be responsible for leading cross-agency collaborations and initiatives with Council-member agencies and other partners at the direction of the Executive Chamber. She will be charged with setting strategic and policy objectives, and implementing the overall mission of the Council. In addition, she will be responsible for the management of the New York State Mentoring Program across the state.
State Education Department. The State Education Department announced the appointment of Emily Sutherland as the new Director of the Office of College & University Evaluation (OCUE). Most recently, Emily was serving as Supervisor of Higher Education Programs within OCUE, managing NYS’s membership in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) and oversight of out-of-state non-SARA institutions offering distance education in New York State and other important projects and duties.
The Office of Children and Family Services announced the appointment of Nora Yates as Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Child Care Services, effective September 1, 2022. In her new role, Ms. Yates will be responsible for the leadership and direction of the Division. Charged with setting strategy, policy objectives, priorities, and implementing the mission of the Division, Ms. Yates has the overall responsibility of over 300 staff and $1Billion in federal and state resources. In addition, Ms. Yates will be responsible for developing legislative and policy proposals to continue to advance high quality child care throughout New York State. Supervising 58 local social services districts across the state, she will be continuously engaging with a variety of early childhood stakeholders to ensure working partnerships with parents, educators, advocates, and providers to strengthen the child care system.
The Office of Children and Family Services announced the appointment of Erin Cassidy as Associate Commissioner for the Division of Child Care Services, effective September 1, 2022. In her new role, Ms. Cassidy will be integral to the strategic planning and implementation of Division-wide goals and metrics in addition to the implementation of the $2B pandemic recovery funds for the child care system. She will be responsible for identifying key data indicators and reporting on child care data as well as system improvements and working with OCFS leadership as well as other stakeholders on process improvements. In addition, Ms. Cassidy will be responsible for providing expertise on federal guidelines and regulations pertaining to the implementation of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). She will review and approve regulatory policies and guidance statements issued to the field and guide the formulation of training and professional development to Division staff and external partners.

Pharmacy All-Stakeholder Presentation Posted

On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) hosted a public webinar about the transition of the Medicaid pharmacy benefit from Managed Care to the Fee-For-Service (FFS) program. A copy of the presentation is now available. Important information and resources for Medicaid members and providers are also available on the DOH pharmacy transition website.

New York State Education Department Awards $7.1 Million in Federal Grants to Programs Supporting Homeless Students

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) announced they have awarded more than $7 million in grants authorized by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act to 27 school districts, five Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)-led consortiums, three district-led consortiums, and one charter school consortium. Funds will promote school success for more than 116,500 students in temporary housing in more than 70 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) across the state.

New York State Education Department Announces Proposed Plan to Restart School Accountability System Now Available for Public Comment

The New York State Education Department is accepting public comments on its proposed plan to restart the federally required accountability system for the 2022-23 school year based upon 2021-22 school year results. The proposed accountability plan addresses disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and modifies accountability indicators and processes to best support New York’s schools.

NY Register

Notices of Emergency Rule Making

To permit candidates for the high school equivalence (HSE) diploma to apply passing sub-test(s) scores from the TASC™ as passing score(s) for up to three corresponding sub-test(s) of the approved HSE examination. SED 7/27/22
To establish regulations regarding the expansion of telehealth. OMH 7/27/22
To provide clarity as to the circumstances under which homebound instruction may be requested and delivered. SED 7/20/22
To implement the Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act. SED 7/20/22

Notices of Proposed Rule Making/60 Day Public Comment

To update outdated and stigmatizing language and to clarify processes of the certification process for providers and applicants. OASAS 8/17/22
To remove the limits on executive compensation and administrative expenses. OCFS 8/17/22
To implement requirements of section 390-c of the Social Services Law, as amended by chapter 650 of the Laws of 2021 regarding direct deposit for child care providers receiving child care assistance. OCFS 8/17/22
To implement chapter 230 of the Laws of 2022 relating to mental health practitioners’ diagnosis privilege. SED 7/27/22

Notices of Adoption

To expand eligibility for child care assistance in accordance with Social Services Law 410-w. OCFS 7/27/22
To implement chapter 812 of the Laws of 2021 regarding accelerated due process procedures. SED 7/27/22
To align such admission requirements with chapters 630 and 626 of the Laws of 2021 regarding admission requirements for graduate-level teacher and educational leadership programs. SED 7/27/22
To extend the instructional hour COVID-19 waiver to the 2022-23 school year. SED 7/27/22
To rename such disability classification to ‘‘emotional disability.’’ SED 7/27/22
To establish registration requirements for residency programs and to revise residency certificate requirements. SED 7/27/22
To permit candidates for the high school equivalence (HSE) diploma to apply passing sub-test(s) scores from the TASC™ as passing score(s) for up to three corresponding sub-test(s) of the approved HSE examination. SED 7/27/22

Funding Opportunities

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) in partnership with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has released the Family Opportunity Centers Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit applications to fund Family Opportunity Centers (FOC) to meet emerging needs of at risk families by increasing their protective factors and facilitating connections/coordination with community partners, including schools and mental health and substance use disorder service providers, to strengthen and support families. Due September 8, 2022

The NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) has announced the availability of funding for Suicide Prevention Programs for Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan Native and LGBTQI+ New York Youth and Young Adults. In recognition of the increased number of adolescents and young adults who have reporting trying to die by suicide and the unique cultural factors that must be considered in the development of programs and suicide prevention strategies, OMH is announcing the availability of funds to non-profit agencies and tribal organizations serving at-risk youth and/or young adults. Due September 8, 2022

The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute (NYSDOH AI) and Health Research Inc. (HRI) announces the availability of $15,232,877 annually for five (5) years in state and federal funding to provide services to improve health outcomes and address health disparities experienced by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH/A) in NYS. The Advancing Health Equity through Comprehensive Community-Based HIV Ambulatory Care Services Request for Applications (RFA) will serve to improve HIV health equity through the delivery of funded services and development of clinical-community partnerships designed to address the non-medical social needs identified. Due September 8, 2022

The New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services (ILS) announced the availability of funds and soliciting proposals from New York State counties to develop new, innovative programs or practices to improve the quality of representation provided to parents accused of child maltreatment who cannot afford to retain counsel, including reduced attorney caseloads, pre-petition access to counsel, practice integration of non-attorney professionals such as social workers and parent advocates, and high-caliber training opportunities. The intent of the Second Upstate Family Defense (Child Welfare) Quality Improvement and Caseload Reduction Request for Proposals (RFP) is to support local initiatives aimed at improving the quality of legal representation provided to parents in child protective matters as defined in Family Court Act Article 10. Due September 14, 2022

The State Education Department has released the Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grant for New Full-Day and Half-Day to Full-Day Placements for Four-Year-Old Students for New York State school districts in 2022-2023 to increase the availability of directly and collaboratively implemented prekindergarten programming aligned with applicable New York State Learning Standards along with relevant Education Law §3602-ee requirements. In addition to addressing student and community need, proposals must demonstrate innovation and high quality. All public school districts are eligible to apply for this grant program. Pursuant to this grant and §3602-e, school districts are required to set aside no less than 10 percent of the total grant award to collaborate with high-quality eligible agencies / CBOs who demonstrate best practices for the provision of the prekindergarten instructional program and who meet the standards and requirements of this grant program. Due September 16, 2022

The Developmental Disabilities Planning Council is seeking proposals for Accessible Information and Plain Language Training to support the creation and implementation of a plain language training, geared toward State agencies and providers of services for people with disabilities. Due September 30, 2022

The NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) announced the availability of operational funds and state aid for the development of 12 new Supportive Crisis Stabilization Centers (SCSCs) within the ten economic development regions of New York State. Due October 5, 2022

The NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) on behalf of the Commission on National and Community Service is seeking applicants for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) AmeriCorps Formula grant funding. The Commission is a governor-appointed commission with a diverse, non-partisan body of, among others, representatives of business, labor, education, government, human services, and community-based organizations. Due October 7, 2022

The NYS Department of Health AIDS Institute (NYSDOH AI), Division of HIV and Hepatitis Health Care, Bureau of Ambulatory Care Services announced the Improving Equity through Clinical HIV Prevention in Community Health Settings Request for Applications (RFA), to improve health equity in medically underserved areas (MUAs) experiencing disproportionate incidences of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) that fuel inequities in HIV and STI transmission rates and outcomes. Due October 11, 2022

The NYS Department of Health (DOH), Division of Family Health (DFH), Bureau of Child Health (BCH), announced the availability of up to $1.2 million annually in the state funding for five years to support the establishment of School-Based Dental Homes for underserved children (previously named the School-Based Sealant Program). Funds will be awarded to approximately 24 not-for-profit Article 28 facilities that are currently approved to operate School-Based Health Center (SBHC) dental clinics throughout New York State (NYS). The anticipated funding period is July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2028. Due October 12, 2022

The NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is accepting applications to make awards up to $343M to eligible child care providers through the Child Care Stabilization Grant 2.0 for workforce supports. Utilizing funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, stabilization funding represents an unprecedented opportunity and investment to effectively further stabilize the child care sector with specific investments in workforce supports. Due November 30, 2022

Upcoming

The New York State Office of Mental Health’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion has announced a webinar Prioritizing Equity for Deaf/ DeafBlind/ Hard of Hearing Individuals Receiving Behavioral Health Services on Tuesday, August 30, 2022 from 1:30pm-3:30pm EST.

2022 Regents Meeting Dates

September 12 – 13 (Monday and Tuesday)
October 3 – 4 (Monday and Tuesday)
November 14 – 15 (Monday and Tuesday)
December 12 – 13 (Monday and Tuesday)

Plugged In to Education is prepared by Hinman Straub P.C. and is intended to keep our clients informed about news and Legislative and regulatory developments that may affect or otherwise be of interest to them. The comments contained herein do not constitute legal opinion and should not be regarded as a substitute for legal advice. If you prefer not to receive these updates, please alert us so we may remove you from our distribution list. © Hinman Straub P.C. 2020. All rights reserved.