Dear Parent or Guardian:
On May 29, 2012 the United Stated 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, Par A of NCLB related to your child’s education.
Notice to Parents
Under Title I, Part A of NCLB, district 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 school 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.
Students taking the Public School Choice option during the 2011-2012 school year are allowed to remain in the transfer school until they complete the highest grade in that school. However, the district is no longer responsible for providing or paying for the transportation.
Supplemental Educational Services
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 placed of SES, districts are required to set aside 20% to expand learning time and explain to parents how the 20% set aside is being utilized as a result of the ESEA Flexibility Waiver.
Additional information concerning Ohio’s ESEA Flexibility waiver application and other waiver provisions can be found on the ODE website ( ODE Website Waiver Provisions) and USDE’s flexibility webpage (http://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility). You may contact the district’s Title I Coordinator, Karen Blackburn by mail at 1250 Sanford Street, Vermilion, OH, 44089; by phone at 440-204-1700, ext. 336 or by email at [email protected]