LEA: TIVA SSSI FEBRUARY 2024
ESC Newsletter
Have you ever wished you had a list of due dates that come around in cycles all in one place? Here it is! Every attempt has been made to include relevant dates, reminders, applications, reports, etc. relevant to Title IVA and School Safety cycle requirements. Bookmark the link so you can easily reference it for up-to-date news. Please email tvsi@esc14.net if you feel there is a needed addition.
TIVA Federal Programs
TIVA Program Updates
February 5, 2024 - TEA Completes Random Validation Documentation Review. Training Slides | Training Video
March 18, 2024 - LEA contacts receive Random Validation Phase 1 Results through FPC RV WorkApp
Parent Engagement - Best Practices Virtual Expo
A FREE, online professional development opportunity to enhance your family engagement program. March 26th from 9:00 - 11:00 am. Learn how one district fosters relationships, build capacity, and contribute to student success. Register Here.
Final Entitlement Amounts are available for the 2023–2024 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated Federal Applications
Final amounts for programs in the 2023–2024 ESSA Consolidated Federal and the 2023–2024 Special Education Consolidated (Federal) Grant Applications are now available on TEA’s Entitlements web page.
On the entitlements’ web page, there is a PDF version of the entitlements amounts, and they are also integrated into the interactive entitlements’ dashboards. The “master” dashboard allows LEAs to see all their entitlement amounts for all federal and state grants. The data is organized by grant programs and the applications LEAs use to apply for the funds (ESSA Consolidated Federal, Special Education Consolidated Federal and State, Title V, Part B, Subpart 2, Rural and Low Income School Program, Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant Program, and Perkins V) and is easily sortable by a variety of filters, including LEA name, county-district number, and ESC region. Additional dashboards, accessible through the bottom scroll bar, show data for only one application at a time. The individual dashboards for 2023–2024 ESSA Consolidated Federal and 2023–2024 Special Education Consolidated Federal reflect the final amounts.
As a reminder, local educational agencies (LEAs) will not be able to apply for their final entitlements at this time. To reduce the administrative burden, LEAs will instead be able to submit one amendment to apply for their final entitlements, carryover, and any reallocation amounts when they are announced in February. This new timeline for LEAs receiving and applying for final amounts, and carryover is caused by the new federal requirement for a longer liquidation period on federal funds.
TEA will send a separate notification when LEAs can submit amendments to apply for final entitlements, carryover, and any reallocation amounts. TEA anticipates sending the notification regarding the availability of carryover and any reallocation amounts by end of February.
Venue: Westin San Antonio North | 9821 Colonnade Blvd. | San Antonio, TX 78230
Well-Rounded Education + Technology
Free Virtual STEM Professional Development
Learning Undefeated’s Texas Mobile STEM Lab team will be offering free virtual professional development opportunities for K–grade 8 educators and community members. During this session, the Learning Undefeated team will walk participants through hands-on engineering design challenges that can be modified to fit formal and informal classroom needs. Sessions will also include guidance on how to develop and facilitate a TEKS-aligned engineering design challenge.
Session One: Tuesday, February 20, 2024 (Grades K–5) at 4:00 PM CST
Session Two: Wednesday, February 21, 2024 (Grades 6–8) at 5:00 PM CST
Participants can use this registration link to sign up for either session. Zoom links will be provided to registrants upon registration.
eCYBERMISSION Free STEM Competition
A free, virtual STEM competition for students in grades 6–9. Students form teams of 2-4, led by an adult team advisor, and select a community problem to investigate with science or solve with engineering. Free teaching resources such as lesson plans and activities are available on the eCYBERMISSION website.
The eCYBERMISSION Mini-Grant provides funding to teachers and schools who implement eCYBERMISSION into the classroom. Mini-Grants come in two payments. The first payment goes to the school to help cover the cost of project supplies, and the second payment goes to the Team Advisor as a professional stipend. For more information and to get started, visit the Team Advisor Overview or contact eCYBERMISSION STEM Network Manager, Brian Kutsch at bkutsch@nsta.org.
Safe and Healthy Learning Environments
Safety Compliance
ISD Police Report Requirement Due March 1
- Texas Occupations Code 1701.164 specifies that TCOLE collect incident-based data in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure Article 2.131 – 2.138 . Chief administrators of law enforcement agencies that meet the criteria must submit racial profiling reports to their governing body, as well as TCOLE.
- Prepare the Racial Profiling Report
- Report must be included as a board meeting agenda item before being submitted to TCOLE.
The Reporting options are:
- Exempt - Agencies that do not routinely make motor vehicle stops should fill out the 1 page online exempt status form. The exempt status report contains agency general public contact information for questions about its racial profiling filing status. Some agencies are not required to file annual reports. A statistical analysis is not required on EXEMPT STATUS.
- Full Reporting - Agencies that routinely perform traffic stops or motor vehicle stops must file by online report. The online report requires the completion of agency general public contact information and requires completion of both:
- An online form about the numbers of motor vehicles stops made and
- uploading a separate PDF comparative analysis document containing a statistical analysis of its motor vehicle stops compared to the gender and ethnic population of the agency's reporting area. The second document must also contain a statement as to if racial profiling complaints were made against the agency and if so, a listing of all racial profiling complaints and the corresponding resolutions. Click here for more information
Please be advised that failure to submit the required report within the designated reporting period may result in license action against the chief administrator and/or civil penalties against the agency under CCP 2.134(g) and 2.1385(a), respectively.
For questions, please contact your agency's Field Service Agent. Click here to find your FSA
- https://www.tcole.texas.gov/content/racial-profiling-reports
Fall, 2024 EOP Annex Submission
- TxSSC released the Cybersecurity Toolkit and Cybersecurity Workshop (under development). This will be the only area audited in the EOP Fall 2024 as it is a large lift for school districts. It is recommended that ESC coordinate with their safety/security and technology departments to provide comprehensive support to their districts.
Cybersecurity Resources for K-12 Schools
REMS - Cybersecurity Considerations for K-12 Schools and School Districts Online Training
REMS - Cybersecurity Considerations for K-12 Schools and School Districts Fact Sheet
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Cyber Threats to K-12 Remote Learning Fact Sheet
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Stop Ransomware
Staff and Student Presentations by Safe School Institute
Safe School Institute/CrimeStoppers is offering TEA approved, TEKS aligned, free year-round one-stop center for all aspects of school safety that works to keep schools safe across Texas. Presentations are available for faculty, parents, and students. There are face-to-face and virtual training/presentation options. Safe School Institute - one-pager | Menu of Services
DOJ: Law Enforcement’s Response to Uvalde School Massacre a ‘Significant Failure’
Report cites poor campus security and lack of pre-incident preparation as contributing to the poor response to the Uvalde shooting. Campus Safety Magazine, 1.18.24.
Substance Use Prevention
Texas Say What! Action Summit Registration
The Texas School Safety Center is hosting several Say What! Action summits during the spring. Summits utilize service learning to train 6th-grade through 12th-grade students in effective tobacco prevention activities aimed at reducing the harmful effects of tobacco, nicotine, and e-cigarette use in Texas. Each summit also includes a local community action event which each participant receives community service hours for. View summit dates and register.
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week March 18-24, 2024
The National Institute on Drug Abuse will recognize March 18-24, 2024 as National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week. The week encourages dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. The goal is to improve prevention and awareness of substance misuse in local communities and nationwide. Subscribe to find free resources and start planning activities.
Health and Human Services
Access resources that you can include in your emails to staff, parents, and even push out to high school students about the ongoing opioid epidemic. The resource page is full of videos, handouts you can download, and powerful stories. Working together, we can help educate our students to make safe, healthy choices! Access resources.
Mental Health + Well-Being
A Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Prevention + Behavioral Threat Assessment
Suicide Safer Schools Roadmap
Safety Planning Intervention Training
New Dates! - April 24, July 25 and October 24!
Texas HHSC is offering free safety planning intervention training! Contact suicide.prevention@hhs.texas.gov for more information.
Trauma-Informed Care Workshop for Educators
The Texas School Safety Center is hosting virtual training for Trauma Informed Care throughout Spring of 2024. Attendees will learn about the role of mental health in daily functioning, how trauma impacts the brain, the importance of unrecognized executive function deficits, and the role neuro-diverse difficulties play in student behavior. Throughout the workshop, participants will be provided with strategies that can be implemented in a school and/or classroom setting to support all learners through a trauma-informed perspective. Register for the Elementary (K-5) or Secondary (6-12) training.
Events + Resources
- TEA Supportive Schools Division and Project AWARE monthly webinars
Physical Health
Free Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care Facilities
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)’s Lead Testing in School and Child Care (LTSCC) Program is a voluntary statewide program that offers free lead testing to public schools and regulated childcare facilities. The program’s goal is to help reduce childhood exposure to lead in drinking water. Water sample kits are provided to all enrolled schools, and every water outlet that children use for drinking, teeth brushing, or food preparation at no cost. Support is available if elevated lead levels are detected. For more information, please visit the program webpage, email info@txleadtesting.org, or call the program helpline at (737) 276-1987.
Seizure Management and Treatment Form is Now Available
88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, amended TEC §38.032 requiring TEA to post on the agency’s website a form to be used to submit a seizure management and treatment plan that includes specific information and the signatures of the student’s parent or guardian and the physician responsible for the student’s seizure treatment.
This change in law only applies to a seizure management and treatment plan submitted to a school district or open-enrollment charter school on or after January 1, 2024. The final version of the required form to be used for submitting this information can be found under the Announcements section of the Healthy and Safe School Environment of the Coordinated School Health Model webpage. For questions related to the form, please contact healthandsafety@tea.texas.gov.
Vision, Hearing, and Spinal Screening Reporting Period Open
The Vision, Hearing and Spinal Screening (VHSS) Reporting period began on January 15, 2024. Report results are required to be submitted to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) online through the Child Health Reporting System (CHRS) by June 30th of each year. The last day to submit your report for this school year is June 30, 2024. After June 30th, the reporting system will shut down and late reporting cannot be submitted. Visit the Vision and Hearing Screening webpage for more details.
TAAIS Memorial Foundation Asthma Scholarship Award
The Texas Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society (TAAIS) Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce the 2024 TAAIS Memorial Foundation Asthma Scholarship Award. This $3,000 one-time award will be granted to up to five qualified high school seniors in Texas who suffer from Asthma. Applications are due on March 1, 2024.
Behavior Threat Assessment
- Records Transfers - Click Here | Guidance Video |TXSSC Guidance Checklist
- See TASB Board Policy - FD (Legal) and FDA (Legal)
TREx Users
The TREx version 5.5 of the Data Standards were updated on the TEA website Tuesday, January 9, 2024. Section 2.15 includes the new subsection 2.15.1 Safe and Supportive Schools that provides guidance when sending documentation on a student’s disciplinary record and Behavioral Threat Assessment to the receiving LEA. No other changes were made to the Data Standards. As a result, the XSD schema for version 5.5. remains the same as version 5.4.1.
The 2023-2024 TREx version 5.5 Data Standards, TREx Training - User Guides, and Video Tutorials are available on the TEA Texas Records Exchange (TREx) website. If you have any questions, send an email to trex@tea.texas.gov.
Restorative Discipline Practices
Dr. Gaye Lang has launched a brand-new series, Restorative Practices Made Simple: Families as Partners, a video series dedicated to empowering parents with the tools needed for effective communication and Restorative Practices at home. This series is designed to align home environments with the restorative approaches taught in schools, ensuring a consistent and supportive experience for children. It focuses on providing parents with resources and strategies to foster better understanding and relationships with their children, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between families and educational institutions. Watch episode 1: After-School Professional Development, Restorative Practices Made Simple: Families as Partners (youtube.com) featuring Jake Shirley's experience with implementing restorative practices in Athens ISD. The video outlines how these practices have led to a reduction in discipline issues and increased parental involvement in behavioral management. It explains the concept of "code-switching," where students adapt their behavior between school and home. Additionally, it highlights the importance of bilingual training and "I-Messaging" in fostering a cohesive learning environment. The video serves as a practical guide for educators, parents, and administrators interested in adopting these practices. Bring Restorative Discipline Practices to your schools. Register for upcoming RDP trainings at RDP Training Information. If the training you plan to attend is FULL, please check back. New training dates are updated monthly.
School Safety Funding
Grants
- Cycle 1: passed
- Cycle 2: February 9 - LEAs must complete and submit a Compliance Analysis document located in the IDA Dashboard. To see the questions that will be asked, see this SAFE Grant Cycle 2 LEA Compliance Assessment PDF. TEA SAFE Grant Cycle 2 Overview December Webinar Slide Deck | Safety and Facilities Enhancement (SAFE) Grant Cycle 2 Information, TAA 12.14.23
State Allotment
February 12 - TAA - FY23 School Safety Allotment Data Collection When completing the survey, LEAs should only account for funds allotted.
The survey opened on Friday, January 5th, and will close on Monday, February 12, 2024. To successfully complete the survey, LEAs should gather and collect information related to all expenditures from their school safety allotment for the 2023 fiscal year. Here is a direct link to the FY23 School Safety Allotment Data Collection Qualtrics Survey in case the Superintendent did not receive the email sent on January 5, 2024.
School Safety Federal Grant Opportunities
A series of webinars about federal grant opportunities will be offered by the Greenlights Grant Initiative. These grants can be used to improve safety measures in and around schools, support school violence prevention efforts, provide training to school personnel and students, and implement evidence-based threat assessments to make schools safer. If you are interested, review resources at greenlightsgrantinitiative.org.
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Rod Pruitt, Coordinator
Nancy Galle, Consultant
Dr. John Phillips, Consultant