News, Announcements and Timely Information
H1N1 Guidance - The latest information and guidance for child care providers and school districts related to H1N1 (swine flu) is available on the State Education Department's web site. Additional information is available from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Preparing for the Flu (Including 2009 H1N1 Flu) - A Communication Toolkit for Child Care and Early Childhood Programs
.
Safety Net - The proposed amendment to section 100.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education will extend the existing Regents Competency Test (RCT) Safety Net for an additional year to make it available to all eligible students with disabilities entering grade 9 prior to the 2011-12 school year. The proposed amendment will be discussed at the October 19-20, 2009 Board of Regents meeting. Public comment must be received by November 16, 2009.
Technical Assistance Centers - With the establishment of new Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support Centers (RSE-TASC), NYSED now has a comprehensive and coordinated system of technical assistance and school improvement resources available to directly assist school districts, particularly those school districts with the poorest performance for students with disabilities, in improving results for students with disabilities.
Behavioral Interventions and Supports - In response to a request from the U.S. Secretary of Education, New York State has posted its regulations and guidance governing the use of behavioral interventions.
Contracts - A joint memorandum between VESID and EMSC providing
clarifying
guidance 
(64 KB) regarding the authority of school
districts to provide core instructional services through contracts with
nonprofit and other entities has been issued.
Regulations - NYS Education Law has been amended, effective July 1, 2009, by Chapter 206 of the Laws of 2009 to continue those provisions of State law necessary to implement IDEA 2004. Chapter 206 of the Laws of 2009 does not result in any changes to Education Law.
Head Start MOU - NYSED has finalized a revised Memorandum of Mutual Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Office of Head Start (Regions II, IX, XII) representing Head Start Programs in New York State (NYS). This revision replaces the 1999 agreement and continues to support the coordination of services between local educational agencies and Head Start programs for the benefit of preschool children throughout NYS.
Technical Assistance Center - NYSED, VESID is pleased to announce the launching of a new website
hosted by the New York State Response
to Intervention Technical Assistance Center
(NYS RtI-TAC). The website is in the beginning stages of being populated
with information on RtI and should be considered a work-in-progress.
Resources, announcements, and other useful materials on RtI will be placed
on the website for use by schools, professionals, parents, advocates
and others who are interested in RtI. The NYS RtI-TAC is funded through
a 5-year contract by VESID.
State Performance Plan - The U.S. Department of Education has reviewed the State's Annual Performance Report for 2007-08 under IDEA and has determined that New York needs assistance in meeting requirements that pertain to special education services for children ages 3-21. The State Performance Plan, Annual Performance Report and the federal letter explaining this determination are available for review. Individual Special Education School District Data Profiles are also available.
Regulations - Pursuant to 20 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 1407(a)(2) each state is required to identify in writing to the Secretary of the United States Education Department and local educational agencies November 12, 2009 a state-imposed requirement that is not required by IDEA and federal regulations. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has taken steps to conduct a comprehensive review of its laws and regulations that apply to the education of students with disabilities.
Guidance - The United States Department of Education (USDOE) has issued non-regulatory guidance on the Part B final supplemental regulations, which implement IDEA 2004. The supplemental regulations, which went into effect December 31, 2008, clarified and strengthened Part 300 of the Code of Federal Regulations (34 CFR).
Homeless - The U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance regarding
the requirements for students with disabilities who are homeless. Information
regarding the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act(IDEA) and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento
Act) is provided in a Question
and Answer format.
Additional news from VESID: VESID News