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Announcements
ARP ESSER (ESSER 3.0) Liquidation Extension Requests (6/20/2024)

To support LEAs in planning, the Tennessee Department of Education (department) is announcing that liquidation extension requests will be made available under ARP ESSER.  

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has the authority to approve liquidation extension requests for properly obligated funds upon review of a written request made by the department on its own behalf or on behalf of LEAs. Final approval of a grantee’s written request will be based upon the specific facts and circumstances, in accordance with 2 CFR § 200.344(b). If approved under this process, grantees and subgrantees may have an extension to the liquidation period of up to 14 months beyond the 120 days already available to liquidate funds. 

 

All ARP ESSER funds must still be fully obligated by Sept. 30, 2024. The regulations at 34 C.F.R. § 76.707 govern when an obligation of Federal funds by a State or an LEA occurs. Specifically, for services or assistance provided through a contract, the obligation is made on the date that the State or subgrantee makes a binding written commitment to obtain the services, work, or products. For rental or lease of real or personal property, the obligation is made when the property is used. 

 

Late liquidation requests will be made through a data and information instrument to be available in ePlan. The Relief Team will provide additional guidance documents and a webinar on June 26 from 9 – 10 a.m. CT |10 – 11 a.m. ET



For more information see: Office Hours Schedule and Link or reach out to the Relief Coordinators. 

IDEA High Cost and State Special Schools Transportation Open (5/30/2024)

 IDEA High Cost Reimbursement Request for SY23-24

The FY24 IDEA High Cost Reimbursement process opens in ePlan on May 31, 2024. New users, can request the IDEA High Cost Director and/or role using the ePlan User Access Form for LEAs. For more information about completing the FY24 IDEA High Cost Reimbursement, please see the High Cost State Plan or Technical Assistance Guide.

Students placed and served by the LEA who require extensive and costly special education and related services can create a severe financial burden on the LEA. Additional funds will be used to assist in the provision of such a high-cost program when the additional cost is greater than three (3) times the state's average per pupil expenditures. The percentage of reimbursement for high-cost is determined based on the available money in the state set-aside discretionary pool for the respective school year and the total amount approved by all LEAs for this category. Approval will be determined after a review of the IEP(s) and the required supporting documentation for eligible direct expenditures.

IDEA State Special Schools Transportation Reimbursement Request 2023-24 – FY24

The FY24 IDEA State Special School Reimbursement process opens in ePlan on May 31, 2024. IDEA Directors with existing ePlan roles will be grandfathered in with access to the data and information tool in ePlan. New users, or users that need the additional role added can request the IDEA State Special School Reimbursement Director role using the ePlan User Access Form for LEAs. For more information about completing the FY24 State Special School Reimbursement, please see the State Special School Transportation Reimbursement Technical Assistance Guide.

The disbursement of IDEA State Special Schools Transportation Reimbursement Requests will be reimbursed as funding is available. For the schoolyear 2023-24, the department will reimburse approved requests at a percentage until funds are exhausted. This reimbursement request is not considered IDEA High Cost. If an individual student reimbursement request meets the federal definition of IDEA High Cost, the LEA should utilize that reimbursement application. If requesting reimbursement, the LEA must choose either the IDEA State Special School Transportation Reimbursement Request or IDEA Part B High Cost Reimbursement Request for the special needs student, with assurances that only one application is being utilized for SY 2023-24.

IDEA State Special School Transportation Reimbursements for these general purpose special education expenditures will affect LEA maintenance of effort and must be considered by the LEA before applying. The LEA will need to assure they have enough special education expenditures for SY 2023-24 without the application's expenditure amount.

Office Hours:

We will be hosting a series of Office Hours to support the IDEA High Cost Reimbursement Request and the IDEA State Special Schools Transportation Reimbursement Request. 

  • May 31--10-11 a.m. CDT- Meeting Link | Meeting ID: 295 874 586 207 | Passcode: 6cuztx
  • May 31--1-2 p.m. CDT- Meeting Link | Meeting ID: 215 174 807 206 | Passcode: YekHJa
  • June 5--10 a.m.-11 a.m. CDT- Meeting Link | Meeting ID: 265 046 175 571 | Passcode: zDNmPi
  • June 12—10 a.m.-11 a.m. CDT- Meeting Link | Meeting ID: 228 883 170 101 | Passcode: 3hvBXi
  • June 20— 10 a.m.-11 a.m. CDT - Meeting Link | Meeting ID: 291 805 632 127 | Passcode: wBfwrn
  • June 26--10 a.m.-11 a.m. CST- Meeting Link | Meeting ID: 276 069 982 546 | Passcode: mjrfDf
  • Additional office hours, by appointment

For questions, please contact Brett.Printz@tn.gov

FY24 Alternative Education Survey (5/15/2024)

T.C.A § 49-6-3404 requires the Advisory Council for Alternative Education to, upon request of the governor, the education committee of the senate, either education committee of the house of representatives, or the commissioner of education, make a report on the state of alternative education in this state.  

The FY24 Alternative Education Survey will be completed in ePlan. The survey will open in ePlan on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, and is due on or before Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.  

The survey can be found in ePlan > Data and Information > FY 24 Alternative Education Survey. Detailed instructions can be found here.

Alternative Education Office Hours

Thursdays from 10-11:00 a.m. CT beginning Thursday, May 16, 2024, through Thursday, August 15, 2024.  

Login information for Alternative Education office hours can be found here. 

FY24 Homeless Immunization Report (5/9/2024)

The commissioner of education is required to report annually the number of homeless children who enrolled in public schools without immunization or proof of immunization and the average length of time required for these children to be immunized or to obtain immunization records. 

The FY24 Homeless Immunization report will be completed in ePlan. The report will open in ePlan on Thursday, May 9, 2024, and is due on or before Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. The report can be found in ePlan > Data and Information > FY24 Homeless Immunization Report. Detailed instructions for completing the report can be found here. 

2023-24 Bullying and Harassment Compliance Report (5/8/2024)

Contact: Shaundraya.Hersey@tn.gov

Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-4503 requires all school districts to implement bullying and harassment policies and report bullying and harassment data annually to the department by August 1. 

The Civil Rights and Bullying Compliance Report is due by Thursday, August 1, 2024. This year’s report will be completed exclusively in ePlan.  

All school districts must ensure that the individual designated to complete the Civil Rights and Bullying Compliance Report has access to ePlan in order to complete the report. To request access to ePlan, please complete and return the ePlan User Access Form for LEAs to ePlan.Help@tn.gov. Questions about access to ePlan should be directed to ePlan.Help@tn.gov.  

Please submit information and data for the 2023-24 school year unless otherwise noted.  

Frequently asked questions regarding the Civil Rights and Bullying Compliance Report are available here. 

Step-by-step instructions for completing the form in ePlan are available here.  

If you need technical assistance regarding completion of the Civil Rights and Bullying Compliance Report, please email CivilRights.BullyingReport@tn.gov.  

For all other additional questions or concerns about the content of the report, please reach out to Shaundraya.Hersey@tn.gov.  

New Process for Required ESL Self-Assessment (3/15/2024)

Contact: Hannah.Gribble@tn.gov

LEAs that serve English Learners (ELs) must conduct an annual self-assessment of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program by July 1 each year. Previously, LEAs uploaded a copy of the Tennessee English Learner Development Self-Assessment (TELDSA) into the LEA Document Library. Beginning in FY24, LEAs will now submit the self-assessment as part of Tennessee English Learner LEA Self-Assessment (TELLSA) Data and Information tool in ePlan. Access the tool from the ePlan left navigation menu > Data and Information. Select 2024 as the year.

The self-assessment is for the school year that ends in May or June 2024. For example, for the FY24 (2023-24) school year, LEAs complete the TELLSA by June 30, 2024.

LEAs have the option to use the Tennessee English Learner LEA Self-Assessment (TELLSA) as the ESL self-assessment. The purpose of the TELLSA is to guide the LEA to make informed judgments about the status of the ESL program and use data effectively to drive change and make the program more effective. This data and information tool is a revision of the previous TELDSA document. LEAs who wish to use another form for the self-assessment must seek approval from the Title III and Migrant Education Program Grant Manager via email at Hannah.Gribble@tn.gov by May 1.
Reminders
Welcome to ePlan (12/1/2022)

ePlan is Tennessee’s online platform that allows schools and districts the ability to access district and school plans, funding applications, and monitoring instruments.

ePlan user access forms can be found in the User Access folder on the TDOE Resources page or select one of the following forms:

Click here to access the ePlan User Manual.
Dates to Remember (9/20/2022)

* Dates are subject to change.

June 28: Family Resource Center Intent to Implement Form Deadline

July 26: Differentiated Pay Process Plans Due in ePlan

August 1: Civil Rights and Bullying Compliance Report Deadline
August 15: FY24 Homeless Immunization Deadline
August 15: Alternative Education Survey Deadline

See the  latest Federal Programs Updates newsletter. 
See the latest edition of the Commissioner's Update for Directors.
InformTN Assistance (9/30/2020)

Here are some ways to get technical help for InformTN.

  1. The Technical User Guide contains information including how to access InformTN on page 5. 
  2. Click the question mark in the upper right corner to open the Help section which contains the Technical User Guide.
  3. Email inform-tn-help@sip.eldarion.com for other technical support questions.
  4. Click here for information on the connection between SSO and InformTN including logging in troubleshooting.
Single Sign On (SSO) Account Set-up and Password Assistance (9/29/2020)

Individuals that have a locked SSO account should send an email to DT.Support@tn.gov requesting a new Welcome email.

  • Click here for instructions to reset your SSO password.  

To obtain an SSO account, please contact your local District EIS Supervisor for assistance. 

  • Click here for the list of EIS Supervisors. (For more information about EIS, see here.)

We have a document to highlight how SSO accounts are connected to ePlan and InformTN. Click here to view this connection document, which includes troubleshooting logging in using SSO.

For further assistance with your SSO account, including requests to have the ePlan tile added, please contact our District Technology team at DT.Support@tn.gov or (800) 495-4154. 
Office Hours (12/28/2019)

Alternative Education Office Hours

Thursdays 10 - 11 a.m. CT | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET.
Login information for Alternative Education office hours can be found here. 

ePlan Office Hours for LEA Users

Tuesdays at 11 a.m. CT | 12 p.m. ET.
Dates and login information for FPO office hours can be found here.

ESSER Office Hours

Wednesdays from 9 - 10 a.m. CT | 10 - 11 a.m. ET.
Dates and login information for FPO office hours can be found here.
Please note that office hours will not be held Aug. 16 and Aug. 23.
 
FPO Office Hours

 Mondays from 12 - 1 p.m. CT | 1 - 2 p.m. ET 
Dates and login information for FPO office hours can be found here.
  
IEP and Results-Based Monitoring Office Hours

Mondays in October-April from 1 - 2 p.m. CT | 2 - 3 p.m. ET.
Dates and login information for FPO office hours can be found here.

Local Finance Office Hours

Tuesdays 10 - 11 a.m. CT | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET.
Join via Microsoft Teams: Click HERE to join the meeting | Meeting ID: 224 112 731 254 | Passcode: X47t4h
Or Call in (Audio only): +1 (615) 270-9704 | Phone Conference ID: 916 098 92#

McKinney-Vento & ARP Homeless Office Hours

The first Thursday of the month from 10 - 11 a.m. CT | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET.
Dates and login information for FPO office hours can be found here.

TDOE-DCS Foster Care Office Hours

The second Wednesday of each month from 1 – 2 p.m. CT | 2 – 3 p.m. ET.
Dates and login information for FPO office hours can be found here.

Title I, Part C (Migrant Education Program) Office Hours

The first Thursday of the month from 1 - 2:30 p.m. CT | 2 - 3:30 p.m. ET.
Dates and login information for FPO office hours can be found here.

Title III Office Hours

The last Monday of the month from 10 - 11:30 a.m. CT | 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET.
Dates and login information for FPO office hours can be found here.