Report of Regents P-12 Education/Higher Education Joint Meeting Committee to The Board of Regents
Your P-12 Education and Higher Education Committees held a joint meeting on October 16, 2017. All members were present, except for Regent Finn, who was excused.
ACTION ITEMS
Teachers Displaced from Puerto Rico and/or Another U.S. Territory as a Result of Hurricane Maria to Teach in New York State [P-12/HE (A) 1] - Your Committees recommend that Section 80-5.26 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education be added, as submitted, effective October 17, 2017, as an emergency action upon a finding by the Board of Regents that such action is necessary for the preservation of the general welfare to immediately certify teachers in New York State who were affected and displaced by Hurricane Maria for a temporary period of time.
MOTION FOR ACTION BY FULL BOARD
Madam Chancellor and Colleagues: Your P-12 Education and Higher Education Committees recommend, and we move, that the Board of Regents act affirmatively upon each recommendation in the written report of the Committee's deliberations at its meeting on October 17, 2017, copies of which have been distributed to each Regent.
MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION
Students Displaced by Recent Hurricanes [P-12/HE (D) 1] – the Committees were updated on the guidance document that was sent to schools and districts on October 12, 2017, providing information on how to enroll and serve students displaced to New York State by recent hurricanes. Discussion focused on the McKinney-Vento Act which protects students who are temporarily displaced due to disaster. Under McKinney-Vento, students in temporary housing can enroll immediately in a school in the district where they are temporarily living even if they don’t have the documents normally needed for enrollment and even if they have missed application or enrollment deadlines during any period of homelessness. The Committee also discussed implications for Students with Disabilities and English language learners/Multilingual learners.