Do You Have Questions for MDE?
Please check the MDE COVID-19 Information webpage before emailing your questions to MDE staff. We regularly add guidance, answers to questions and links to our daily update email. Please see below for details on a series of webinars scheduled for Friday, April 3, regarding recent State Board of Education actions.
U.S. Department of Education Grants Mississippi’s Waiver from Federal Accountability Requirements
The MDE today received formal approval from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for its waiver from federal accountability requirements. Read the details of the waiver here.
FEMA Public Assistance
FEMA has provided initial guidance for reimbursement for Public Assistance Applicants for Category B, Emergency Protective Measures to help with costs associated with response and recovery from COVID-19.
If your agency (county, city, town, etc.) already has an established account in the Public Assistance Grants Portal, they need to log in and select the prompt “REQUEST PUBLIC ASSISTANCE”, then follow the steps by selecting “3474EM-MS (3474EM)” on Step 2. Then complete the remaining steps to submit the Request for Public Assistance (RPA).
For those Agencies that do not have an account in the Grants Portal, please review Grants Portal Quick Guide for Applicants-Account Creation and RPA Submission. E-mail the following information to recovery1@mema.ms.gov.
- Applicant Name: (Example – Carter County BOS)
- County:
- FEMA PA Code: (if known)
- EIN Number
- DUNS Number
- Org Type: (County, City, PNP, etc.)
- Primary/Alternate Contact: (Name, Title, Phone, Email)
- Physical/Mailing Address, City, Zip
FEMA is developing a Simplified Application to expedite the PA process that will bypass the normal Exploratory Calls, Recovery Scoping Meeting, etc. That guidance will be published soon.
MDE Webinars: Review of State Board of Education Actions
The MDE will host two webinars on Friday, April 3, 2020, to review the State Board of Education actions taken on March 26, 2020, related to assessment, accountability, graduation requirements, course grades and licensure requirements.
- COVID19 Changes Impacting Accountability, Assessment, Graduation, and Course Grades
Friday, April 3, 2020
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
No registration required. Use this link to join the webinar at 9 a.m. April 3. - COVID19 Changes Impacting Licensure and Educator Preparation Programs
Friday, April 3, 2020
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
No registration required. Use this link to join the webinar at 10:30 a.m. April 3.
The format of the webinars will be similar to the March 26 SBE meeting, which is currently available online. In addition to an overview of SBE actions, MDE staff will address questions submitted in advance.
District staff should view the meeting March 26 SBE meeting and review board items prior to sending questions to the MDE. Questions related to the SBE action can be emailed to covid19@mdek12.org prior to 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Questions will be posted to the Guidance and FAQ section of the MDE website, online at www.mdek12.org/COVID19.