MDE COVID-19 Guidance to Districts as of July 8, 2020

Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA): Paid Leave Due to COVID-19 
H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), went into effective April 1, 2020 and will apply through December 31, 2020. It provides guidance to all employers, to include… 

 MDE Virtual Meeting for District English Learner (EL) Coordinators, Directors, and Lead Teachers 
The Mississippi Department of Education is hosting an English Learner check-in meeting Monday, July 20, for district EL leaders from across the state.  This meeting is an opportunity for EL coordinators… 

 MDE Virtual Professional Development 
The Office of Professional Development is excited to announce several upcoming virtual professional development sessions for educators as they prepare for the new school year. Each session will last between… 

 Reopening Schools-Social Distancing/COVID Products 
With educators across the country trying to determine and implement their roadmaps to reopening schools this fall, Locker-Pro is sharing some products it distributes. Locker Pro-TROAX Polycarbonate Panels Locker… 

 MDE Call Center 
The MDE call center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.to 5 p.m. To reach an MDE staff member, please call 601-359-3513.  

 Educator Licensure Call Center 
The Educator Licensure Call Center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. You may reach a licensure team member at 601-359-3483.  

 Due to the anticipated high volume of calls, please visit www.mdek12.org/licensure and the Educator Licensure section of www.mdek12.org/covid19 before calling the office or emailing questions to the teachersupport@mdek12.org email address. Answers to most questions we receive are addressed on those webpages. A tool you can use to stay updated on your licensure request is the Application Support landing page: https://www.mdek12.org/OEL/Application-Support 

 Announcements from all previous email updates are posted in the Administrator News section of the EdUpdate.