Release Date:
The following is a brief summary of the July Board Meeting held this past week:
McKenna Roberts, new student member. During the July meeting, junior McKenna Roberts (Okanogan) was sworn-in as the east-side student representative.
Legislative panel. Senator Lisa Wellman, Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, and Representative Mike Steele shared about education policy proposals in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Approval of private schools. During the May meeting the Board received a briefing on the private school approval process and took action to approve 388 schools. During the July meeting an additional 74 schools reviewed by staff were recommended for approval.
- File Exhibit A - Draft July Private School Approval List
- File Exhibit B - Draft July Private School Provisional Approval List
Approval of district Required Action Plans. At the March meeting, the Board designated seven schools in six school districts for required action as recommended by OSPI. During the July meeting, the Board approved Required Action Plans developed by the districts with support from OSPI.
Rules regarding emergency waiver authority and private schools. The Board adopted rules to allow flexibility for private schools to open online in the fall if needed.
Rules regarding instructional hours and days. The Board adopted rules to ensure that distance learning time counts toward the total instructional hours and days required under the program of basic education.
Proposed permanent rules regarding high school graduation requirements. The Board adopted proposed permanent rules to clarify that districts have flexibility to award credit based on demonstration of mastery or competency, that districts may offer courses that meet more than one subject area graduation requirement, and to increase flexibility for districts to waive Washington state history for students impacted by school closures or other disruptions due to COVID-19 or other emergencies.
- Exhibit F - Chapter 180-51 (credit definition, local school district application of state requirements, etc.)
Look for more information about SBE's rulemaking process in the coming weeks.
Other Items of Interest
All meeting materials and the Zoom recordings of this meeting are posted on the SBE meetings page. Some additional highlights include: