Equitable Services in Non-Public Schools

Equitable Services Overview 

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law by President Obama on December 10, 2015 and includes updates to the equitable services provisions under Title I and Title VIII.  Updates include the following:

• Requires the state to give timely notice to private school officials regarding the amount of the allocation for educational services and other benefits for private school students
• Requires the proportional share of funds for equitable services be calculated based on the district’s entire Title I, Part A allocation, prior to determining any allowable expenditures or transfers
• Requires all funding for equitable services be obligated in the first fiscal year that the funds are available to districts
• Creates a state-level ombudsman to monitor and enforce equitable services requirements
• Requires the state to give timely notice to private school officials regarding the amount of the allocation for educational services and other benefits for private school students
• Strengthens the timely and meaningful consultation provisions by requiring discussion of additional topics
• Requires districts to submit the results of the timely and meaningful consultation to the ombudsman
• Requires districts to provide private school officials with a written explanation of the reasons the district disagrees with the view of private school officials on a particular consultation topic
• Gives private school officials the option of signing an affirmation stating the district did not engage in timely and meaningful consultation
• Updates the states services option and procedures
•  Adds specific time frames for the SEA and ED to consider a complaint from private school officials

Consultation

The goal of consultation is agreement between the LEA and appropriate private school officials on how to provide equitable and effective programs for eligible private school children. The “goal of reaching agreement” between an LEA and appropriate private school officials is grounded in timely, meaningful, and open communication between the LEA and the private school officials on key issues that are relevant to the equitable participation of eligible private school students, teachers and other education personnel, and families in ESEA programs.

Meaningful consultation provides ample time and a genuine opportunity for all parties to express their views, to have their views seriously considered, and to discuss viable options for ensuring equitable participation of eligible private school students, teachers and other education personnel, and families. This assumes that the LEA has not made any decisions that will impact the participation of private school students and teachers in applicable programs prior to consultation, or established a blanket rule that precludes private school students and teachers from receiving certain services authorized under applicable programs. An LEA must consult with private school officials about the timeline for consultation and provide adequate notice of such consultation to ensure meaningful consultation and the likelihood that those involved will be well prepared with the necessary information and data for decision-making. Successful consultation begins well before the implementation of services, establishes positive and productive working relationships, makes planning effective, continues throughout implementation of equitable services, and serves to ensure that the services provided meet the needs of eligible students and teachers.

Consultation forms must be submitted to the Ombudsman for Equitable Services after timely and meaningful consultation. 

Resources

New- Title I, Part A Equitable Services Updated Non-Regulatory Guidance

On October 11, 2019, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced the release of Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act: Providing Equitable Services to Eligible Private School Children, Teachers, and Families – Updated Non-Regulatory Guidance (October 7, 2019). This replaces the Title I Services to Eligible Private School Children guidance from 2003 and added additional questions, revising language for clarity, and providing specific examples to illustrate complex provisions.  Additionally, the guidance provides clarification around Pooling of Title I Funds and Religiously-Affiliated Third-Party Providers.
The department also published a corresponding Summary Response to Public Comments, which provides a brief summary of significant changes and additions between the draft guidance published in the spring and the final version published October 7, 2019.

• Equitable Services to Non-public Schools:  Frequently Asked Questions (Released 2017)
• Non-Public Consultation Form (Released 2022) 
• List of Non-public Schools/Codes
• Equitable Services to Non-public Schools – Carryover Request (PDF) 
• Non-Public School Pupil Counts 
• Equitable Services to Non-Public Schools: Consultation Timeline (PDF) (Released March 2019) 

Events

As part of federal EDFacts and CSPR reporting requirements, CDE is required to collect a count of students by grade level that received Title I, Part A services at non-public schools between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020. Please complete and submit the attached template via Syncplicity by August 31, 2020.

To access your Syncplicity folder, please visit my.syncplicity.com to see your folders listed under the Files tab. Please upload this completed template to your CSPR folder. If a Syncplicity folder has not already been shared with you, you should receive a separate email from Syncplicity with a link for uploading the completed template. Each LEA should only submit one completed template with the total number of students served in the district, at all non-public schools, by grade level. For questions regarding non-public schools, please contact DeLilah Collins. If you have any questions related to reporting, the attached form, or issues with Syncplicity, please let me know. 

Complaint Procedure 

Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a local education agency (LEA) must provide services to eligible non-public school students, families, and teachers that are equitable to those provided in eligible public schools.  LEAs and non-public school officials are required to complete and submit the results of consultation to the Equitable Services Ombudsman prior to the LEAs application for ESEA funds.   Non-public school officials have recourse through the complaint process if they do not believe that the LEA has engaged in meaningful consultation or if they believe the LEA is not providing equitable services as agreed to in the consultation form.  The Ombudsman for Equitable Services serves as the primary point of contact for responding to and resolving any complaints regarding equitable services.

If a non-public school official believes that timely and meaningful consultation has not occurred, they should first discuss concerns with the LEA point of contact responsible for coordinating the consultation and provision of services between the two entities.  If, after discussing the concerns with the LEA, the non-public school official still believes the issue is unresolved, the official may reach out to the Ombudsman for Equitable Services and an informal mediation may occur upon request.  In the event the problem is not resolved, non-public school officials have the right to file a formal written complaint with the Ombudsman for Equitable Services.

To file a formal written complaint, please access and submit the following document to the Ombudsman for Equitable Services to Non-public Schools:

• Equitable Services to Non-public Schools Complaint Procedure Form(Released 2017) 

For additional information regarding the provision of equitable services, contact Christina Adeboye Sullivan: 720-498-2252