Southside ISD State & Federal Programs
The State and Federal Programs Department manages funds available through grants from federal and state agencies and private entities. The purpose is to ensure all Southside ISD expenditures comply and are administered in accordance with fiscal and federal requirements. All applications for grants, federal and state entitlements, and allocation opportunities relevant to the needs of our district and campuses are reviewed, monitored, and evaluated.
District Parent and Family Engagement Policy
Families, community members, and educators work together in an equal and respectful partnership to create and provide effective, systemwide support for student learning and development from early childhood into college, a career, or the military.
Each local educational agency that receives funds under this part shall develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy. The policy shall be incorporated into the local educational agency's plan developed under section 1112, establish the agency's expectations and objectives for meaningful parent and family involvement, and describe how the agency will — (A) involve parents and family members in jointly developing the local educational agency plan under section 1112, and the development of support and improvement plans under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1111(d). ESSA 1116 (a)(2)(A).
SOUTHSIDE ISD Parent and Family Engagement Policy
Parent Notification Requirements
Section 1112 of ESSA requires that districts receiving Title I, Part A funds must notify the parents of each student attending any school receiving these funds of the following:
Teacher Qualifications
At the beginning of each school year, a district that receives funds under Title I, Part A, must notify the parents of each student attending any school receiving these funds, that the parents may request, and if the agency will provide the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers, including at a minimum:
- Whether the student’s teacher
- Has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
- Is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; and
- Is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher.
- Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
Additional Information
A school that receives Title I, Part A funds must provide to each individual parent of a child who is a student in such school, with respect to each student
- Information on the level of achievement and academic growth of the student, if applicable and available on each of the state academic assessments required; and
- Timely notice that the student has been assigned, or has been taught for 4 or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who does not meet applicable state certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned.
ESSA Unsafe School Choice Option LEA Requirements
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Section 8532, requires any state that receives ESSA grant funds to establish a statewide policy concerning unsafe schools. Under the ESSA Unsafe School Choice Option (USCO), local education agencies (LEAs) must allow a student to attend a safe public elementary or secondary school within the LEA, including a public charter school, under either of the following conditions:
- The student attends a persistently dangerous public elementary or secondary school.
- The student becomes the victim of a violent criminal offense while in or on the grounds of the public elementary or secondary school that the student attends.
A local policy must include the transfer process for students attending a persistently dangerous school, as identified by TEA, and for student victims of criminal violence.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act is a federal law that ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth. The term “homeless children and youth” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason. Students who are homeless are not required to provide proof of residency before enrolling.
Benefits to Students:
- Coordinate services between students, families, and community agencies
- Provide transportation for eligible students to the school of origin
- Provide free lunch
- Provide school supplies
- Provide tutorials for eligible secondary students
- Provide credit recovery opportunities for eligible secondary students
School Report Cards provide a subset of the information available in the TAPRs (AEIS reports) on the performance of students at public schools.
The U.S. Department of Education requires each state to publish annual Federal Report Cards with specific district- and campus-level data. Every district that receives Title I, Part A funding is responsible for distributing the state-, district- and campus-level report cards to each of its campuses, the parents of all enrolled students, and the general public.
Competitive Grant Application
Southside ISD employees who wish to apply for a competitive/discretionary grant must download the form found below and follow the instructions to begin the application approval process.
Translation Procedure
Southside ISD will take practicable steps to ensure that parents, guardians, and other English Learners have access and equal opportunity to important school information. Information will be provided in an understandable and uniform format, and to the extent practicable, in a language that parents/guardians can understand [Section 1112(e)(4); 114(b)(4); 1116(e)(5); 1116(f)].
