Federal Programs
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides financial assistance through state education agencies (SEAs) to local education agencies (LEAs) and public schools with the highest percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. Public schools with poverty rates of at least 40 percent may use Title I funds, along with other federal, state, and local funds, to operate a schoolwide program to upgrade the entire educational program. The school designs, in consultation with parents, staff, and district staff, an instructional program to meet the needs of students. The programs must be based on effective means of improving student achievement and include strategies to support parent and family engagement.
The East Tallahatchie School District currently serves Charleston Elementary School, Charleston Middle School, and Charleston High School through a Schoolwide Program. This means that Title I funds may be utilized to affect all students and faculty members. These funds are utilized primarily to provide salaries and benefits for instructional paraprofessionals and interventionists. Instructional supplies and services are also provided for classrooms along with technological resources.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.”
• Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
• Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.
• Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31): School officials with legitimate educational interest; Other schools to which a student is transferring; Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes; Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student; Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school; Accrediting organizations; To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena; Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law. Schools may disclose, without consent, “directory” information such as a student’s name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. The actual means of notification (special letter, inclusion in a PTA bulletin, student handbook, or newspaper article) is left to the discretion of each school. For additional information, you may call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) (voice). Individuals who use TDD may call 1- 800-437-0833.
On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released joint guidance to states, school districts and child welfare agencies on the new provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for supporting children/youth in foster care. The guidance aims to assist state and local partners in understanding and implementing the new law, and to inform state and local collaboration between educational and child welfare agencies across the nation for the well-being of children in foster care.
East Tallahatchie District Point of Contact
Jasmine Roberson, jroberson@etsdk12.org, 662-647-5524
The purpose of Title II, Part A is to increase student academic achievement consistent with the challenging state academic standards; improve the quality and effectiveness of teacher, principals, and other school leaders; increase the number of teachers, principals, and other school leaders who are effective in improving student academic achievement in schools; and provide low-income and minority students greater access to effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders.
Goals of Title II Funding
- Develop, implement, and improve rigorous, transparent, fair evaluation and support systems
- Support the effective recruitment, selection, hiring and retention of effective educators
- Recruit qualified individuals from other fields to become educators
- Reduce class size to a level that is evidence-based
- Provide high-quality personalized professional development that is evidence-based
- Develop programs and activities that increase educators’ ability to meet the needs of all learners
- Support activities and programs that increase educators’ ability to meet the needs of students through age 8
- Carrying out in-service training for school personnel
- Support the instructional services provided by effective school library programs
- Develop feedback mechanisms to improve school working conditions
- Carry out other evidence-based activities that meet the purpose of this title.
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) provides statewide leadership in promoting high quality education for English Learners (EL) and Immigrant youth.
Title III grants are awarded to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) to:
- help ensure that English Learners, including immigrant children and youth, attain English proficiency and develop high levels of academic achievement in English;
- assist all English Learners, including immigrant children and youth, to achieve at high levels in academic subjects so that all English Learners can meet the same challenging State academic standards that all children are expected to meet;
- assist teachers, principals and other school leaders, and LEAs to develop and enhance their capacity to provide effective instructional programs designed to prepare English Learners, including immigrant children and youth, to enter all-English instructional settings; and
- promote parental, family, and community participation in language instruction educational programs for the parents, families, and communities of English Learners.
The purpose of the Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant is to improve students' academic achievement by increasing the capacity of States, local educational agencies, schools, and local communities to provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, improve school conditions for student learning, and improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.
Ensuring all students have access to a holistic well-rounded education is central to the shared work across programs in ESSA. Allowable uses of funds for the SSAE program under each of the three content areas may include but not limited to: direct services for students, professional development for teachers and administrators, salaries of personnel to carry out identified programs and services, and supplemental educational resources and equipment.
A Local Educational Agency (LEA) that receives at least $30,000 in SSAE program funds must conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that includes, at a minimum, a focus on the three content areas identified above.
The Rural Education Initiative is designed to address the unique needs of small, rural local education agencies (LEAs) that frequently lack the personnel and resources needed to compete effectively for Federal competitive grants and receive formula grant allocations under other programs in amounts too small to be effective in meeting their intended purposes.
The Mississippi Department of Education is dedicated to ensuring each child who is homeless has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education available to other students. This commitment includes services to preschool students and unaccompanied youth who are homeless.
In 2016-2017 Mississippi school districts identified 10,994 students who met the McKinney-Vento Act definition of homeless students.
Grants for the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program are awarded to local educational agencies on a competitive, yearly basis. The funding source of these awards is Title IX, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act. School districts may also reserve a portion of their Title I Part A funds to meet the needs of homeless students.
These grants provide activities that enable these students to enroll, attend, and succeed in school. These services might include before or after-school tutoring, supplemental instruction, and enriched educational activities. Activities may be provided on school grounds or at other facilities that can effectively meet the needs of students who are homeless.
Homeless Liaison
Jasmine Roberson
662-647-5524
East Tallahatchie Homeless and Migrant Plan
Parents Rights to Know (English)
Parents Rights to Know (Spanish)
East Tallahatchie Homeless Board Policy
Mississippi's Migrant Education Program (MEP) is a federally funded program (Title I-C) responsible for providing supplemental academic and supportive services to the children of families (or children themselves) who migrate to find work in the agriculture and fishing industries, whether or not enrolled in school.
Definition of a Migrant Child: A migratory child is a child who is, or whose parent, spouse, or guardian is, a migratory agriculture worker or migratory fisher, and who, in the preceding 36 months, has moved due to economic necessity from one school district to another, to accompany such parent, spouse, or guardian to obtain (or to obtain him/herself) temporary or seasonal employment in agricultural or fishing (marine harvesting) work as a principal means of livelihood.
Program Purpose: The purpose of the Migrant Education Program is to ensure that children of migrant workers have access to and benefit from the same free, appropriate public education, provided to other children.
Program Goals: The goal of the Migrant Education program is to ensure that all migrant students reach challenging academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma (or complete a GED) that prepares them for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment.
Francesca Suggs-Scott ~ Federal Programs Director