Our Mission To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities. Our Goals
Agency has generated and released to staff its Heartland AEA COVID-19 Return-to-Workplace Guide, following board approval on Aug. 4. The guide contains information related to health and safety, protocols when returning to workplaces, office procedures, COVID-19 exposure notification, remote workplace, mental health resources, frequently asked questions, and the process for requesting COVID-19-related leave. Staff also participated in an all-agency webinar on Aug. 6 to hear Chief Administrator Jon Sheldahl review the guide. If you have any questions, contact the Heartland AEA regional directorwho serves your district.
Heartland AEA will be covering the cost for districts to use Pear Deck during the 2020-21 school year. Pear Deck is a communication platform that lets teachers create interactive assessments and presentations that students can follow from their personal devices. To receive Pear Deck at no cost for the 2020-21 academic year,register here no later than Aug. 10. You can access additional information here. If you have any questions, contact Sheila King, Heartland AEA Chief Information Officer, at sking@heartlandaea.org.
Iowa’s Area Education Agencies have collaborated to generate multiple professional development opportunities and resources that support appropriate instructional pedagogy for teaching in the online environment. The deliverables include varied formats for independent earning, district facilitated learning or learning in collaboration with an AEA partner, including:
Please share this document with your school nurse The purpose of this document is to guide school nurses when planning for return to school for students with disabilities and special healthcare needs (D/SHN) as defined by Section 504 or Individual Education Program (IEP) teams. School nurses understand the susceptibility of these students to environmental factors. While research is still emerging, results from early studies suggest that students with D/SHN have a higher prevalence of comorbidities associated with less favorable outcomes after infection with COVID-19, including higher fatality rates at younger ages compared to typically developing peers (Turk et al., 2020). Special acknowledgement to MaryAnn Tapper Strawhacker, MPH, BSN, RN, SEN (Heartland AEA Special Education Nurse), for her contributions as an author of this article.
