DE Guidance on Counting Students Attending Virtually in the Fall

The Iowa Department of Education has been asked the question that if a parent decides to not send their child to school in the fall because of perceived safety issues, but wishes to take advantage of the district’s ability to provide learning virtually, does the district count that student as a resident, full-time student. The DE has responded that the student would be counted if they otherwise meet the definition of resident and are in attendance on count date. The decision about whether the child's absences are excused or not is a local decision. The parent always has the option to homeschool and dual enroll.

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

• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Temporary Change in Delivery of Instructional Technology Supports

As districts begin to develop their Return-to-Learn plans, Heartland AEA has seen a substantial increase in professional learning requests related to instructional technology support for distance and blended learning. In order to meet the increased demand and provide support in a timely manner, beginning June 1, Heartland AEA’s Instructional Technology Team will centrally coordinate all professional learning requests.

What this looks like for your district

District and school leaders will continue to place instructional technology requests with the instructional technology consultant assigned to their region. The request will be quickly processed by the instructional technology team and they will determine who is available to provide support. It may be that your assigned consultant will be handling the request, or it may be reassigned to another consultant whose calendar and expertise best fits your needs.

Heartland AEA is dedicated to providing high quality professional learning support in a timely manner to our districts. We believe this temporary change in our service delivery model will allow us to better meet your needs during the unprecedented time of COVID-19 and the professional learning demands that come with it. 

For more information or questions, contact your regional director or instructional technology consultant.