I’m sure you’ve heard that Congress passed and the President signed a landmark education bill called the Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA. What exactly does this mean for you?
ESSA replaces the federally mandated, overly prescriptive Washington policies and allows states and localities to decide the best way to educate their students and ways to allocate their resources. This is a major shift in power from the federal government to the states. If you want to get in the weeds of this new law, the National Council of State Legislatures offers a great synopsis.
"You need to make sure you're invited to the table."
To help states and localities decide how to best make these new changes, the new law calls for a State Plan through a “Needs Assessment” that will take into account such factors as health and chronic absenteeism. The Healthy School Campaign has an in-depth article about the factors that will be used for the “Needs Assessment.” The law requires input from teachers, principals, parents, and “Specialized Instructional Support Personnel” which includes school nurses (as well as school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists).
So, what does this really mean for YOU?
It means you need to step up and get involved. You need to make sure you're invited to the table.
Depending on where you live, some states have already begun this process and others have not. Either way – call your Governor’s office or State Board of Education and tell them you want to be involved in the State Needs Assessment around ESSA. Also, call your State representative or senator and tell them you want to participate. Our friends at the National Education Association have coined the term that States [are] ‘Setting the Table’ for ESSA Implementation.
". . . you are important and your students rely on you . . ."
This same process will take place on the District and Local level. Speak to your city council member or school board member and let them know you want to participate in the District Needs Assessment. Tell your superintendent and your principal that you want to be involved. Use tools from NASN to assist you on both the state and local levels.
Get that seat at the table in your school community! Remember, you are important and your students rely on you to help keep them healthy, safe, and ready to learn!
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