The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Is seeking public comment on its application to the U.S. Department of Education for the Educational Flexibility (Ed-Flex) Program. This program, reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), permits State Educational Agencies (SEAs) to waive certain requirements that may impede local efforts to reform and improve education systems. With this flexibility, SEAs can waive select requirements of federal statute or regulations that apply to school districts and schools without first submitting those waivers to the Department.
A small number of states previously had this authority, but under ESSA, the Secretary may now permit all interested SEAs to apply to become Ed-Flex states. An SEA approved for Ed-Flex authority may waive requirements that apply to Title I, Part A (excluding Section 1111); Title I, Part C; Title I, Part D; Title II, Part A; and Title IV, Part A. A state can be granted Ed-Flex authority for up to five years once its application has been approved.
North Carolina was one of the states that previously had this authority and is seeking to continue that through the current application posted on the N.C. Department of Public Instruction webpage at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/program-monitoring/resources/edflex/.
Any individual or organization may submit written comments on the proposed waiver through the close of business on Sept. 5, 2019.
Send written comments on the proposed waiver to Michael Wells, N.C. Department of Public Instruction, 301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27601, or email at Michael.wells@dpi.nc.gov
About the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction:
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides leadership to 115 local public school districts and 160 charter schools serving over 1.5 million students in kindergarten through high school graduation. The agency is responsible for all aspects of the state's public school system and works under the direction of the North Carolina State Board of Education.