By Stuart Bennett

This month, the state board returned to their customary two-day format, with their Wednesday work day opening up with the Rules, Charter and Budget committees meeting, the operations committee upon their conclusion and the Committee of the Whole, after lunch. The April Rules committee agenda contained only one Rule revision this month, an initiation of a major overhaul of the Hospital Homebound Services rule (160-4-2-.31). The revisions to this are so extensive the department has chosen to ask the state board to "repeal and replace" this rule with what is essentially a new rule. The revisions provide local systems with a well-developed rule that can be applied consistently in all districts.

The revisions provide local systems with a well-developed rule that can be applied consistently in all districts. Significant changes to the rule include:
- expanding definitions (e.g. adding definition of "licensed psychiatrist" as being the only person who may recommend a student for psychiatric or emotional conditions -based on state law-definition of physician).
- adding online learning as a method of providing instruction.
- clarifying "intermittent" hospital homebound services.
- clarifying "absences due to pregnancy" to accurately reflect Title IX.
- placing hospital homebound services at tier 3 of the Pyramid of Interventions.
- clarifying the requirements for the adult who must be present during instruction.
- clarifying that the physician making the referral must be the attending physician for the diagnosis for which the services are recommended.
- placing responsibility on the local school/system team to set parameters for submission of updated referral to prevent on-going, often unnecessary hospital homebound instruction.

The Department's Director of Student Services Phil Hulst, presented the rule stating this was the result of over 18 months of work and should modernize the rule to incorporate on-line learning and recognizing the (RTI) Pyramid of Interventions. He indicated that complete guidance would be available next month when the rule comes to the board for their approval. This rule was presented to the board, they voted to initiate this rule and put it on the table for the requisite (30) thirty days. Provided there are no substantive revisions, this rule will be on the agenda for the May board meeting.

The rules committee addressed a variety of waivers this month including two Title 20 waivers for Decatur and Thomas Counties. Decatur County petitioned the state board for a waiver that would allow them to split 5th and 6th grades from the 7th and 8th grades and move them to separate locations. This waiver will allow them to address the overcrowding in the present configuration, continue to improve their middle grades student's performance, and still draw the full middle school allotments.  Thomas County requested a renewal of a 2007 waiver to allow their 5th grade, currently located at their middle school (which has a 5-8 configuration), to waive the "duty free" lunch currently required in state law. Eight additional class size and facilities waivers were placed on the consent agenda and approved at Thursday's meeting and can be reviewed at www.gadoe.org

Another item of particular interest was Forsyth County's application for an IE2 accountability and flexibility contract on the Wednesday morning's Rules Committee agenda. Board Chair Wanda Barrs moved this item to the afternoon Committee of the Whole agenda so the entire board could hear this application. Wednesday afternoon, in the Committee of the Whole, Dr. Buster Evans, Forsyth County Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lissa Pijanowsky presented this second application for an IE2 contract (Gwinnett was the first) outlining their contract for additional flexibility with regard to specific academic, human resources and finance rules in exchange for additional accountability measures that Forsyth must meet and consequences that could result if they don't meet their stipulated goals. The state board voted to accept the contract in Thursday's meeting.

The Charter Committee was busy this month with seven new charter applications coming to them for their approval. They approved five and Denied two.