Assessment Accommodations

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has granted flexibility for local school boards and charter school governing boards to implement a maximum of five Remote Learning Option days in lieu of canceling scheduled contact day(s) to protect the health, safety or welfare of students. Such Remote Learning Option days may not be part of a school’s calendar or scheduled ahead of time but rather should be used when unforeseen circumstances prevent in-person learning.

Schools that intend access to this flexibility should adopt a board policy or resolution that meets requirements established by CDE and develop a Remote Learning Option Plan for how the Remote Learning Option day will be implemented. Additional information and a sample board resolution are provided below.

Resources

• School District Calendar and Instructional Hours Guidance (Colorado Department of Education, p 12-14)
• CSI Sample Board Resolution: Remote Learning as a Result of Emergency School Closure (docx)

During the 2022 and 2023 legislative sessions, two bills were signed into law impacting mandatory school policies and practices around physical intervention, restraints and seclusion of students. In 2023 House Bill 23-1191 was passed, explicitly prohibiting corporal punishment in public schools. Additionally, in 2022, House Bill 22-1376 was passed, establishing new and modifying existing requirements regarding restraints and seclusion in public schools. In May 2023, the State Board approved revisions to 1 CCR 301-45 to conform to changes made by House Bill 22-1376. The changes became effective on June 30, 2023.

Restraints and seclusion must only be used by trained employees in an emergency and with extreme caution after the failure of less restrictive alternatives and a determination that such alternatives would be inappropriate or ineffective. The revised regulations outline procedures related to:

• The administration of restraints and seclusion;
• Staff training;
• Documentation and notification requirements; and
• The review of the use of restraints and seclusion.

CSI schools should review the new requirements and revise their policies and practices. Additionally, CSI schools should ensure that a comprehensive review process is established for the appropriate use of restraint. This includes documenting incidents and the school’s review of incidents in the Statewide Student Information System (SIS) and reporting required data to the state annually via the School Discipline Collection. Schools should contact submissions_csi@state.co.us for questions related to the revised annual restraint and seclusion data reporting requirements. Additional resources, and a sample policy are provided below.

CSI is committed to honoring families’ private medical decisions while providing a learning environment free of disruption.

The CSI Board’s Access to Medically Necessary Treatment at School policy addresses how a student who has a prescription from a qualified health-care provider for medically necessary treatment receives such treatment in the school setting as required by applicable federal and state laws pursuant to its status as the Administrative Unit for all CSI Schools. 

The Colorado Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) is a statewide program that provides survivors of stalking, sexual assault, and domestic violence with a legal substitute address and mail forwarding. Under Colorado law, all state and local government agencies must accept a participant’s substitute address. ACP services are intended to enhance a comprehensive safety plan and contribute to increased survivor safety. 

Each CSI school is expected to have one or more ACP-trained staff members should enrolling families be participating in the ACP programming. Beginning 2023-2024 school year, schools will need to sign an assurance of their understanding of ACP & uphold the necessary requirements.