The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) was amended in Dec. 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and requires school districts to provide equitable services to non-public school students, teachers, and other education personnel in some of its major grant programs. While nonpublic schools cannot receive direct funding from these federal grant programs, their students and teachers may be eligible to receive benefits, services, and materials with federal grant resources. The amount and type of services available to nonpublic schools is determined by grant program and based on equitable participation requirements. Services for nonpublic school students must be developed in consultation with officials of the nonpublic schools.
Ombudsman
To help ensure equitable services and other benefits for eligible nonpublic school children, teachers and other educational personnel, and families, an SEA must designate an ombudsman to monitor and enforce ESEA equitable services requirements under both Title I and Title VIII. (ESEA sections 1117(a)(3)(B) and 8501(a)(3)(B).)
What are the roles and responsibilities of an ombudsman?
An ombudsman should serve as an SEA’s primary point of contact for addressing questions and concerns from nonpublic school officials and LEAs regarding the provision of equitable services under Titles I and VIII. In addition, the ombudsman is required to monitor and enforce the equitable services requirements under Titles I and VIII and, thus, should have a significant role in the State’s monitoring process. Furthermore, the ombudsman should ensure that nonpublic school officials know how to contact the ombudsman. The following are examples of activities the ombudsman could undertake in fulfilling the roles and responsibilities of the position:
The purpose of Title I and programs under Title VIII of the ESEA is to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education and to close educational achievement gaps [ESEA Section 1001 and 8501-8506]. Each LEA that receives Title I funds identifies public school attendance areas and schools that have high concentrations of children from low-income families as eligible to participate in Title I programs [ESEA section 1113].
ESEA sections 1117 and 8501-8506 requires participating LEAs, in consultation with appropriate nonpublic school officials, to provide eligible children attending nonpublic elementary and secondary schools, their teachers, and their families with Title I or programs under Title VIII services or other benefits that are equitable to those provided to eligible public school children, their teachers, and their families. Eligible nonpublic school children are children who reside in a participating public school attendance area and are low achieving.
Nonpublic Schools have the option to participate in the following Federal Programs:
2006 Equitable Services Toolkit