Online Learning eNews
A Publication of Genesee ISD
Your Connection to Virtual Learning Options!
The past month was very busy for the GenNET Online team as we gathered and reported REP data on all the Michigan certified teachers that our Providers have teaching your students. This marks the third time that we have provided this REP reporting service on behalf of all enrollments made through the GenNET Online Portal. As we close out 2019 and look forward to 2020, we want to share the following IMPORTANT information with you:
The 2019-2020 Pupil Accounting Manual (PAM) has been published by MDE. The updated manual was posted on December 12, 2019. In the PAM, all updated language is highlighted in yellow. We would encourage districts to review Section 5-O-D which covers options for virtual learning. Upon the release of the updated manual, we received some questions about the updated language regarding the teacher of record for virtual learning. The language raised questions about whether a teacher provided by one of the course providers on the GenNET Online Learning Portal could be used as the Teacher of Record. We brought these questions to MDE and they posted an update to the PAM on December 18, 2019 which clarifies the language in this section and also updated the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) under this section of the manual. The latest updates are highlighted in blue. Two of the questions that were added to the FAQ of the PAM are:
Q# 30 - Our district would like to offer our pupils courses provided by GenNET. If we do so is our district, then responsible for providing a teacher of record who is employed by the district to meet the requirements of Section 1231?
A# 30 No. GenNET is the course provider and would be responsible for providing a teacher of record.
Q# 31 Does Section 1231(1), which requires that school districts directly hire their teachers, apply to an intermediate school district provider such as GenNET?
A# 31 No. The definition of a school district as used in Section 1231(1) means a local district (LEA) according to the definition provided in Section 6 of the Revised School Code (MCL 380.6). Intermediate school district is defined separately in Section 4 of the Revised School Code (MCL 380.4). Since the language in Section 1231(1) does not include an intermediate school district, it does not apply to an intermediate school district. This in turn means that an intermediate school district may contract with a third-party for their teaching staff.
While a district at any time may use their own teacher of record for a virtual class, the 2019-20 PAM does make clear that a district can also use the teacher from one of the providers on the GenNET Online Learning Portal. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to us.
You can review full pupil accounting manual by clicking here.