[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 124 (Friday, June 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38387-38388]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13819]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[201A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900253G]


Draft School Reopening Plan for School Year 2020-2021

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of consultation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) will conduct 
consultations to obtain oral and written comments on the draft School 
Reopening Plan (Plan) for school year 2020-2021, for its Bureau-funded 
schools to ensure BIE is meeting the needs of its students, schools, 
and Tribal communities to provide a safe environment for the 
continuation of education of the students in response to the COVID-19 
pandemic and following guidance issued by the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 25, 2020 at 11:59 
p.m. ET. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for 
dates and locations of consultation sessions.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to [email protected] or Bureau of Indian 
Education, Juanita Mendoza, 1849 C Street NW, MIB-3612, Washington, DC 
20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Juanita Mendoza, Special Assistant to 
the Director, Bureau of Indian Education; phone (202) 208-3559 or email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the consultation is to 
provide Indian Tribes, school boards, parents, Indian organizations and 
other interested parties with an opportunity to comment on the Plan for 
school year 2020-2021. The Plan provides reopening directives for 
Bureau-operated schools for developing individual school site reopening 
plans and guidance for Tribally-controlled schools who may utilize the 
Plan's recommendations to support their individual school site 
reopening plans. School reopening will also be based on local decision-
making in coordination with Tribal and local public health officials. 
The topics are:
    (1) Guidelines for school reopening;
    (2) Considerations for teachers and staff;
    (3) School building mitigation and cleaning;
    (4) Health screening; and
    (5) Social distancing and other safety protocols.
    The BIE will conduct virtual webinar sessions and will accept both 
oral and written comments. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 
approaching start of the 2020-2021 school year, BIE is providing an 
expedited notification period of 15 days instead of the usual 30-day 
notification period. The following table lists dates and links to join 
a consultation session:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            For:                       Dates                    Time (EDT)                To join webinar:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tribes.....................  Thursday, July 9, 2020    3-5 p.m. ET................  Register in advance for this
                              (Day 1).                                               meeting:
                                                                                    https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErc-urTotEt0x9u1tNXmfYuv5DPddpbCc Cc.
                                                                                    After registering, you will
                                                                                     receive a confirmation
                                                                                     email containing
                                                                                     information about joining
                                                                                     the meeting.
Public.....................  Friday, July 10, 2020     3-5 p.m. ET................  Register in advance for this
                              (Day 2).                                               meeting:
                                                                                    https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrceGgqjkuEtHzyFJYyaJUG135xP7yYYZp 5xP7yYYZp.
                                                                                    After registering, you will
                                                                                     receive a confirmation
                                                                                     email containing
                                                                                     information about joining
                                                                                     the meeting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Plan is available at https://www.bia.gov/covid-19/school-reopening and will be available at the above-listed sessions. The BIE 
strongly recommends reviewing the Plan located on BIE's web page prior 
to attending a consultation session or submitting written comments in 
order to provide meaningful feedback.

[[Page 38388]]

Public Comment Availability

    Written comments, including names, street addresses of respondents, 
will be available for public review at the location listed under the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice, during regular business hours, 8 a.m. 
to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Before 
including your address, telephone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that your 
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personal identifiable information from public 
view, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Tara Sweeney,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2020-13819 Filed 6-25-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P