[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 52 (Friday, March 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14886-14887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05676]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2021-SCC-0041]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Safer 
Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Department 
of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct an 
emergency review of new information collection.

DATES: The Department requested emergency processing from OMB for this 
information collection request by March 15, 2021; and therefore, the 
regular clearance process is hereby being initiated to provide the 
public with the opportunity to comment under the full comment period. 
Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before May 18, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2021-SCC-0041. 
Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov 
site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily 
accept comments at [email protected]. Please include the docket ID 
number and the title of the information collection request when 
requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments 
submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period 
will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments 
submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the PRA 
Coordinator of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and 
Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, 
LBJ, Room 208D, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Victoria Hammer, 202-260-1438.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C.

[[Page 14887]]

3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with 
an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The 
Department of Education is especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to 
the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be 
processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden 
accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the 
Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, 
including through the use of information technology. Please note that 
written comments received in response to this notice will be considered 
public records.
    Title of Collection: Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices 
Clearinghouse.
    OMB Control Number: 1810-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments 
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 300.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 450.
    Abstract: On January 21, 2021 the President issued Executive Order 
(E.O.) 14000 to assist members of the educational community in each 
State in safely reopening schools for face-to-face instruction and 
ensuring schools remain open. E.O. 14000 directs the Department to make 
widely available and easily accessible a variety of resources from the 
field and Federal agencies and technical assistance to support their 
dissemination and use. The hub for these resources will be the 
Clearinghouse described in E.O. 14000. The Department's Office of 
Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) will lead development and 
implementation of the Clearinghouse in partnership with other ED 
offices and relevant Federal agencies. At the heart of the 
Clearinghouse will be the lessons learned and best practices collected 
from schools, districts, States, and institutions of higher education 
from across the country.
    Additional information: It will address three major topics related 
to operating safely during the COVID-19 pandemic:
     Safe and Healthy Environments: School and campus 
approaches to implementing the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention's (CDC) recommended mitigation strategies and preparing for 
and sustaining in-person operations safely. This includes 
recommendations across all grade and age levels of students served, 
with focus both on reopening buildings for the first time as well as 
keeping them open safely.
     Providing Supports to Students: School and campus 
strategies to meet student social, emotional, mental health, academic, 
financial, and other needs, including access to food and other basic 
needs. This includes a specific focus on the most vulnerable learners 
and ensuring that resources provided by schools and campuses will be 
able to connect with and meet the needs of those disconnected from 
learning.
     Teacher, Faculty, and Staff Well-Being, Professional 
Development, and Supports: School and campus strategies to address the 
social, emotional, health, and other needs of teachers, faculty, and 
staff.
    In order to quickly categorize, review, and approve submissions for 
inclusion in the Clearinghouse, the Department would like to request 
that voluntary submissions include the following information: (1) 
Contact information; (2) Topic (e.g., safe and healthy environments; 
providing supports for students; teacher, faculty, and staff well-
being, professional development, and supports); (3) Target audience 
(e.g., early childhood, PreK-12, postsecondary); (4) A short 
description (two to three sentences); (5) What makes it a lesson 
learned or best practice (e.g., it is based on local data regarding 
number of cases of COVID in the community, State or Federal guidance, 
research), including a summary of the impact and any evidence of 
positive outcomes and clarification of the type of setting the practice 
has been used in (e.g., rural/urban/suburban, public/private/
proprietary, 2-year or 4-year higher education institution, 
Historically Black College or University/Tribally Controlled College or 
University/Minority Serving Institution; other educational settings 
such as correctional facilities); and (6) Whether there is a focus on 
racial equity and/or another equity focus, such as a focus on 
historically underserved populations including students with 
disabilities; English learners; students from low-income backgrounds; 
first-generation college students; students experiencing homelessness; 
students in or formerly in foster care; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, 
Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA) students; undocumented 
students; student veterans and military-connected students; student 
parents; and international students.

    Dated: March 15, 2021.
Kate Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-05676 Filed 3-18-21; 8:45 am]
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