SECTION VIII

Student Services

In this section:

  • Anytime, Anywhere Learning (AAL)
  • Counseling Services
  • McKinney-Vento Act
  • English Language Learner
  • At-Risk Programming

Download a printable version of this section:
STUDENT SERVICES (PDF)

Anytime, Anywhere Learning (AAL)

Dubuque Community School District believes that a guaranteed and viable curriculum is the foundation for teaching and learning. We believe that our Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas, will allow for better alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment; better sharing, updating, and revising of curriculum; better assessment of student progress to make more timely decisions about teaching and learning; and better communication with students, parents, and counselors.

Canvas is the Learning Management System (LMS) that the district chose to help organize and deliver courses. It contains a gradebook that connects with Infinite Campus which allows parents and students to access and see their progress in the course. The LMS can facilitate online course discussion between the individual student, their peers and their teachers. It houses electronic course materials (e.g. videos, chats, documents, etc.) and allows teachers to give timely electronic feedback to student work. If allowed by the teacher, students can offer feedback to their peers on coursework in Canvas. Additionally, teachers can annotate student work, providing timely digital feedback.

The curriculum and instructional delivery, facilitated through the online learning management system, is what the Dubuque Community School District is calling the Anytime, Anywhere Learning (AAL) curriculum initiative. As part of this curriculum initiative, each student in grades 6-12 will receive a student-assigned laptop, charger and carrying case to use for the duration of their enrollment. The student-assigned laptop, charger and carrying case are the property of the district and can be surrendered at any time. The district-issued, student-assigned laptop and/or accessories are to assist with the students access of required instructional resources offered by their teachers.

The laptop and/or accessories, like a textbook, is property of the District and students/families are responsible for the care and condition of the equipment. Depending on the situation, students/families may be fined for intentional damaged or lost equipment. The laptop is an educational tool and is not intended for personal use.

At its core the Anytime, Anywhere Learning (AAL) curriculum initiative will do the following:

  • Promote student engagement and enthusiasm for learning.
  • Encourage collaboration among students, teachers, parents/or legal guardians, community members, and people throughout world through interactive capabilities and opportunities.
  • Guide students in their learning and production of knowledge.
  • Allow students access to information, along with an opportunity to connect it to their own learning in a meaningful manner.

For more information about the Anytime, Anywhere Learning (AAL) curriculum initiative, please visit www.dbqschools.org.

Counseling Services

Dubuque Community School District Counselors

Dubuque School District counselors team with teachers, staff, and parents to address social emotional and academic needs of students. They connect with community agencies and advocate for a climate of respect for all students. In addition to classroom guidance lessons, they provide small group and individual counseling to address student needs. Counselors help your child to make work related and career decisions and assist students in dealing with life events.

Social Emotional Behavior Health and Substance Abuse Counselors

In addition to school counselors, social emotional behavior health therapists will be provided through partner agencies Hillcrest Family Services and Lutheran Services of Iowa. Students who encounter significant barriers to learning may be referred to these agencies to receive therapy within the school environment. This service will require parental consent and therapists will bill parent/student insurance providers for the in-school sessions. No student will be denied needed services due to lack of mental health insurance coverage.

Substance abuse counselors are available only to students in the middle and high schools. These counselors are provided through a contract with a partner agency. Referrals to substance abuse counselors come from various sources including school faculty and staff as well as students. Federal laws allows for Substance Abuse Counselors to meet with students 12 years of age and older without parental permission, however, counselors will make every attempt to obtain the student’s consent to talk with the parents.

Other Student/School Based Youth Services

The Dubuque Schools work with various governmental and non-government agencies to provide additional support to students and families with specific needs. Some of the agencies that work with the schools include the Department of Health and Human Services, Juvenile Court Services, Dubuque Police Department and the Riverview Center.

McKinney-Vento Act

The McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act (per Title IX, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act) is a federal law that ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth. McKinney-Vento provides federal funding to states for the purpose of supporting district programs that serve homeless students.

The Dubuque Community School District has education-related resources available to assist families who are homeless either short or long term.

If you have questions concerning the available resources please call your child’s school and ask to speak to the School Homeless Liaison person (usually the school counselor).

Identifying Students

Homeless students are individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Homeless include children, youth, migratory children and families who share the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason. However, the situation must be temporary and not considered a fixed living situation.

Your school-age children may have certain rights and protections under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act if they live in any of the following situations:

  • In an emergency or transitional shelter
  • In a motel, hotel, trailer park or campground due to the lack of an alternative adequate accommodation
  • In a vehicle, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, or bus or train station, or similar setting
  • Doubled up with other people due to the loss of housing or economic hardship

Your eligible children have the right to:

  • Receive a free, appropriate public education.
  • Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment.
  • Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents.
  • Enroll in the local school; or continue attending their school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), if that is your preference and is feasible.
  • Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if you request this.
  • Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to your children’s needs.

At the beginning of each new school year or upon newly registering, every child enrolling in the Dubuque Community School District, will be asked to complete questions during the registration process. Based on questions answered during online registration in Infinite Campus, the following form may be required to be completed and will be requested by the district when applicable.

FORM 2: McKinney-Vento Questionnaire
The form is available at the back of this handbook, in the school offices, and at www.dbqschools.org/forms.

District Contact:
Rebecca Fellenzer, Director of Student Services
Dubuque Community School District
563/552-3083

English Language Learner

Students in the Dubuque Community School District who qualify for ELL (English Language Learner) education support receive supplemental, targeted language instruction in either a pull-out or a push-in classroom approach. K-12 students who qualify for ELL support are instructed by highly qualified teachers who are certified by the State of Iowa with an ELL endorsement. The district LAU plan contains additional information on ELL programming and goals. Title III funding from the State of Iowa supports this supplemental instruction. Students are tested yearly using an assessment called the English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21). Students receive a score each spring, and upon a “proficient” score are exited from the ELL program and monitored for two years. Parents receive annual notification of their child’s eligibility for the ELL program, and can opt out at any time with written notice of “parent refusal” for their child.

At-Risk Programming

The Dubuque Community School District offers at-risk programs according to the guidelines from the Iowa Department of Education. Students are identified according to the four criteria; academically failing one of more classes, chronically absent from school, not engaged in school, and two or more years below grade level. Students who fit the criteria are placed into programming that is prioritized to serve students who have dropped out of school followed by students who are at risk of potentially dropping out of school.

Programs include: Re-engage Dubuque, the Alternative Learning Center, Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG), social emotional behavior health counseling, attendance supports and substance abuse counseling, as well as other programs.