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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">National Policy Update</span></b><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">Courtesy of SHEEO and NASFAA</span></i><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h1 align="center" style="margin:0in;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">US ED Extends End Dates for COVID-19-Related Waivers and Issues New Flexibilities</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;background:white">On Friday, December 11, 2020, the Department of Education (ED) issued a Federal Register (FR) </span><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/12/11/2020-27042/federal-student-aid-programs-student-assistance-general-provisions-federal-perkins-loan-program" target="_blank"><span style="color:#428BCA;background:white;text-decoration:none">notice</span></a><span style="color:black;background:white"> extending
the end dates of COVID-19-related waivers and modifications, and also introduced several new flexibilities using its authority granted by the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (</span><a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/1412" target="_blank"><span style="color:#428BCA;background:white;text-decoration:none">HEROES</span></a><span style="color:black;background:white">)
Act of 2003. Visit the NASFAA (National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators) website for the
<a href="https://www.nasfaa.org/news-item/24185/ED_Extends_End_Dates_for_COVID-19-Related_Waivers_Issues_New_Flexibilities">
full press release</a> and details.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;background:white">WCET SAN Policy Update</span></b><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;background:white">Courtesy of Cheryl Dowd</span></i><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">A Note to States and Institutions Regarding the US ED
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:black">COVID-19-Related Waivers</span><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">How does the U.S. Department of Education’s newly released update to its COVID-19 Guidance affect states and institutions? The
</span><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">December 11, 2020 guidance</span><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"> indicates that the waivers and modifications in this updated document expire as noted within each of the provisions, except those that
are extended by the Secretary in the document published in the Federal Register. Specific to state authorization-related work, you will find a continuation of the waiver we have discussed since March 5, 2020.<br>
<br>
<u>Effective Dates</u>:<br>
>From March 5, 2020 through the date that the federally declared national emergency related to COVID-19 is rescinded.<br>
<br>
<u>Relevant Regulation</u>:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">34 CFR 600.9(c) State Authorization of Distance Education is waived for purposes of participation in Title IV HEA programs. However, the announcement indicates, as we have discussed for months,
that the waiver ONLY applies to the Department of Education requirements. The institutions must continue to comply with applicable state requirements.<br>
<br>
<u>Implications</u>:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">Institutions are still required to be in compliance with the states even though the federal regulation is temporarily waived for purposes of Title IV. Therefore, for institutions that do not participate
in SARA to obtain state authorization, they must seek individual state approval for their institutions in each state where their students are located in order to meet state compliance.
<br>
<br>
Institutions should review this updated guidance that extends waivers and flexibilities noting some variance in effective dates. The affected regulations are listed below:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">34 CFR 600<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">34 CFR 602<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">34 CFR 668<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">34 CFR 673<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">34 CFR 674<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">34 CFR 682<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">34 CFR 685<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">SARA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Southern Regional Education Board<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">(404) 879-5517<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:SARA@sreb.org"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">SARA@sreb.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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