Special Education Listserv

Subject: Assurance Statement Procedures for FY 09

Source: Margaret Strecker, Director, Compliance

Intended Audience: All agencies serving children with disabilities, ages 3-21

Date: April 29, 2008

Each responsible public agency in the state that provides services to students with disabilities must submit an annual assurance to DESE regarding their compliance with the provision of those services.

Agencies that open a Part B budget will need to agree to a set of Core Assurances that are part of the new Electronic Planning and Electronic Grants System (ePeGS) when they submit their applications which are due by June 15, 2008.  The required procedures for submitting assurances are attached to this message and are specifically delineated for three categories of agencies; agencies that submit Part B budgets, agencies that do not submit Part B budgets (Department of Mental Health, State Schools for the Severely Handicapped, Missouri School for the Deaf, and Missouri School for the Blind), and Special School Districts including their components districts. 

Please note in the past, we required that the agency's governing board approve the Assurance Statement prior to submission of the Part B grant application; however, nothing in state or federal regulations requires that governing boards approve the assurance statement.  Therefore, the Division of Special Education is not requiring prior Board approval, and each district should follow its own policy on how to make assurances to DESE.

The instructions for completing assurances are posted on our webpage at:

http://dese.mo.gov/divspeced/Compliance/Assurance.htm.