Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 21st CCLC 4201(b)(1) Waiver Request

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

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 a new information collection.

DATES:

OMB approved this information collection under emergency processing on August 27, 2020. A regular clearance process is also hereby being initiated. Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 2, 2020.

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-2020-SCC-0141. 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 ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. 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 Director of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W208D, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Miriam Lund, 202-401-2871.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 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: 21st CCLC 4201(b)(1) Waiver Request.

OMB Control Number: 1810-0746.

Type of Review: A new information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 53.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 159.

Abstract: The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant program intends to offer a waiver available to State education agencies (SEAs) based on section 8401 [20 U.S.C. 7861] of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 to allow SEAs to waive the definition of Community Learning Center(s) for implementation of services during “nonschool hours or periods when school is not in session (such as before and after school or during summer recess)” per section 4201(b)(1)(A) [20 U.S.C. 7171] for 21st CCLC programs in school year 2020-2021. The purpose for this new collection is to collect waiver requests from each State wishing to take advantage of the waiver.

This collection is being submitted under the regular clearance process for information collection. Therefore, the 60-day public comment period notice is published for this information collection request. This information collection will allow SEAs to request a waiver of section 4201(b)(1)(A). ED previously requested an emergency clearance because schools are already opening or will be opening very soon, and the flexibility offered through a waiver will enable SEAs and subgrantees to better meet the needs of students through more nimble 21st CCLC programs. The approved collection will allow ED to collect waiver requests without delays in providing support for SEAs, LEAs, and schools.