Applicant Information

Requesting Ed-Flex Authority

Interested States may apply for the Educational Flexibility (Ed-Flex) program. This program, which was reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), permits State educational agencies [SEAs] to waive certain requirements that may impede local efforts to reform and improve education. With this flexibility, SEAs can waive select requirements of Federal statute or regulations that apply to districts and schools without first having to submit those waivers to the U.S. Department of Education for review and approval.

A State can be granted Ed-Flex authority for up to five years once its application has been approved. For more information on Ed Flex, please OESE.Titlei-a@ed.gov.

Additional Information

While the Ed-Flex waiver authority is broad, certain fundamental requirements may not be waived, including those pertaining to health, safety, and civil rights; provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); and requirements relating to parental participation and involvement. Before a State may grant a waiver of any program requirement, it must determine that the underlying purposes of the affected program would continue to be met. Ed-Flex provides States with the authority to waive requirements for districts and schools; however they may not waive requirements pertaining to the SEA. Each Ed-Flex State is required to report annually on its monitoring of waivers it granted. Through these reports, States are to provide information about how Ed-Flex has supported the implementation of standards-based reform. Ed-Flex States are also required to report on the achievement results of schools and districts that have had waivers in place for two school years.

Programs Covered by the Ed-Flex Authority

Under Ed-Flex, a State educational agency (SEA) can waive local requirements of the following State-administered formula grant programs:

Title I, Part A (Basic Programs Operated by LEAs, other than section 1111)
Title I, Part C (Education of Migratory Children)
Title I, Part D (Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk)
Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Instruction
Title IV, Part A, (Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants)
The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act