Service Purchase Orders

Definition of Service Purchase Orders

1. Service Purchase Order (PO) refers to the process by which ESs approve one or more students in one family to participate in specific educational activities (EAs) or receive instruction or participate in learning activities from approved vendors.

2. Service POs are defined as having an "instructor" attached to them. (In the case of an online class, the instructor may be live, recorded or behind the scene in the program.)

3. Service POs may include but are not limited to: musical instrument lessons, dance classes, drama classes, swimming lessons (not competitive team participation), horsemanship classes, online classes, in-person tutoring, etc.

Service PO Policy

1. If instructional funding (IF) is to be used for learning activities, the Education Specialist (ES), parent and student must follow all school policies, and the required process must be submitted prior to the event/activity.

2. The charter school will not, under any circumstances, reimburse parents or ES’s for any student’s participation in any class or activity.

3. No sectarian or denominational instruction may be given in any course/activity paid for by the school.

4. The initiation of a Service PO is based on the student’s educational needs and must match their Individual Educational Plan.

5. The duration of a service PO may not go beyond one semester.

6. No service PO will cover costs of classes or activities that occur before the school year begins or after the last day of school, and the cost will be prorated to reflect school policy.

7. No service PO will cover any time period before the service vendor is approved to work for each individual school (approval is school specific!).

8. No service PO will not cover costs for activities/classes which begin before, or after the student is actively enrolled in the school.

9. School funding (IF) may only be used for students currently enrolled in the school, and only for the student whose name is identified on the Service PO, chosen from the dropdown list.

10. The school may pay for school approved/allowable activities/classes which occur during the school year, while the student is enrolled in the school.

11. Activities/Courses may be restricted or unrestricted. The ES is required to create service POs that follow Restricted Course Policy and additional requirements policy.

12. The vendor must be approved through the regular school vendor process, must be approved before the school will pay for any services, and the vendor must be approved prior to the student’s participation in the activity if Instructional Funding (IF) will be used. The activity/class may not begin prior to the vendor receiving the PO from the school office. For adding a vendor to the Approved Vendor list go to Vendor Approval Request information page.

13. The school does not pay for season passes, memberships, team sport registrations, uniforms, etc. but only for specific allowable educational services and activities only.

14. Under no circumstances may a service vendor transport students during the course of the service PO activity.

For a student to participate in educational services related to a service PO, his/her parent or guardian is responsible for the following:

1. Discuss the child’s educational goals with their education specialist (ES).

2. Discuss possible class or learning activity and relevant vendor information (services, dates, contact name and cost).

3. Wait until their ES gives confirmation that the child may participate in the activities/classes before expecting the school to pay for that activity/class.

4. Share the student’s learning with ES as it relates to new learning and activities the student participated in, as well as provide their ES with the required student learning sample.

For ESs to create a Service PO for their student, ESs are responsible for the following:

1. Discuss the possible learning activity with their student’s parent/guardian and collect relevant information (services, dates, contact name and cost).

2. The ES should then contact the vendor to determine if there is space for the student to participate in the class/activity and gather cost related to services, dates of classes, and any other pertinent information.

3. For an online course, check for additional information posted on our school website. Typically there are additional forms that must be completed, and/or a school specific price list for their offerings.

4. The ES should make sure they have read and followed School Restricted Courses/Activities requirements, as well as review the student’s funding to determine if the services/activities meet school requirements

5. They need to also read and follow the Additional Requirements for High Risk Courses/Activities.

6. The ES should complete the Service PO in a timely manner; enter all fields and select the student’s name of student for the student who will be participating in the class/activity.

7. The ES should notify the parent/student when the student may participate in the class/activities by providing the parent a pdf copy of the activity permission slip. If a permission slip is required, this should not be provided until you have the permission slip in your possession.

8. The ES should identify and submit required learning documentation as well as collect student learning samples.

Service PO Procedure

1. Parent and ES agree that the educational activity is appropriate for the student based on the student’s current course of study & discuss the required paperwork that must be completed before the student can participate in the class/activity.

2. The ES contacts the vendor and makes necessary arrangements before submitting the Service PO.

3. The ES looks at the student’s instructional funding (IF) and the School Restricted Courses/Activities to be sure the course/activities is within school policy and within the allotted funding.

4. The ES reviews the Additional Requirements for High Risk Courses/ Activities to make sure requirements for this vendor have been met. (Just because a vendor is on the approved vendor list does not necessarily mean that all services that the vendor provides on their website is appropriate or acceptable within school guideline. If ever in doubt check with your advisor!)

5. If the vendor is not an approved vendor, the ES submits a Vendor Approval Request in FRED. Before completing the vendor request the ES needs to make sure that he/she has asked the vendor the necessary questions to complete the request correctly using the checklist provided for this.

6. Submit the PO for the class/activity. The ES should break down the service into individual classes, weeks or months. Never submit a Service PO for 1 semester or one session if it is for more than one month.

7. ES checks to see if the PO is processed, then notifies the parent when they may begin.

8. If this is an activity that requires a permission slip, be sure you have it in hand before notifying your parent/student that they are clear to attend.

9. The student participates in the activities/classes.

10. The student shares new learning and ES documents in the student’s LR and collects learning sample.

11. If the student disenrolls from the school or decides to drop from the class/activities, the ES is required to contact the vendor to cancel services, as well as complete a PO Inquiry in ES Webfiles, listing the number of classes/activities attended and the date to cancel.

How to Create a Service PO

· Click “Create”

· Choose from the drop down list, “PO Requests

· A Message will come that says, “Is this for a Product for Service PO?”

· Choose Service PO

· A Message will come up that says, “Select if this PO is for student or family or ES/site”

· Chick on your selection (If multiple students in a family, then choose family, otherwise choose student)

· Choose the family/student name

· Click on the box beside “vendor#” and a drop down list will appear

· Choose the vendor name

· Type the quantity (enter a number amount)

· Tab to next box

· Choose one of the following units months, sessions, semester, weeks, days)

· Click on the student number and choose the student

· Enter description of the service: be specific, if text is too long to be viewed in one line, click in line below to finish typing

· Enter session length (in hours)

· Enter beginning and ending dates

· Enter unit price

· Click “Done” (unless directed in the notes that this is a "STOP PO".)

How to Cancel a Service PO

· View/PO

· Choose the Service PO which you want to cancel

· Click on “PO Inquiry”

· Complete the form related to: Action Requested, number of lessons taken, date the student attended class last, date you contacted the vendor

· Click on “Send Email to PO Inquiries”