Our Mission 
To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities. 

Our Goals 
• Increase learning growth for students 
• Decrease the gap in achievement 
• Increase annual graduation rates 
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Reminder: Jasper County Reunification Response Team Pilot Launching; Staff Can Express Interest by Nov. 11

An essential component of school emergency response is the reunification of students with their parents or primary caregiver after an emergency has taken place. A well organized and timely reunification process is critical to reducing emergency-based trauma in children and is often the only mental health crisis intervention needed following an emergency. The sooner children are reunited with caregivers, the less likely they are to exhibit traumatic stress. 

As schools across Iowa begin to develop and exercise reunification plans, they are quickly discovering that most lack the resources to effectively and efficiently complete the associated tasks. This is especially true in instances involving significant trauma such as active shooter events. In this type of emergency, research indicates that children are best left under the supervision of their teacher, who they trust and seek for safety. This leaves very limited school and district staff available for carrying out the reunification plan. This also requires school personnel directly impacted by the emergency to carry out complex reunification tasks that they may not be able to emotionally manage. 

In partnership with Jasper County Emergency Management, Heartland AEA is in a unique position to assist schools in Jasper County (Baxter, Colfax-Mingo, Lynnville-Sully, Newton and PCM) by establishing a response team to reunify children with caregivers in an emergency. Should an emergency requiring reunification of children occur, specially-trained Heartland AEA staff would deploy to the identified reunification site and assure the school that families are quickly and accurately reunified. 

The Heartland AEA Reunification Response Team would assure three important aspects of response: 

1. Reunification is done as quickly as possible, limiting the amount of time children and caregivers spend in the process; 
2. Children are reunited with the appropriate caregiver by confirming identity and matching children with their legal guardian; and 
3. Children and families are connected to critical services that may be needed in the days, weeks and months following a traumatic event, such as a school shooting. 

A variety of individual skills sets are needed to fill the roles and responsibilities associated with the reunification team: 

• Logistics staff is needed to see that the necessary equipment, signage and supplies are delivered and set up at a reunification site should the team be requested for deployment. 
• Administrative staff must carry out accurate record collection and verification of identification to assure students are safely reunified with the proper caregiver. 
• Mental health services and support staff is needed to assure that both children and adults receive assistance in a supportive and empathetic environment. 
• Security staff is needed to assist law enforcement by identifying potential areas of concern and assuring the safety of everyone seeking reunification services. 

Are You Interested in Serving on a Reunification Response Team? 
At this time, a regional reunification response plan is being piloted in Jasper County. If you have the desire to assist children and families in an emergency, complete this Google form by Nov. 11, 2019, to indicate your interest in serving on a reunification response team. It is recommended that reunification response team members be able to respond to the Jasper County area within 45 minutes should the team need to be activated. Once volunteers are identified, we will be scheduling Reunification exercise(s) to train and practice the Reunification Response process. If you have questions or need additional information on how you might be of assistance, contact Jadie Boens, Special Programs Director, at ext. 14512.

All Eligible Staff Must Enroll in or Waive the Dependent Care Flex Plan for 2020 -- Beginning on Nov. 1

Enrollment/Waiving Begins: Nov. 1, 2019

Enrollment/Waiving Ends: Nov. 30, 2019

Online enrollment for the 2020 dependent care flex benefit plan will be open to eligible employees on Nov. 1, 2019. If you are a full-time employee or a Certified Union employee working a 96-day contract, you are eligible to participate.   


All full-time employees will need to either enroll during this period or waive participation through the enrollment process. For eligible part-time employees, due to system configurations, it is assumed that you automatically waive the benefit; however, if you wish to participate and are a CU employee with a 96-day contract, contact Juliette Houseman to enroll via paper.



The dependent care benefit allows you to pre-tax child, spouse or elder care expenses that you incur in order to allow you (and your spouse, if married) to work. If married, both spouses must be working to claim dependent care expenses. A dependent is defined as:  

• A dependent of the employee who is under 13 years of age 
• A dependent or spouse who is physically or mentally disabled 

The maximum amount your family may flex per calendar year is $5,000. All claims must be incurred by Dec. 31 and submitted for reimbursement within 60 days of the end of the plan year (March 1).



The deadline for enrolling in or waiving the dependent care plan is Nov. 30, 2019, at 4 p.m.   

As a reminder, all dependent care expenses for the 2020 plan year must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2020, and must be submitted to 121 Benefits for reimbursement by March 1, 2021.



To Enroll

First, go to your Employee Dashboard and go to the Employee Online Tab. On the left-hand side of the screen, click on the ENTER Your Dependent Care Deduction. 

Next… 

• Click Dependent Care Coverage Type.  
• If you want to waive Dependent Care and not have this benefit for the upcoming year, enter 0 under the New Change Request column. 
• If you elect to enroll in the plan, your maximum deduction per pay period can be $208.33, which equates to $4,999.92 ($5,000) total for the year. 
• Click Save to complete your Flex Dependent Care. (In clicking Save you agree to the Terms and Conditions.)  

NOTE: IF YOU ENTER AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN “0” IN EMPLOYEE COST PER PERIOD, THEN THAT AMOUNT WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR PAYCHECK PER PAY PERIOD. 



If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at or ext. 14315.

Have You Created Your New Account With Our EAP Provider, LifeWorks, Yet?

Our EAP program provider, LifeWorks, has articles and webinars that you can access, participate in and/or review in order to get certain credit for Wellness Program activities. All employees have received LifeWorks invites via email because you need to sign up for an individual account in order to access these useful tools. And you have to use the invitation code sent to you within the email to get started with LifeWorks. (Once you sign up, you will stop receiving the invitation emails.) Look for your email invite tomorrow if you haven't already signed up!

If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist.

Wellness Challenge Alert: New Timelines for Entering Wellness Challenge Information

With a new program, there’s always a learning curve, right? We’ve learned that with the Agency’s new Wellness Program, there are new timelines for entering challenge information into the Interactive Health portal. The posted last day of a challenge is also the last day to enter required information (e.g., steps) into the portal. This is different than our previous Wellness Program that allowed entry of information up to a week following the end of the challenge. But the good news!? We have four more challenges left for you to participate in, so all is not lost! 

If you have any questions, contact Carol McDaniel, Human Resources Assistant.

Reminder: Early Notification Incentive Again Offered to Certified Union & Management Staff

Last year, Heartland AEA filled 60 vacancies in the Certified Union and Management staff employee groups. It has been to the Agency’s advantage to enter the recruitment cycle as early as possible.  




For 2019-20, the Heartland AEA Board of Directors has again approved an Early Notification Incentive for staff who have a signed contract and who notify Heartland AEA of their intent to not renew their contract for the 2020-21 school year by Dec. 6, 2019. Details are listed below.



Early Notification Incentive Process & Requirements  

• Certified Union and Management staff who do not plan to return to Heartland AEA for the 2020-21 school year must submit early notification letters of resignation that are effective at the end of the 2019-20 work year.  
• Early notification letters must be received in the Human Resources Department by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, 2019.  
• Heartland AEA’s Board of Directors acts on early notification letters no later than the regular meeting on Dec. 10, 2019.  
• Departing staff must fulfill their individual employment contract obligations for the 2019-20 work year.  

Early Notification Incentive  

• A $1,500 early notification incentive will be paid on June 30, 2020, to employees fulfilling these requirements.  

If you have any questions about the early notification incentive, contact Nia Chiaramonte, Director of Human Resources, at ext. 14534.

Reminder: Biometric Screenings Coming to an Agency Office Near You, Corrected Date for Carroll Office Screening

Hy-Vee dieticians will be at each agency office at least once between November 2019 and April 2020! See the instructions linked below for how to sign up for a time slot on the Hy-Vee website. 

Don't Forget Your Form!
Don’t forget, you’ll need to print off your Interactive Health Physician Verification Form from your Interactive Health portal account to take with you to your screening. (You will now need the Physician Verification Form completed by the Hy-Vee dietician or your PCP for the biometric screening portion of the Wellness Program. They need to complete it and sign it and then you will mail it in to Interactive Health using the instructions on your individualized form.) You can find the form in your Interactive Health portal at the end of your health assessment. You can also contact Interactive Health to request your form. 

DATES 
Johnston
Nov. 20, 2019          Dec. 12, 2019 
Jan. 14, 2020           Feb. 13, 2020 
March 6, 2020          April 2, 2020

Carroll
Nov. 12, 2019 Corrected date
The date for the biometric screening for the Carroll location was entered on Hy-Vee's website in error. It is Nov. 12, not Dec. 12. The date has been corrected on their website.

Newton 
Dec. 5, 2019 

Ames
Dec. 12, 2019 

Indianola
Jan. 14, 2020 

Adel
Feb. 13, 2020 

Sign Up for a Screening Using This Link:
Scheduling Instructions 

Reminder About Biometric Screenings 
You can still go to your primary care physician (PCP) for your annual physical or visit your local Hy-Vee dietician to have your biometric screening done as well. You’ll just need to take the Interactive Health Physician form with you. 

Already had your physical or biometric screening but didn’t use the form? No worries! Get your form from your Interactive Health portal or contact Interactive Health to receive a form. Then take it to wherever you had your screening completed, have the provider complete and sign the form and then mail it to Interactive Health. Once they receive your form, the information will be manually uploaded into your portal, usually within 2 days of receiving it. 

Reminder, there is still an 8-hour fasting prior to any biometric screening. 

The deadline for the Interactive Health Physician Verification Form to be mailed to Interactive Health is April 15, 2020. 

If you have any questions about biometric screenings, contact Carol McDaniel, Human Resources Assistant.

Reminder: Complete Technology Use & Skills Surveys by Oct. 31

In Agency-Directed Learning sessions and in the first Central Support meeting of the year, you were asked to complete the following two surveys pertaining to how technology is used at work and at home, as well as some self-assessment of our own skills around the Agency’s technology competencies.  

If you haven't yet done so, please complete both surveys by Oct. 31. Thank you!

21st Century Educational Service Agency Survey 

Heartland AEA Tech Competencies Survey - October 2019