National Policy Seminar 2020
Save the Date
March 22-24, 2021
Arlington, Va
ACTE Cancels National Policy Seminar
ACTE carefully monitored information being disseminated about the coronavirus (COVID-19). Unfortunately, in light of the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, ACTE believes it is in the best interest of our attendees’ health and well-being to cancel the 2020 National Policy Seminar (NPS) and related CTE Innovation Summit scheduled for March 29-April 1, 2020 in Arlington, VA.
We considered what is known about the transmissibility of COVID-19 and the groups most at risk for complications and put our attendees first. We concluded that it would be unwise to ask conference participants to travel to the conference and convene with a large group during these uncertain days. As a result, we are cancelling NPS and do not plan to reschedule NPS this year. Thank you for informing us of all of the various travel bans issued by schools, institutions, districts, states and others.
Logistics
Hotel
If you are registered at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, you should contact the hotel directly to cancel your reservation as soon as possible and before March 19, 2020.
- Crystal Gateway Marriott: 703-920-3230
Travel
Many airlines have relaxed their refund/rebate policy. Please check with your carriers as soon as possible to identify what changes you can make.
Refunds
ACTE will issue a full refund of your NPS registration fees; including any administrative fees previously withheld. Refunds will happen automatically and should be completed by March 31, 2020; you do not need to contact ACTE to request one. If you have any additional questions about refunds, send them directly to tfletcher@acteonline.org.
Advocacy
While we deeply regret that we will not be able to offer the National Policy Seminar as planned this year, your advocacy efforts are more important than ever! Policymakers are understandably distracted as they respond to this unprecedented medical crisis, but we don’t want them to forget about CTE when they return to regular business. Many offices may offer to hold visits via phone rather than in person, and we encourage you to take that opportunity to share about CTE programs in your community and how federal policymakers can ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE that prepares them for in-demand careers. While not the same as an in-person meeting, phone conversations can still be very valuable advocacy tools.
To help with any conversations you may have, we encourage you to download ACTE’s 2020 Legislative Priorities and share them with policymakers virtually. In addition, the week before NPS would have occurred, we will distribute a “virtual” visit guide that can aid you in structuring your visit and provide talking points on the issues that are likely to be considered by Congress in the near future. In addition, stay tuned to ACTE’s regular Legislative Alerts, as there will be many other opportunities to impact the policy process this year.
ACTE thanks the CTE community for their patience as we worked through this difficult decision and for providing us with updates on the COVID-19 plans that were being made in your own communities. We send our sincere wishes for good health.
Sincerely,
LeAnn Wilson
ACTE Executive Director