CDC Lifts COVID-19 Isolation Guidance (March 4, 2024)

On March 1, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated COVID-19 guidance for community settings. According to the update, people who have tested positive can return to normal activities when they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without taking medication; thus, they no longer need to isolate for five days.

The CDC also recommends that those people who return to work use additional prevention strategies for the next five (5) days to help curb the virus’ spread. As a result, the CDC’s new guidance now matches public health advice for flu and other respiratory illnesses. That advice is to stay home when you’re sick, but return to school or work once you’re feeling better and you’ve been without a fever for 24 hours.

The revisions result from  decreases in the most severe outcomes of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, as well as the realization that many people are no longer testing themselves for COVID-19.

Source: NBC News

Excerpts from the CDC’s New Guidance

Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have respiratory virus symptoms that aren’t better explained by another cause. These symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others.*

  • You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:
    • Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
    • You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).
  • When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors.
    • Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better. You are likely to be less contagious at this time, depending on factors like how long you were sick or how sick you were.
    • If you develop a fever or you start to feel worse after you have gone back to normal activities, stay home and away from others again until, for at least 24 hours, both are true: your symptoms are improving overall, and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication). Then take added precaution for the next 5 days.

*Symptoms may include but are not limited to chest discomfort, chills, cough, decrease in appetite, diarrhea, fatigue (tiredness), fever or feeling feverish, headache, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, vomiting, weakness, wheezing.

Annual IDEA State Regs Notice Sent to all LEAs (FEbruary 26, 2024)

On February 26, 2024, Carole L. Clancy, Director of PDE’s Bureau of Special Education sent a PennLink message to all LEAs titled Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – State Regulations that Exceed Federal Requirements. It states that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended, requires the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to identify in writing to local educational agencies (LEAs) regulations, rules, and policies that are state-imposed requirements and not required by IDEA and its regulations (20 USC §1407 (a) (2)). This notice fulfills the requirement to distribute an updated list of state-imposed requirements that exceed IDEA and its regulations.

Chapter 14 (22 Pa. Code Chapter 14)
§14.101           (Relating to Definitions)
§14.104           (Relating to Special Education Plans)
§14.105           (Relating to Personnel)
§14.106           (Relating to Access to Instructional Materials)
§14.108           (Relating to Access to Classrooms)
§14.121           (Relating to Child Find)
§14.122           (Relating to Screening)
§14.123           (Relating to Evaluation)
§14.124           (Relating to Reevaluation)
§14.125           (Relating to Criteria for Specific Learning Disability)
§14.131           (Relating to Individualized Education Program)
§14.132           (Relating to Extended School Year)
§14.133           (Relating to Positive Behavior Support)
§14.143           (Relating to Disciplinary Placements)
§14.144           (Relating to Facilities)
§14.145           (Relating to Least Restrictive Environment Requirements)
§14.146           (Relating to Age Range Restrictions)
§14.152           (Relating to Child Find, Public Awareness and Screening)
§14.153           (Relating to Evaluation)
§14.154           (Relating to Individualized Education Program)
§14.155           (Relating to Range of Services)
§14.156           (Relating to System of Quality Assurance)
§14.157           (Relating to Exit Criteria)
§14.158           (Relating to Data Collection)
§14.162           (Relating to Impartial Due Process Hearing and Expedited Due Process Hearing)
§14.163           (Relating to Resolution Session)

Chapter 711 (22 Pa. Code Chapter 711)
§711.1             (Relating to Definitions)
§711.5             (Relating to Personnel)
§711.6             (Relating to Annual Report)
§711.7             (Relating to Enrollment)
§711.8             (Relating to Education Records)
§711.9             (Relating to Payments)
§711.21           (Relating to Child Find)
§711.22           (Relating to Reevaluation)
§711.23           (Relating to Screening)
§711.24           (Relating to Evaluation)
§711.25           (Relating to Criteria for the Determination of Specific Learning Disability)
§711.41           (Relating to IEP)
§711.42           (Relating to Transportation)
§711.43           (Relating to Educational Placement)
§711.44           (Relating to Extended School Year)
§711.45           (Relating to Access to Instructional Materials)
§711.46           (Relating to Positive Behavior Support)
§711.61           (Relating to Suspension and Expulsion)
§711.62           (Relating to Procedural Safeguards)

If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact Tim Krushinski at [email protected] or 717-329 4029.

U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Releases New Resources on Students with Disabilities (February 21, 2024)

On February 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released four new resources with information for students, parents and families, and schools addressing civil rights of students with disabilities, as well as a data snapshot about education access for students with disabilities drawn from OCR’s 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).

OCR issued these new resources to inform students with disabilities, and their families and schools, about their legal rights under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities by institutions that accept federal financial assistance, which includes almost all public schools and public and private institutions of higher education.

“We issued these new resources to give students, including those with asthma, diabetes, food allergies, and GERD, as well as their families and schools, important tools to understand when and how they are protected by federal disability rights laws,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon.

OCR’s new CRDC data snapshot reports that 8.4 million students with disabilities accounted for 17% of the overall public school enrollment in the 2020-21 school year, the most recent school year for which the Department has civil rights data. Three percent (1.6 million) of the overall student enrollment were students with disabilities who received educational aids and services under Section 504 only. 

The Department’s National Center for Education Statistics estimates that students with disabilities accounted for 21% of undergraduates and 11% of postbaccalaureate students in the 2019-20 school year.

The four new resources address common medical conditions that can be disabilities for purposes of Section 504: asthma, diabetes, food allergies, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). These resources, which are applicable to all levels of education, explain when these medical conditions trigger protections under Section 504, what kind of modifications an educational institution may need to take to avoid unlawful discrimination, and what an institution may need to do to remedy past discrimination.

OCR also released a new CRDC data snapshot profiling educational opportunities provided to public school students with disabilities during the 2020-21 school year. It reflects troubling differences in the experiences of students with disabilities compared to their non-disabled peers. For example, higher percentages of students with disabilities were physically restrained or secluded than students without disabilities.

Students with disabilities were also overrepresented in disciplinary actions when compared to their total student enrollment. And students with disabilities were underrepresented in Advanced Placement courses, gifted and talented programs, and dual enrollment or dual credit programs.

The new resources regarding asthma, diabetes, food allergies, and GERD are available on the OCR website. The new CRDC disability snapshot, and other CRDC data reports and snapshots, are available on the CRDC website.

PDE & PHEAA Host FAFSA Completion Workshop (February 21, 2024)

On February 20, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) joined the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), local postsecondary students and families, and legislators to host a FAFSA® completion workshop, highlighting the importance of applying for financial aid. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first, and most critical, step in applying for financial assistance for the 2024-25 academic year.

The FAFSA completion workshop gave local students and families the opportunity to correctly and successfully fill out their 2024-25 FAFSA form in person with the help of higher education experts. New this year, the new 2024-25 FAFSA form expands eligibility for federal student aid, including Pell Grants, and provides a streamlined user experience. Applicants will be able to skip up to 26 questions, depending on their individual circumstances. The new and improved FAFSA form could take applicants as few as 10 minutes to fill out.

Filling out the FAFSA opens doors for current and prospective postsecondary students, in addition to federal, state, and institutional aid, including the PA State Grant Program, which has provided over $13 billion in awards to almost 8 million students since its inception. Financial Aid Awareness Month, occurring each February, is celebrated by the higher education community in an effort to provide crucial information to students and families about access to federal, state, and institutional aid. This Financial Aid Awareness Month, students across the country can begin the process of applying for financial aid through the newly updated FAFSA form.

CDC May End Five-day COVID Isolation Recommendation (February 21, 2024)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is considering the possibility of loosening the five-day COVID-19 isolation guidance that many school systems have been using to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. According to K-12 Dive, the isolation guidance is under review by the CDC with the possibility of revising them to align those recommendations with those used for the flu and RSV.

That would mean that people who have tested positive could return to school and work once they are without fever for at least 24 hours without taking medication and their symptoms are mild and improving. It is believed that such new guidance would help schools to address pervasive student absenteeism exacerbated by the pandemic and which has affected academic performance.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.