On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, the PA State Board of Education held a virtual meeting. During that meeting, the Board heard a progress report by Deputy Secretary Matt Stem on the progress of the commonwealth with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Deputy Secretary Stem stated that the world has changed, and our teachers are to be commended for their commitment, flexibility, and adaptability to provide an education for students. He also mentioned that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week. He also stated that PDE’s top priority continues to be the health and safety of students and the broader school community. He also stated that PDE has provided technical support, guidance, and other supports and resources to schools during the time of closure. Salient points of his presentation included:

1. Partnering with 29 IUs to provide a tech and support system to help educate students through digital and non-dig strategies and resources.
2. Helped LEAs to get direct access to online learning and to allow students to access online teaching and learning platforms. 125 schools have signed up for over 380,000 students, which has been funded though June 30th, and the state is looking to continue to provide this opportunity. PDE is also partnering with public television/PBS. All eight PA PBS stations have broadcast materials to support school districts.
3. PaTTAN has provided resources on their website, especially for students with special needs. Over 1,000 educators have been trained with regard to online learning opportunities. Training has also been provided to parents/guardians.
4. The PDE webpage on COIVID-19 is being updated daily.
5. PDE is hoping for the best, but preparing for worst (i.e., either no physical attendance in buildings or in-person attendance with social distancing, and other strategies) for 2020-21. It is also important to attend to SEL needs for students and their families.
6. PA has submitted its Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund application to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to obtain approximately $523.8 million in emergency, one-time funds to help schools respond to COVID-19 impacts.

A Progress Report on Effort to Update Academic Standards in Science and Technology and Environment and Ecology was provided by Judd Pittman.

A discussion regarding Chapter 2 of the PA School Code was conducted by counsel.

Action items were:

• The composition of the Science Standards Content Committee Team was approved. PDE has identified education professionals from across the state to serve as content experts to draft the new standards. 60 education professionals will serve on the Content Committee and an additional 18 individuals will serve on a Steering Committee to work in tandem with the Content Committee.
• Chapter 2 (School District Organization) was approved to request corrected amendment to ensure standards from 1970 be published under the appropriate title in the PA School Code.
• The board approved a hearing on the Erie County Community College Plan to be scheduled for up to two days in June.