On August 29, 2022, Bureau of Special Education Director Carole L. Clancy sent a PennLink memo to all LEAs titled Basic Education Circular – Educational Programs for Students in Non-Educational Placements Date of Issue:  September 1, 1997 Date of Review:  May 2010, January 2018. It states that “By way of this communication, the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) Bureau of Special Education (BSE) is reminding school districts of their duty to educate students with disabilities who reside in residential facilities within their boundaries.  In addition, this communication serves as a reminder of the joint policy of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and PDE prohibiting the bundling of education and non-educational services in DHS-licensed facilities.  For more information on these topics, review PDE’s Basic Education Circular (BEC), titled Educational Programs for Students in Non-Educational Placements.  This BEC does not apply to children who are placed in an educational program directly by their resident school district, charter school, or cyber charter school. A copy of this BEC can be found on PDE’s website under the Policy and Funding and then BECs drop-down menus and by accessing the following link: Educational Programs for Students in Non-Educational Placements (pa.gov).”

Interested parties are advised to contact Tim Krushinski at 717.329.4029 or [email protected]  with any questions regarding this information.