Category: Government Actions

PA State Board of Ed. Holds 390th Meeting (March 12, 2026)

On March 12, 2026 the PA State Board of Education held its 390th meeting both in-person and via virtual means. Highlights of the meeting included reports and items for discussion. The meeting was conducted by Chairperson Karen Farmer White.

In the day’s previous meetings, Dr. Brian Gasper reported on the Chapter 4 committee’s recommendations pertaining to the Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities and the Academic Standards for Health, Safety, and Physical Education. His report was followed by Ms. Amy Lena’s report on the work of the committee on the State Academic Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics.

In another prior meeting, Dr. Kate Shaw provided an overview of the State Board of Higher Ed.’s Strategic Plan for Higher Education, which was recently adopted by the State Board of Ed.

During the State Board’s meeting, Ms. Katherine Christiano reported on the work of the Academic Standards/Chapter 4 Committee as per the previously-mentioned reports of Dr. Gasper and Ms. Lena. She reported that the Arts and Humanities and HSPE committees received recommendations for review. She also reported on the annex to Chapter 4 and information received from the Adult Ed. Department regarding Chapter 4 changes. The committee will also consider how to assess ELA and Math achievement and will conduct a roundtable discussion in July followed by HSPE and Arts and Humanities hearings in September.

Education Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe spoke to the Board regarding the governor’s proposed 2026-27 budget. She highlighted such items as a $50M increase in special ed. subsidy funding while pointing out that the state currently has a 21% rate of its students qualifying for IDEA services. She said that there is also a proposed $111M increase in safety and MH funding, pointing out that schools are using such funds for bolstering pupil services through hiring school social workers to help improve attendance (Coatesville Area SD) and a full-time behavioral therapist (Iroquois AD) as examples. An increase of $14.3 is requested for enhancements and innovations in CTE services by school districts that are not duplicative of career and tech school offerings (California ASD and Williamsport ASD). A proposed $526M for Ready-to-Learn block grants could be effectively used for such things as hiring full-time counselors and MTSS coaches, which have shown to have a significant positive effect on student behavioral health and academic performance. She also said that a proposed $5M increase in student teacher stipends would result in a total of $35M from which 4,000 student-teachers would benefit. She concluded her budget review saying that a $2.5M increase is adult ed. funding would provide much-needed monies for opportunities to all for upskilling.

Dr. Rowe also spoke about the governor’s request to guarantee recess for K-5 students in light of the importance for providing time for unstructured play/activity for those students. This is to be examined by the Board. Subsequent discussion by the Board resulted in the forming of an ad hoc committee to look at evidence-based best practices and to provide recommendations to the full Board. It was felt that a look at what some other states (e.g., NJ and RI) and Johns Hopkins University have already determined in this regard. It was suggested that a good starting point for the committee would also be to examine the PA State Wellness Standards. A report is to be submitted to the governor on May 15, 2026.

There being no action items, the meeting was adjourned.

GSA Plan Would Ban DEI for All Federal Funding Recipients, Including Schools (March 11, 2026)

A General Services Administration (GSA) proposal, which follows a similar policy from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) that was blocked in courts, would require federal funding recipients to certify that they are not knowingly hiring or recruiting undocumented staff. The proposed policy is in support of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and its desire to ban diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and accessibility programs at schools and elsewhere, with a proposal that would require all federal funding recipients to certify that they do not have such initiatives.

The certification would cover programs the Trump administration calls “discriminatory practices,” such as race-based scholarships or programs, “cultural competence” requirements, and “overcoming obstacles” narratives or “diversity statements.” Training programs that “create a hostile environment” would likewise be prohibited for entities that get federal funding. 

The move continues the administration’s anti-DEI push, which hit a roadblock in the education sector when federal courts last year blocked the U.S. Department of Education from implementing a similar measure.

However, in February, the Trump administration also scored a legal victory in its anti-DEI efforts, when the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals undid a temporary pause against three major provisions in two executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI practices in education and other sectors.

GSA, which posted the proposed requirement earlier this year, estimates it would impact 222,760 entities receiving federal funds.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

PAPSA Conference to Feature a Segment on AI Implementation (March 10, 2026)

Along with annual legislative updates that focus on Special Ed. and pupil/student services issues, Attorney Sharon Montanye will be sharing the floor during the 23rd Paul Stevens Memorial Legal Seminar for a segment with PAPSA member and Special Ed. administrator Dr. Mike Ubbens as he walks through Avon Grove’s AI implementation process, demonstrating how the team centralized procedures and deployed a district-specific AI support agent, and sharing concrete examples of how these changes increased clarity, consistency, and confidence in daily operations. The session will also look at some of the legal challenges and benefits in adopting AI. 

U.S. House Hearing Shows Need for AI Professional Development

During a February 24, 2026 House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education hearing legislators and witnesses agreed that teachers need professional development on artificial intelligence (AI) tools if they want to safely and effectively use the technology in their classrooms. Witnesses also emphasized the need for federal support to provide such training. However, while some Republican and Democratic lawmakers expressed interest in providing federal resources toward professional development in effectively using AI in lessons, Democrats said that is harder to do since the Office of Educational Technology was shuttered last year by the Trump administration’s mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here

Special Ed. Advocates Warn Against Future USDE Program Transfers (March 6, 2026)

As the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) continues to offload many of its responsibilities to other federal agencies, advocates and lawmakers are pleading for special education services to remain under the jurisdiction of the USDE. 

On March 5, 2026, several special education administrative and advocacy organizations led a National Call-in Day aimed at pressuring federal lawmakers to oppose the transfer of special education and civil rights responsibilities out of the USDE.

Currently, the USDE continues to consider moving special education services to another agency “without any explanation of how this benefits students and families,” Chad Rummel, executive director of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), said in an email to K-12 Dive. CEC, a nonprofit for professionals who work in special and gifted education, was one of the groups behind the National Call-in Day.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

PDH, PDE to Use $3M from 2025-26 Budget to Provide Young Women with Free Period Products in PA Schools, More Than 650,000 Helped So Far (March 1, 2026)

After securing funding for period products for the first time ever in the 2024/25 budget, the 2025-26 budget once again includes $3 million to ensure students have access to hygiene products to help them stay in school and focus on learning. In fact, on February 25, 2026, the PA Departments of Health (PDH) and Education (PDE) announced that $3 million allocated in the 2025/26 budget will be distributed to more than 750 Pennsylvania school districts, intermediate units, career and technical centers, and brick-and-mortar charter schools to continue providing free period products to their students.  

The funding enables schools to provide students with access to period products at no cost, in line with efforts by the Shapiro Administration to improve health equity.

The program has become a vital source of funding for schools in every corner of the Commonwealth, taking one more burden off students’ plates and ensuring they are focused on learning.

Applications and reimbursement requests will not be required. All qualifying school entities will receive funding proportional to the total number of students enrolled at a rate of $1.79 per student.

Schools may use the funding for period product purchases made between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.

School funding allocations for the 2025-26 Feminine Hygiene Product Grant Program’s non-competitive, non-solicitation grants are available on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website. Schools can opt out of receiving grant funding. Any remaining funds following the first round of grant funding will be dispersed in a second round.

Schools should consider privacy, responsiveness, access, and education when developing and implementing strategies to make period products available to their students. Additional guidance and suggestions are available in the Menstrual Equity for Pennsylvania Students – Guidance for School Entities.