Category: Federal Government Actions

PA Again Achieves Highest Level of Achievement for IDEA Part B Implementation (July 28, 2023)

On July 28, 2023 PA Education Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin released a PennLink communiqué titled Pennsylvania’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B 2023 – Determinations Notification. The message states that on June 23, 2023 Pennsylvania received notification from the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) that the commonwealth received a “Meets Requirements” determination, the highest level that the federal government awards to states under Part B of the IDEA.

Pennsylvania was one of only 23 states and territories that received the distinction this year. The commonwealth’s excellent work in special education has been recognized with the “Meets Requirements” designation for 16 of the 17 years that USDE has been issuing its determinations. This recognition is a testament to the hard work of educators and staff in delivering high-quality services to students with disabilities and their families.

This determination is based on the totality of the commonwealth’s special education data and information, including the federal fiscal year 2021 State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR), other state-reported data, and additional publicly available information. Consistent with USDE’s Results Driven Accountability, 2023 determinations were based on the commonwealth’s compliance with the regulatory requirements of the IDEA, as well as the positive outcomes being achieved for students.

In making Part B determinations in 2023, the USDE Office of Special Education Programs considered the following results data for students with disabilities:
-Participation on regular statewide assessments.
-Participation and performance on the most recently administered (school year 2018-19) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
-Graduation with a regular high school diploma.
-Dropout rates.

Pennsylvania’s Part B SPP/APR is available on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website or the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network website. The USDE has developed state profiles as a resource for IDEA-related, state-specific information. Persons interested in reviewing that information may visit the USDE Office of Special Education Program’s Pennsylvania’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B 2023 – Determination Notification. 

CDC Survey: One in Five Low-income Children Report ACEs (July 26, 2023)

According to results from the National Health Interview Survey released on July 20, 2023 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five children in families with incomes up to double the federal poverty level had experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) in 2021. 

In addition, less than one in eight children in families with incomes double or more than double than the federal poverty level that had experienced at least one stressful life event in 2021.

Children in families with incomes up to double the federal poverty level were also more likely to be a victim of or witness to violence in their neighborhood and live with someone who had a substance abuse problem, was mentally ill or severely depressed, or was in jail.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

OSEP Releases a DCL and Revised Guidance on SpEd Noncompliance (July 26, 2023)

On July 24, 2023 Valerie Williams, Director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) disseminated  updated policy guidance and a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) which are aimed at helping states with timely identification and correction of a school district’s noncompliance with early intervention services for infants and toddlers and K-12 special education services. The policy guidance document, titled Guidance on State General Supervision Responsibilities under Parts B and C of the IDEA, is intended to help protect the rights of children with disabilities and their families under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and to facilitate consistent implementation of IDEA among states. In essence, this general supervision guidance document will address requirements related to:
• State general supervision responsibilities;
• Identification and correction of noncompliance;
• The IDEA State performance plan and annual performance report;
• State annual determinations; and
• State enforcement through determinations and other methods

Click to access the updated policy guidance.

Click to access the Dear Colleague Letter.

USDE Strengthens Guidance to Improve Equal Educational Opportunity for Children with Disabilities (July 24, 2023)

On July 24, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) released updated policy guidance, which takes immediate effect, to ensure and strengthen the rights and protections guaranteed to children with disabilities and their families under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

To View the updated policy guidance from OSEP, click here.

New Eligibility Guidelines For Free And Reduced School Meals Announced for SY 23-24 (July 15, 2023)

On June 28, 2023, the PA Department of Education (PDE) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released federal income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced-price school meals and free milk for July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. 

Schools, and other institutions and facilities, use the guidelines to determine eligibility for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the School Breakfast Program, the Special Milk Program for Children, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. 

“Free and reduced-price meals ensure at-risk students have access to nutritious food, enabling them to focus in the classroom and learn, grow, and achieve,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “We know that food insecurity impacts communities across the Commonwealth and beyond, and the Department of Education encourages all eligible households to apply for this benefit.”

To apply, households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) need only include the SNAP or TANF case number on their application. Households enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) or Medicaid may qualify for free or reduced-price school meals based on income and should complete a Household Meal Benefit Application. Other households can find more information on the commonwealth’s COMPASS website.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online, from any USDA office by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

Fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

Email:
[email protected]

Annual income eligibility guidelines that became effective July 1, 2023 are in effect until further notice and can be accessed by clicking here.