On August 21, 2024, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning that America’s mental health crisis is weighing heavily on parents who are struggling with economic and societal concerns as they try to raise children. Barriers parents are facing include stressors like gun violence, loneliness, a lack of support from extended family or in-person community, and having to face more job-related pressure as well as other newer stresses that prior generations didn’t have to contend with in the same way.
The advisory, titled Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents, calls for expanded parental, medical, and sick leave, as well as incorporating mental well-being checks into primary care. The advisory also suggests that anyone who is a parent or filling that role prioritize stress-relievers like exercise and enough sleep, along with recreational activities.
Parents are also advised to nurture relationships with other parents, caregivers, or supportive friends, obtain insurance coverage for themselves and their families, and seek mental health care when needed.
Last year, Murthy issued a public health advisory about the harms social media poses to young people, and in June called for Congress to issue a warning label for kids on social media.
To access Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents, click here.
The federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has oversight of states’ compliance with federal special education regulations and requirements. OSEP has incorporated a fiscal verification review to its compliance monitoring verification visits. Some components of its fiscal verification review include a review of the use of funds for coordinated early intervening services, maintenance of effort, and general use of federal funds associated with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B (IDEA-B).
To assist local educational agencies (LEAs) in working with these components of the federal on-site visits, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is providing training to special education directors and business administrators. This training will address the following topics: IDEA-B, 611; Contingency Funding, Act 16, Maintenance of Effort, Medical ACCESS, and Approved Private School Electronic Management System (APSEM).
It is required that each school district and charter school send participants to this training. Because the training is highlighting the fiscal program data verifications associated with the IDEA-B fiscal reporting requirements, it is strongly recommended that the participants attending this training are the special education director and business administrator. Also, if a school district or charter school contracts for business services, its contracted business representative should attend.
There will be no required in-person training sessions during this school year. Instead, the mandatory training will be available on Schoology, accessible from September 16 through October 13, 2024. Live optional office hours will also be scheduled within the course, and dates will be provided there for your convenience. Registration and session information is available at https://www.pattan.net/events/.
Any questions about registration should be directed to Sharon Kennedy, PaTTAN, 717-901-2265 or skennedy@pattan.net. Any other questions regarding the fiscal training should be directed to Marcia Wilson, PDE Division of Analysis & Financial Reporting, at 717.736.7266 or marciawils@pa.gov.
The number of high school seniors who completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid stalled this June, spawning fears of enrollment declines this fall,
According to the latest analysis from the National College Attainment Network, as of June 28th some 46% of the high school class of 2024 had submitted the new FAFSA form, which is drop from 53.2% at the same time in 2023. That is a decrease of about 250,000 applicants.
As a result, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced a handful of FAFSA support strategies for increasing completion rates. In fact, one $50 million investment has funded over 65 groups to encourage form completion by, among other things, allowing them to hire more advisers and coaches, as well as offering extended hours throughout the summer.
In addition, on July 10, 2024 the U.S. House education committee advanced a bill that would require the USDE to release the FAFSA by Oct. 1 each year. At present, the USDE is legally required to release the FAFSA by Jan. 1 each year. However, it typically makes the form public on Oct. 1.
As reported by K-12 Dive, a July 5th regulatory update from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shows the Title IX athletics rule proposal has been moved to a “long-term action” without a rough deadline, meaning the agency doesn’t expect a regulatory action within at least the next year. Originally, OMB’s Spring 2024 Unified Agenda had also included updates for high-profile forthcoming regulations on race discrimination and Section 504 and the athletics regulation was listed as being in the “final rule stage,” or one step away from release. The US Department of Education (USDE) has now set a December 2024 deadline for releasing a proposed Title VI rule on protecting students from discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, in addition to other forms of racial discrimination. The USDE has also set November as the new deadline for a proposed rule for Section 504 covering students with disabilities in schools and colleges.
Another disability-related regulation — also now expected by November — is aimed at easing the process of obtaining parental consent for Medicaid school-based health services. School administrative groups advocating for the proposed change aver that it would make the parental consent process more efficient and cost-effective for schools while still protecting participating students’ benefits.
However, in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the longstanding Chevron doctrine complicates the path of all of the proposed agency rules changes.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released federal income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced-price school meals and free milk for July 2024 – June 2025, expanding access to resources and helping more kids and their families get what they need to fuel their minds and bellies.
Schools, and other institutions and facilities, use the guidelines to determine eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Milk Program for Children, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program.
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.
The following annual income eligibility guidelines are effective July 1, 2024, until further notice:
Free Meals – 130%
Household Size
Annual
Monthly
Twice per Month(24 pay periods/year)
Every Two Weeks(26 pay periods/year)
Weekly
1
$19,578.00
$1,632.00
$816.00
$753.00
$377.00
2
$26,572.00
$2,215.00
$1,108.00
$1,022.00
$511.00
3
$33,566.00
$2,798.00
$1,399.00
$1,291.00
$646.00
4
$40,560.00
$3,380.00
$1,690.00
$1,560.00
$780.00
5
$47,554.00
$3,963.00
$1,982.00
$1,892.00
$915.00
6
$54,548.00
$4,546.00
$2,273.00
$2,098.00
$1049.00
7
$61,542.00
$5,129.00
$2,565.00
$2,367.00
$1,184.00
8
$68,536.00
$5,712.00
$2,856.00
$2,636.00
$1,318.00
For each add’l family member, add
$6,994.00
$583.00
$292.00
$269.00
$135.00
Reduced Price meals – 185%
Household Size
Annual
Monthly
Twice per Month(24 pay periods/year)
Every Two Weeks(26 pay periods/year)
Weekly
1
$27,861.00
$2,322.00
$1,161.00
$1,072.00
$536.00
2
$37,814.00
$3,152.00
$1,576.00
$1455.00
$728.00
3
$47,767.00
$3,961.00
$1,991.00
$1838.00
$919.00
4
$57,720.00
$4,810.00
$2,405.00
$2,220.00
$1,110.00
5
$67,673.00
$5,640.00
$2,820.00
$2,603.00
$1,302.00
6
$77,626.00
$6,469.00
$3,235.00
$2,986.00
$1,493.00
7
$87,579.00
$7,299.00
$3,650.00
$3,369.00
$1,685.00
8
$97,532.00
$8,128.00
$4,064.00
$3,752.00
$1876.00
For each add’l family member, add
$9,953.00
$830.00
$415.00
$383.00
$192.00
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, 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