Category: Federal Government Actions

Wolf Administration Reminds Pennsylvanians to Submit Their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (February 3, 2022)

On February 3, 2022, PA Secretary of Education Dr. Noe Ortega joined the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) and Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to remind Pennsylvanians to submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSAŽ) by May 1, 2022.

All first-time applicants enrolled in a community college; business, trade, or technical school; hospital school of nursing; designated Pennsylvania open-admission institution; or nontransferable two-year program do have an extended deadline the first year they file: August 1, 2022.

Additionally, individuals financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic may be able to adjust their FAFSA and qualify for additional aid. More information about adjustments and eligibility can be found on the Federal Student Aid website or students may contact their institution.

The FAFSA is an important tool for students seeking postsecondary education opportunities. Current and prospective undergraduate and graduate students should submit the FAFSA to the U.S. Department of Education to determine eligibility for federal student aid.

By filling out the FAFSA, students can receive federal grants, work study, and loans for each year of postsecondary education. Many states and colleges award aid to postsecondary students based on federal aid eligibility, and states and many colleges will award their own aid based on that data.

To read more, click here.

Secretary Cardona Lays Out Vision for Education in America (January 28, 2022)

In a January 27, 2022 major address at the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona discussed his priorities for continued recovery through the pandemic and improving America’s education system more broadly. In his address, Secretary Cardona laid out his vision for continued recovery through the pandemic and his priorities for broader investments in America’s education system to ensure all students can succeed and thrive. During the address, Secretary Cardona discussed key strategies the USDE, schools, and colleges and universities must take to help students, educators, and school communities – from preschool through postsecondary education – continue to recover from the pandemic and address inequities that have long existed in our education system.

“Reopening schools—and keeping them open—while critical, is insufficient.  Our hardest and most important work lies ahead,” said Secretary Cardona in the address. “Our students’ success is at stake.  Not just the students we serve today, but for those who have yet to be born. Our task is not only to improve our education system from where it was before the pandemic, but also to take bolder action to elevate it to lead the world.”

During his remarks, Secretary Cardona underscored the work the Biden-Harris Administration has done to help nearly all schools reopen for in-person learning over the last year. When President Biden assumed office, just 46% of America’s schools were open full-time in person. Today, 96% are open. Because of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), guidance from the USDE and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expanded access to tests and testing resources, and the hard work of educators, families, district leaders, and school communities, America’s students have returned to classrooms across the country. And while the USDE continues to focus on keeping schools open, it is also focused on strategies to help students make up for lost instructional time, access the mental health supports they need, invest in our educators, and make improvements in our education system to address inequities that existed long before the pandemic. Secretary Cardona laid out how the ARP is supporting these efforts now, and how additional investments in our education system can make even greater improvements in our schools and communities. The Secretary also discussed strategies to improve America’s postsecondary education system, including creating stronger through-lines between P12 and higher education systems, making postsecondary education more affordable, and putting students and families first in all the USDE’s work.

Secretary Cardona laid out key actions in four priority areas that will guide the USDE’s work over the coming months and years:

  • Support students through pandemic response and recovery. 
    • Engaging families as core partners to educators
    • Addressing missed instruction through intensive tutoring, extended learning time, and other evidence-based practices
    • Increasing access to social, emotional, and mental health supports for all students
    • Encouraging every student to participate in at least one extracurricular activity
  • Boldly address opportunity and achievement gaps.
    • Increasing funding for Title I schools and for IDEA in order to close gaps in access to educational opportunity
    • Providing every family the opportunity to start on a level playing field through free, universal Pre-K and affordable high-quality child care
    • Investing in, recruiting, and supporting the professional development of a diverse educator workforce, including special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and bilingual educators so education jobs are ones that people from all backgrounds want to pursue
    • Challenging states and districts to fix broken systems that may perpetuate inequities in our schools
  • Make higher education more inclusive and affordable.
    • Providing targeted loan relief to student borrowers
    • Holding colleges and universities accountable for taking advantage of borrowers
    • Ensuring borrowers have loan payment options that reflect their economic circumstances
    • Making long term improvements to programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness and creating a strong Gainful Employment Rule so career programs aren’t leaving students with mountains of debt and without good job opportunities
      • Ensure pathways through higher education lead to successful careers.
        • Re-imagining the connection between Pre-K to 12, higher education, and workforce
        • Collaborating with the Department of Labor and Department of Commerce to invest in career preparation programs that meet the needs of today’s economy
        • Prioritizing grant programs that allow students to return to higher education or pursue career and technical education programs at any point in their lives and careers
        • Investing in colleges and universities that serve underrepresented groups and increase access to and funding for programs like Pell Grants

To view a transcript of Secretary Cardona’s remarks, click here.  

CDC Updates Mask Guidelines (January 22, 2022)

On January 21, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask wearing guidance. The guidance covers when and how to wear a mask, types of masks, how to select a mask, special considerations, persons with disabilities, mask use and carbon dioxide, how to clean and store a mask. It also provides links to other additional resources.

Access this all-important information fro the CDC by clicking here.

US Supreme Court Provides Split Decision Regarding Vaccine Mandates (January 19, 2021)

On Thursday, January 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) struck down one vaccine mandate and upheld another.  The former, which was blocked by a 6-3 vote, mandated that all employers with over 100 employees require vaccinations for all employees. The other, which was upheld by a 5-4 vote, mandated that healthcare workers in hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding must be vaccinated. 

The Court found that the former mandate overstepped the authority granted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by Congress. The Court opined that, “Although Congress has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly…Requiring the vaccination of 84 million Americans, selected simply because they work for employers with more than 100 employees, certainly falls in the latter category.” 

On the other hand, the Court upheld the federal government’s right to impose a mandate, which was issued through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),  requiring healthcare workers at facilities participating in Medicare or Medicaid programs to be vaccinated.  Since HHS found that 35 percent of staff members at Medicare and Medicaid-funded health-care facilities were unvaccinated, and thus “pose a serious threat to the health and safety of patients…[and]…the secretary finds necessary in the interest of the health and safety of individuals who are furnished services…ensuring that providers take steps to avoid transmitting a dangerous virus to their patients is consistent with the fundamental principle of the medical profession: first, do no harm.”

In essence, the federal government can’t impose a policy forcing employers to require their employees to be vaccinated; however, the Court’s decision does not make it illegal for employers to voluntarily institute a policy requiring their employees to be vaccinated. 

Key Takeways from Updated CDC Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools (January 18, 2022)

On January 13, 2022, the CDC released updated guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools. Here are some key takeaways:

  • Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction continues to be a priority.
  • Vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports.
  • CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all* students (ages 2 years and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.
  • New CDC guidance has reduced the recommended time for isolation and quarantine periods to five days. For details see CDC’s page on Quarantine and Isolation.
  • In addition to universal indoor masking, CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple prevention strategies, such as screening testing.
  • Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.
  • Students, teachers, and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness and be referred to their healthcare provider for testing and care.
  • This guidance emphasizes implementing layered prevention strategies to protect students, teachers, staff, visitors, and other members of their households and support in-person learning.
  • Localities should monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies (e.g., physical distancing, screening testing).

Summary of Recent Changes Over the Past Two Weeks:

  • Added a footnote to clarify language in the screening testing table. (Jan. 13)
  • Clarified that to allow time for students to catch up with the latest recommendations and to minimize disruption to in-person learning, schools may consider forgoing quarantine for students ages 12-17 years who completed their primary vaccine series but have not yet received all eligible boosters. (Jan. 13)
  • Updated guidance to reflect new recommendations for isolation for people with COVID-19 and recommendations for people who have come into close contact with a person with COVID-19. (Jan. 6)

To visit the CDC site regarding these updates, click here.