Category: Federal Government Actions

U.S. Ed. Sec. Cardona Sends Letters to Schools as They Re-open (August 19, 2021)

On August 18, 2021, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona sent letters to schools regarding states’ banning school mask mandates. He also stated that the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) may investigate complaints from the public relating to the banning of school mask requirements as a civil rights issue. He also lent his support to school officials who defy the mandate bans in order to protect students and staff from a raging pandemic, while reiterating points made in the White House’s memo of support for local decision-making when instructional delivery issues are involved.

To view the USDE letters, click here.

To view the White House memo, click here.

OCR Announces Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2021-22 School Year (August 17, 2021)

The U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced in a letter to school superintendents that it will administer a 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), marking the first time that OCR has conducted a CRDC, including all public school districts and their schools, two years in a row, for 2020-21 and 2021-22. 

The additional collection will help advance equity at a time when the nation’s educational landscape has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and schools are receiving substantial new federal funding to address new and longstanding challenges. Data from the CRDC will inform ongoing decisions regarding additional support that schools, educators, and students need to succeed, and will also assist OCR in meeting its mission to ensure schools and districts are complying with civil rights laws.

“Without timely and robust data about students’ educational experiences, we cannot begin to understand and then address the impact that the pandemic has had – and continues to have – on student learning and success,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “We know that by working together, and by making this data available to educators and the public, we will improve educational opportunities and outcomes for our children and youth.”

The CRDC gathers and publishes key information about student access to educational courses as well as school climate factors, such as use of discipline and student experiences of harassment and assault, from nearly every public school serving students from pre-K through 12th grade in all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

The announcement ensures that the Department and the public will have the data necessary to better understand the experiences of students as the country continues to grapple with the impacts of COVID-19, especially after the pandemic-related postponement of the 2019-20 CRDC. Recognizing the critical work of school administrators, teachers, specialists, and support staff in ensuring that all students have equal access to education, the Department will continue to provide robust resources to support state educational agencies, districts, and schools in preparing for and completing the ongoing 2020-21 collection, as well as the collection for the 2021–22 school year.

To view the USDE press release, click here

Sec. Ortega Sends IDEA Part B PennLink to LEAs (August 16, 2021)

On August 16, 2021 PA Secretary of Education Noe Ortega disseminated a PennLink titled  Pennsylvania’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B 2021 – Determinations Notification stating that on June 24, 2021, Pennsylvania received notification from the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office of Special Education Programs that the commonwealth has 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 14 of the 15 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 2019 State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR), other state-reported data, and additional publicly available information. Consistent with USDE’s Results Driven Accountability, 2021 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 2021, the USDE Office of Special Education Programs considered the following results data for students with disabilities:

  1. Participation on regular statewide assessments.
  2. Participation and performance on the most recently administered (school year 2018-19) National Assessment of Educational Progress.
  3. Graduation with a regular high school diploma.
  4. 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 2021 – Determinations Notification. 

Questions regarding this information may be directed to Amy Pastorak, Assistant Director of the PDE’s Bureau of Special Education, at [email protected].

PA Ed. Secretary Highlights Safe Return to Schools During U.S. Education Secretary Tour; Students and School Communities Encouraged to Get COVID-19 Vaccine (August 10, 2021)

State Education Secretary Highlights Safe Return to Schools During U.S. Education Secretary Tour; Students and School Communities Encouraged to Get COVID-19 Vaccine (August 10, 2021)

On August 10, 2021, PA Secretary of Education Dr. Noe Ortega joined U.S. Department of Education (USDE) Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona at Donegan Elementary School and Northampton Community College, both in Bethlehem, PA, to highlight plans in place and resources available to support a safe return to classrooms. The secretaries toured the schools and met with staff and educators as Pennsylvania prepares for the upcoming school year.

“I cannot be more appreciative of the hard work educators and school communities have done to support our students across the commonwealth,” said Secretary Noe Ortega. “We remain committed to doing everything we can to help schools create healthy and safe conditions for the upcoming academic year. We are so pleased that Secretary Cardona visited Pennsylvania schools today to see how we are making these efforts possible.”

While at Donegan Elementary School, Secretary Ortega also highlighted the $416 million increase in state education funding in the state budget, including the new Level Up initiative that provides $100 million for some of the most underfunded school districts in Pennsylvania. The Bethlehem School District will receive a $3.46 million increase in state funding this school year, including $1.6 million in Level Up support. Donegan Elementary School is a part of the Bethlehem Area School District.

In April, Secretary Cardona visited Philadelphia area schools and commended the Pennsylvania Department of Education on the Wolf administration’s special initiative that vaccinated more than 112,500 teachers and staff in three weeks. The administration supports efforts to vaccinate eligible students age 12 and up across the commonwealth.

The secretaries’ visit comes after the approval of Pennsylvania’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plan to use the remaining $1.6 billion in one-time, emergency federal relief to support the long-term work of education recovery. At the end of March, the Wolf Administration announced nearly $5 billion in ARP ESSER federal COVID-19 relief for Pre-K-12 schools. These funds will bolster schools and districts to return to in-person instruction. Each entity will receive an amount proportional to the federal Title I-A funds received in 2020 under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Schools must use at least 20 percent of this money to address learning loss and the social, emotional, and academic needs of underrepresented students, including students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care. Additional information on the allocation of funds can be found on PDE’s website. Last week, the USDE released its Return to School Roadmap to support school communities in preparing for the 2021-22 school year. Throughout the 2020-21 school year, PDE regularly provided technical assistance and guidance to LEAs to support instruction while navigating the pandemic. This included through the PDE online resource, the Roadmap for Educational Leaders. PDE will continue to support LEAs as they prepare for and navigate the upcoming school year. This includes through the latest chapter of PDE’s Roadmap for Education Leaders; Accelerated Learning through an Integrated System of Support. This toolkit includes a professional learning series for school leaders and educators to help address students’ learning loss and other issues caused by the pandemic.

CDC Updates Guidance: Recommends Quarantines for Unvaccinated Students & Staff (August 6, 2021)

On Thursday, August 5, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated guidance for K–12 schools and institutions of higher education, including considerations for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and situations when K–12 students are not considered close contacts. The new guidance states that students, staff, and educators who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 should receive diagnostic testing and should begin quarantine. Exceptions include:

  • Someone who has been fully vaccinated and shows no symptoms of COVID-19 does not need to quarantine, but should be tested 3-5 days following a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result OR
  • Someone who has COVID-19 illness within the previous 3 months and
  • Has recovered and
  • Remains without COVID-19 symptoms (for example, cough, shortness of breath)

Any close contacts who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or who have symptoms should begin isolation regardless of vaccination status or prior infection.

To access the entire document titled Considerations for Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in K-12 Schools and Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), click here.