Category: Federal Government Actions

PDH: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Fully Approved for Use in 12- to 15-Year-Olds (May 13, 2021)

On May 13, 2021, the PA Department of Health (PDH) encouraged all COVID-19 vaccine providers to start vaccinating anyone age 12 and over with the Pfizer vaccine as recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices held a meeting today to review the data and make an official recommendation to use the vaccine for this age group. The CDC also said that the Pfizer vaccine could be co-administered with other routine vaccinations.

“Hundreds of vaccine providers in Pennsylvania already have Pfizer vaccine on hand and are ready to safely and efficiently vaccinate people in this age group,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said, noting that the state’s vaccine provider network is expanding each week.

People can find Pfizer vaccination locations near them using Vaccines.gov, also known as Vaccine Finder. Individuals also can text their zip code to GETVAX (438829) for English, or VACUNA (822862) for Spanish and receive three possible vaccination sites in their area, then choose locations based on availability of the Pfizer vaccine.

In Pennsylvania, immunizations, like other general medical services, require consent. The Department of Health recommends that vaccine providers follow their current policy for vaccinations of minors.

“Once all of the approvals are in place, Pennsylvania vaccine providers will be ready to begin vaccinating these young people to add them to the more than 5.7 million Pennsylvanians who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine so far,” Acting Secretary Beam said.

The eligibility of 12- to 15-year-olds does not change PDH’s criteria for at least 70 percent of Pennsylvania adults to get fully vaccinated for the state’s mask mandate to be lifted. According to the CDC, as of this morning, 46.2 percent of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated. 

Learn more at the CDC’s “COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens” page.

USDE and DOJ Release “Confronting COVID-19-Related Harassment in Schools” (May 11, 2021)

On May 10, 2021, the US Department of Education (USDE)  and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) released Confronting COVID-19-Related Harassment in Schools, a fact sheet for students and families. You may find this resource on the Office for Civil Rights website in English, Chinese-simplified, Chinese-traditional, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, with additional translations expected later this month. School officials are asked to share this document widely to help ensure that students and families are aware of their rights in school settings and of how to access help if needed, including from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the Department of Education and the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice.

As President Biden wrote at the start of his presidency in his Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, “The Federal Government should combat racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and should work to ensure that all members of AAPI communities — no matter their background, the language they speak, or their religious beliefs — are treated with dignity and equity.”

This resource is one part of the work to counter racism and ensure equity and equal opportunity for all.

U.S.D.E. Launches Best Practices Clearinghouse to Highlight Innovative Practices for Reopening Schools and Campuses (May 7, 2021)

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) launched the Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse (the Clearinghouse, a website that highlights the innovative work underway nationwide in continuing to reopen K-12 schools, early childhood centers and postsecondary institutions. Through the Clearinghouse, the USDE is providing examples of how schools and other educational institutions can safely reopen as communities continue recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is encouraging to see states, districts and schools serving all levels of students using their best practices and lessons learned from each other and implementing these strategies to quickly reopen schools and campuses—all while keeping our students, teachers, faculty, and staff safe,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “There is no substitute for in-person learning and the Clearinghouse will be an invaluable resource as we continue the safe return to in-person instruction.”
President Biden’s Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers called on USDE to develop a Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse as a way to share lessons learned and best practices from the field for safely operating schools and postsecondary institutions during the pandemic.
By launching the Clearinghouse, the USDE aims to collect and disseminate innovative, evidence-based, or solutions-oriented approaches to school reopening and make this information available to elementary and secondary schools, early childhood centers, and postsecondary institutions across the country so they can learn from each other. Resources from USDE and other federal agencies related to reopening strategies and guidance are also available on the website.
The Clearinghouse includes resources that target the needs of students in, K-12, early childhood, and higher education settings in three main topic areas:
1. Safe and Healthy Environments: School and campus approaches to implement prevention and mitigation strategies and prepare and sustain in-person operations safely. 
2. Supports for Students: School and campus strategies to meet students’ academic, social, emotional, mental health, and other needs, including providing access to food, counselors, and financial aid for college students.
3. Teacher, Faculty, and Staff Well-Being; Professional Development; and Supports: School and campus strategies to address skills, trauma and other mental-health needs among educators, faculty, and staff, and other support strategies such as providing access to childcare and professional development for educators. 

To see the USDE press release, click here.

US House Subcommittee Hearing: Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Students with Disabilities (April 29, 2021)

The US House Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 2:30 PM ET  via Zoom. The hearing will be on addressing tjhe impact of COVID-19 on Students with Disabilities. To learn more, go to: https://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/addressing-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-students-with-disabilities.

White House Releases “Fact Sheet: The American Families Plan” (April 28, 2021)

On April 28, 2021, President Biden announced the American Families Plan. In March, the President signed into law the American Rescue Plan, which continues to provide immediate relief to American families and communities. According to a White House press release, “[A]pproximately 161 million payments of up to $1,400 per person have already gone out to households, schools are reopening, and 100 percent of Americans ages 16 and older are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. The Rescue Plan is projected to lift more than five million children out of poverty this year, cutting child poverty by more than half. While too many Americans are still out of work, we are seeing encouraging signs in the labor market, as businesses begin to rehire and some of the hardest hit sectors begin to reopen.”
However, according to the President, “we need to do more [and] to build back better. President Biden knows a strong middle class is the backbone of America. Further, he states that the “American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan are once-in-a-generation investments in our nation’s future.”

To view the press release, click here.