Category: Federal Government Actions

New USDA Nutritional Standards Go into Effect on July 1st (June 24, 2024)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) rule for updating school nutrition standards is set to go into effect on July 1st. The USDA’s approved changes include new limits on added sugars and sodium in school meals, which are the largest driving costs in the rule. In fact, since  the finalized regulation is expected to cost school districts an extra 3 cents per meal on average, according to a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, the CRS pointed out that the USDA has cited several available federal resources — including its Healthy Meals Incentives initiative and the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program — as possible funding sources to help ease the increase in cost.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Releases New Resources on Protecting Students with Disabilities in K12 and Higher Education (June 20, 2024)

Today, June 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released three new resources with information for students, parents and families, and schools addressing the civil rights of students with sickle cell disease, epilepsy, and cancer. OCR issued these resources during a month that marks both World Sickle Cell Day and National Black Family Cancer Awareness Week.

The resources inform students with disabilities, and their families and schools, about relevant legal rights under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities by institutions that accept federal financial assistance, which includes almost all public schools and public and private institutions of higher education. These new resources, which are applicable to all levels of education, explain when these medical conditions trigger protections under Section 504, what kind of modifications an educational institution may need to take to avoid unlawful discrimination, and what an institution may need to do to remedy past discrimination.

OCR is also responsible for enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 90% of people with sickle cell disease in the United States are Black; Black Americans are more likely than White and Hispanic Americans to have active epilepsy (e.g., having one or more seizures in the past year and/or taking medication to control it); and, compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Black Americans have higher rates of getting and dying from many kinds of cancer. OCR enforces all the laws in its jurisdiction when they apply to cases OCR investigates.

“These new resources will give all students experiencing sickle cell disease, epilepsy, or cancer, as well as their families and schools, important tools to understand when and how they are protected by federal disability rights laws,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon.

The new resources regarding sickle cell disease, epilepsy, and cancer are available on the OCR website by clicking here.

“Survey of Parents of Students with Disabilities” BSE Memo is Sent to LEAs (June 9, 2024)

A recent PennLink memo from PDE Bureau of Special Education Director Carole L. Clancy titled Survey of Parents of Students with Disabilities states that Pennsylvania’s State Performance Plan requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) include collecting and reporting data on the involvement of families in special education programs. Specifically, states must report annually to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the public on State Performance Plan Indicator 8 which is the: “percent of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities.”

Like many other states, Pennsylvania is collecting this data through a large-scale survey. Pennsylvania reports results of the survey to OSEP in its State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report. This report is posted on the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) websites. Reporting on local educational agency (LEA) performance is done through the Special Education Data Reports on the PennData website.

To ensure that parents from every LEA in the commonwealth are included in the survey, PDE developed a sampling plan that was approved by OSEP. Under this sampling, each year PDE collects data from a representative sample of parents in approximately one-fifth of the LEAs in the Commonwealth. In addition, not all parents will receive the survey as it is a sample within each LEA. LEAs in this year’s sample will have parents receiving the survey selected from PA Special Education Data using a stratified random sample of school age students in each LEA. Surveys will be mailed directly to the parents from Leader Services in the next few weeks.

The survey being used was developed by the National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring under a grant awarded to that center by OSEP. The survey can be viewed at Leader Services-Parent Survey. Additional information about the survey can be found on the PaTTAN website at PA Indicator 8 Information.

A letter that accompanies the survey assures parents that their responses will be confidential. Parents may direct questions about the survey to the Special Education Consult Line at 800-879-2301. Should parents contact LEA personnel about the survey, we ask that LEA staff encourage them to participate in the survey process.

At this point, LEAs do not need to take any specific action. However, if LEAs wish to alert families to watch out for the surveys, it may serve to facilitate and encourage participation.

Questions regarding this PENN*LINK and requests for translation of the survey into any language other than English and Spanish, may be addressed to Barbara Mozina, Special Education Adviser, at [email protected].

PDE Memo: LEAs Must Meet Federal Special Ed Reporting Requirement (May 25, 2024)

On May 22, 2024, PDA Bureau of Special Ed. Director Carole L. Clancy messaged all LEAs via PennLink. Her message, Local Educational Agency Special Education Data Reports Online. advised LEAs that under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), every state must report annually to the public on the performance of each local educational agency (LEA) on the targets established in the State Performance Plan. This year states are required to report 2022-23 performance on the following State Performance Plan indicators for school-age students with disabilities: Graduation Rates; Dropout Rates; Participation and Performance on Statewide Assessments; Suspension Rates; Educational Environments; School-Facilitated Parent Involvement; Disproportionate Representation by Race/Ethnicity Receiving Special Education; Disproportionate Representation by Race/Ethnicity in Specific Disability Categories; Timelines for Initial Evaluation; Individual Education Program Secondary Transition Goals and Services; and Post-School Outcomes.

At the beginning of May 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) provided LEAs with an opportunity to preview these reports prior to going live to the public. The reports are now posted and available for public review at the Special Education Data Reporting (formerly PennData) website, (https://penndata.hbg.psu.edu/Public-Reporting/SEDR-Report-Dashboard). Please select your LEA from the drop-down list.

PDE thanks LEAs for their cooperation and assistance in meeting this federal reporting requirement.