Category: Government Actions

BSE Sends PennLink to LEAs Titled Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition Planning and IEP Development (Indicator 13) (August 12, 2021)

Earlier this month, BSE Director Carole L. Clancy disseminated a PennLink to LEAs titled Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition Planning and IEP Development (Indicator 13). It states that in response to the accountability requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA) Part B State Performance Plans, the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) and Intermediate Unit (IU) transition consultants will be providing sustained professional development for targeted local educational agencies (LEAs). The targeted professional development addresses creating compliant and effective individualized secondary transition programming for students with disabilities. 

The requirements for each LEA assigned to the 2021-22 Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition Planning and IEP Development training (Indicator 13) are as follows:

  • Develop an administrative team to support the targeted training and technical assistance process. The administrative team is required to attend a webinar on September 15, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Administration team members will need to register in advance for this training via the PaTTAN website: www.pattan.net/events/ .
  • Lead contact person to complete an interview/survey regarding effective practices for secondary transition as facilitated by an IU and/or PaTTAN consultant. Lead contact will work with IU Transition TAC/PaTTAN Consultant to develop and implement a local training plan for the 2021-22 school year.
  • With support from the IU Transition TAC/PaTTAN Consultant, identify targeted staff (i.e. special education directors, building principals, transition coordinators, special education teachers, speech language therapists, school counselors, school psychologists, career tech ed staff, and other LEA staff involved in secondary programming) to participate in IEP pre-reviews using the PA Indicator 13 checklist, complete Schoology course work, and complete IEP post-reviews. During the online course, participants will complete seven modules that focus on the steps in the transition planning process as they relate to the Indicator 13 requirements in the Cyclical Monitoring for Continuous Improvement (CMCI). Participants will demonstrate learning through scenario-based practice. Successful course completion will require watching training videos, participating in online discussions, and submitting a cumulative case study. Identified staff members must complete the Schoology course on or before 3/31/2022. Registration for the course can be found via the PaTTAN website: https://www.pattan.net/events/ .

For questions concerning the Indicator 13 training for 2021-22, please contact: Cecil Crouch, Educational Consultant at PaTTAN-Pittsburgh, at 800-446-5607, ext. 6866 or [email protected].

PDE Opens RISC Reporting Window (August 12, 2021)

BSE Director Carole L. Clancy has disseminated a PennLink titled 2021-22 School Year Restraint Information System Collection Tracking and Training First Quarter Reporting Window. It stated that the Restraint Information System Collection (RISC) is open for data entry for the first quarter (restraints occurring between July 1 – October 10 of the 2021-22 school year). The system has been enhanced and gives local education agencies (LEAs) greater opportunity to provide both more detail about restraints and to analyze trends in reducing the use of physical restraints.

Throughout the 2021-22 school year, LEAs will be required to report RISC data regardless of their instructional delivery method (in-person, virtual, blended, etc.). This will also include reporting zero restraints during a quarter when restraints did not occur.

In addition, LEAs are still required to comply with 22 Pa. Code § 14.133(f) or 22 Pa. Code § 711.46(f) Positive Behavior Support related to training of personnel in specific procedures, methods and techniques. However, 22 Pa. Code § 14.133(f) and 22 Pa. Code § 711.46(f) Positive Behavior Support does not require LEAs to acquire certification in this process and leaves this up to the LEAs and their specific training model. The training of personnel should provide varied intervention and strategies needed to address problem behaviors. These types of intervention chosen for a specific student or eligible young child shall be the least intrusive necessary. The use of restraints is considered a measure of last resort, only to be used after other less restrictive measures, including de-escalation techniques.

The Bureau of Special Education (BSE) continues to require LEAs to report the restraints that occurred in each quarter. This reporting process permits LEAs to report restraints in a timely manner which, in turn, allows LEAs to monitor patterns of episodic behaviors and address them accordingly. The quarterly windows of reporting for the 2021-22 school year are as follows:

Qtr 1
Begin Date: 07/01/2021
End Date: 09/30/2021|
Last Day to Report: 10/18/2021
Zero Window Opens: 10/01/2021
Zero Window Closes: 10/18/2021

Qtr 2
Begin Date: 10/01/2021|
End Date: 12/31/2021
Last Day to Report: 01/15/2022
Zero Window Opens: 01/01/2022
Zero Window Closes: 01/15/2022

Qtr 3
Begin Date: 01/01/2022
End Date: 03/31/2022
Last Day to Report: 04/15/2022
Zero Window Opens: 04/01/2022
Zero Window Closes: 04/15/2022

Qtr 4
Begin Date: 04/01/2022
End Date: 06/30/2022|
Last Day to Report: 07/15/2022
Zero Window Opens: 07/01/2022
Zero Window Closes: 07/15/2022

The RISC reporting design provides an “End Date” for LEAs to comply with their end of quarterly reporting. In addition, there is a two-week window date labeled “Last Day to Report” to allow LEAs to gather and report on those students that attend an out-of-district facility where they were placed in a restraint during that quarter. This two-week period is also a designated time for LEAs that had no restraints during the quarter to report zero in RISC. BSE will continue to send out reminder PENN*LINKS about this quarterly reporting requirement.

BSE will monitor the restraint information reported by LEAs. RISC requires each LEA to report the event that occurred prior to the incident, the incident, the unsafe behavior, and the de-escalation techniques utilized. The LEA must notify the parent(s)/guardians of the use of a restraint and schedule an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting within 10 school days of the use of the restraint in the educational program, unless the parent(s)/guardians, after written notice, agree(s) in writing to waive the IEP meeting. Additionally, restraints occurring during Extended School Year sessions should be reported within three weeks of the start of the school year.

In reviewing restraints submitted in RISC of school-age IEP students, the Special Education Advisers of BSE will continue to focus on LEA monitoring responsibilities, as well as:

  • Training of staff in de-escalation techniques;
  • Excessive time of restraint;
  • Excessive use of parent waivers;
  • Mechanical restraints;
  • Injuries;
  • Number of restraints;
  • 10-day window (school days) to convene an IEP meeting after a restraint occurs; and
  • Handcuffing of students or students charged with a safe school’s offense.

A RISC reporting webinar is posted on the RISC website: apps.leaderservices.com/_risc/index.aspx. The RISC reporting webinar link is located below the login box of the Leader Services RISC sign-in page. This webinar explains the reporting process and how to use the RISC system. The webinar also shares how to update your LEA’s contact information. All parties involved with RISC are highly encouraged to view this webinar to learn how to report restraints, how to use the system, and to understand the regulatory responsibility of LEAs.

Additionally, BSE’s “Guidelines for De-escalation and the Use of/and Reporting of Restraints in Education Entities” is available for review on the RISC website.

Questions regarding RISC should be directed to Keith Focht: 717-783-6921 or [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.

PDE Announces RTL Grants Now Open (August 7, 2021)

On August, 6, 2021, the PA Department of Education (PDE) released a PennLink to school district superintendents and charter school chief school administrators titled 2021-22 PA Ready to Learn Block Grant (RTL) Application Open in eGrants stating that PDE has released the 2021-22 Ready to Learn (RTL) application in eGrants and all eligible school entities (school districts, eligible charter schools, and eligible cyber charter schools) may apply. The submission deadline is November 30, 2021. 
 
The 2021-22 RTL Block Grant appropriation is $268 million, equivalent to the amount appropriated for the 2020-21 school year. RTL grants are to assist students enrolled in the commonwealth’s school districts and charter schools with attaining or maintaining academic performance targets. The purpose of this email is to inform eligible school entities how to apply for RTL funding.
 
School entities should file an application on PDE’s eGrants system for RTL funding. The application is accessible under the heading Ready to Learn. If a school entity RTL contact does not have an eGrants user ID and password, the school entity’s federal programs coordinator or person who has completed federal grants on the PDE site has the ability as a user/administrator to add the RTL contact as a user.
 
The 2021-22 RTL Grant Guidelines are posted online: http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/School%20Finances/Pages/Ready-to-Learn%20Block%20Grant.aspx
 
To confirm the amount of your school entity’s RTL allocation for the 2021-22 school year, visit PDE’s website: https://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/School%20Finances/Education%20Budget/Pages/default.aspx. Click on 2021-2022 Ready to Learn Block Grant to open a spreadsheet containing the list of allocations for all eligible districts and charter schools. Eligible school entities will receive 50 percent of funding upon submitting their application in eGrants and the balance following PDE’s approval of their application.

A final expenditure report for 2021-22 RTL grant funding will open Monday, June 28, 2022, and must be entered in eGrants by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 31, 2022.
 
For questions concerning RTL, contact Jim Towse: (717) 783-9542 or mailto:[email protected]

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.