Category: Government Actions

PDE Releases BSE Spring 2020 Bulletin (July 29, 2020)

On July 27, 2020, PDE’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education released a Penn*Link message to LEAs from Carole L. Clancy, Director of the Bureau of Special Education. The message announced that theĀ Bureau of Special Education (BSE) Spring 2020 BulletinĀ can now be found on the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) website at this link:Ā https://www.pattan.net/Publications/BSE-Bulletin-Spring-2020.

It alsoĀ introduces a unique Twitter hashtag (#SpecialEducationInPA) to further highlight the positive, collaborative work happening in special education throughout the commonwealth. LEAs are asked to share the link with families, educators, administrators, schools, agencies, and other stakeholders to promote success for all students with disabilities, ensuring achievement through access to quality and meaningfulĀ education.Ā 

CDC Releases Latest Guidelines for “Preparing a Safe Return to School” (July 24, 2020)

On Thursday, July 23, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its latest guidance titled Preparing a Safe Return to School. The document states that “Schools are an important part of the infrastructure of communities and play a critical role in supporting the whole child, not just their academic achievement. This guidance is intended to aid school administrators as they consider how to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of students, teachers, other school staff, their families, and communities and prepare for educating students this fall.”

“The guidance described in this document is based on the best available evidence at this time. This guidance is meant to supplementā€”not replaceā€”any state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which schools must comply.”

To view the guidelines, click here or go to:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/prepare-safe-return.html

August 14 Implementation Date Looms for New Title IX Rules (July 21, 2020)

New Rules under Title IX were released by the Department of Education on May 6, 2020, with a required implementation date of August 14, 2020.Ā  As per the new rules, K-12 schools must implement significant changes regarding what they need to investigate under Title IX, how they must conduct those investigations, and who needs to be trained at the school districts prior to the pending implementation date.

To view the new rules on the USDE website, click here.

PA State Board of Ed. Adopts Chapter 49 Revisions (July 20, 2020)

At its July meeting, the PA State Board of Education adopted revisions to its draft set of changes to the regulations under Title 22, Chapter 49 for certification of professional personnel.Ā The Chapter 49 adopted revisions will now go to the Senate and House Education Committees and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission for review. In addition, a formal public comment period will be scheduled.Ā Please click here to view the draft of changes to Chapter 49.

PDE and PDH Release Joint Updated School Health Guidance (July 18, 2020)

The PA Department of Education and the PA Department of Health jointly released public health guidance to assist Pre-K to 12 schools in developing and implementing Health and Safety Plans for safely returning to in-person instruction for the 2020-21 school year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.Ā  The guidance provides public health standards to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 for social distancing, face coverings, hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfecting in Pre-K to 12 school settings. It also reflects currently endorsed public health best practices from DOH and is in response to requests from school leaders for state-level health guidance. The guidance serves as minimum standards for practices across all Pre-K to 12 schools with the understanding that more rigorous measures may be required in certain areas depending on community transmission of COVID-19.

According to PDE, the science and public health conditions surrounding COVID-19 are continually evolving and the guidance will be updated as necessary when new information becomes available. DOH will continue to monitor community transmission rates and other surveillance metrics and may, in close coordination with PDE, issue guidance related to targeted school closure as part of a wider public health mitigation strategy.

To view the guidance document on the PDE website, click here.