Category: Government Actions

Sec. Rivera Says PA Schools Can Resume In-person Instruction on July 1st (June 6, 2020)

On Wednesday, June 3rd, PA Education Secretary Pedro Rivera announced that the pre-k to 12 public schools of the Commonwealth that are located within the state’s  less restrictive reopening zones can resume in-person instruction and other activities on July 1, 2020, a date that officially begins the 2020-21 school year. Guidance issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) allows  schools in the green and yellow zones under the stoplight-colored reopening system, provided that they adopt health and safety procedures that meet both federal and state guidelines. In the PDE press release, Secretary Rivera said that the guidance is provided to help schools to  create and implement “a framework that best meets the unique needs of their students and communities.”

K-12 schools looking to begin teaching students in person are required to develop plans that are unique to each school’s particular circumstances. In addition, local health agencies must be consulted and the plan must be ultimately be submitted to PDE. Schools will also be required to identify a pandemic coordinator, issue hygiene guidelines, limit large gatherings, ensure those students and staff at higher risk of infection are protected, monitor people for symptoms, and develop plans for cleaning, the wearing of face masks, social distancing, and transportation.

According to Sec. Rivera,  school districts will be provided with a great deal of flexibility with regard to their own reopening plans. Schools will not be required to have all students learning in person on the first day they reopen. He also stated that, “One of the considerations in the plan is understanding not every family may want, or be able, to send their kids physically back to school.

The re-opening guidelines do not apply to private schools. However, colleges and similar post-secondary institutions must also adhere to PDE guidelines, must provide a phased return to campus, and must include earlier start and finish dates for the 2020-21 academic year.

To access the PDE guidance documents, click here or go to:

https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/emergencyplanning/COVID-19/SchoolReopeningGuidance/Pages/default.aspx.

PDE Urges LEAs to Submit Time-sensitive Report Data (June 3, 2020)

On June 3, 2020, April Queeley from the PDE School Services Office disseminated a document titled School District Reconfigurations, Alteration and/or Curtailment of Programs, Chief Administrator Changes and Updates to school districts and intermediate units informing them that they must update their 2020-21 administrative information in EdNA and notify PDE of changes by July 31, 2020.  
The memo goes on to say that current information enables accurate allocation of funds, and efficient data submission and communication between the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and LEAs. An LEA’s official record is maintained in the Education Names and Addresses (EdNA) system.
Below are instructions for updating/revising the LEA’s information regarding chief administrators, school names and addresses, changes in school grade configurations, and reporting of alteration/curtailment of programs. Note: These instructions do not pertain to charter schools.

SCHOOL OPENINGS/CLOSINGS/RECONFIGURATIONS, BUILDING CLOSURES Changes to school configuration that require review and approval by PDE include closing a school building to K-12 educational use, and closing, opening, renaming, or reconfiguring a school (for example, changing the grade levels of a school).
The process for reviewing and approving these changes requires the LEA to submit the following electronic documentation: (1) a signed letter from the chief school administrator including a summary of the proposed change(s) along with the current school configuration, and the number of students in the current and proposed configurations; (2) board minutes documenting the local board’s approval of those changes; and (3) evidence of the required public hearing, if closing a building to K-12 educational use for the school year.
Detailed instructions for submitting these changes are available on the PDE website at http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/School%20Services/Pages/School-Reconfigurations.aspx.   
Requests for the upcoming 2020-21 school year will be processed beginning April 1, 2020 and accepted until July 31, 2020.
To expedite processing, all requests must be submitted electronically to PDE School Services Office at [email protected].   
LEAs are asked to ensure that spam filters allow emails from “[email protected]” and from “Ed, School Configurations” so that the school district will receive the approval emails.

ALTERATION AND/OR CURTAILMENT OF PROGRAMS
Act 82 of 2012 amended the Pennsylvania Public School Code Section 24 P.S. § 11-1124 such that alterations or curtailments of programs under Section 1124(2) no longer require PDE approval. However, PDE must be notified of any alterations or curtailments that are being made under Section 1124(2) that may result in the suspension/furlough of professional staff.
The notification must be submitted electronically to “[email protected]” along with a copy of the board action and a PDF of the signed letter from the superintendent, IU executive director or AVTS/CTC director that explains the planned changes.
Questions may be directed to [email protected].

CHIEF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND COMMISSIONED OFFICERS  It is critical for PDE to have updated information for chief school administrators, including a current email address and emergency contact information. Please notify Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality regarding changes in superintendent, assistant superintendents, executive directors, and assistant executive directors, or when an acting chief school administrator is appointed.
The Commission’s Basic Education Circular (BEC) outlines information required for PDE to issue a commission and the process for updating chief school administrator information in EdNA. The BEC is accessed from the BEC listing at Basic Education Circulars (BECs).
District-level changes such as addresses, phone numbers, websites, and commission renewals or expiration dates should be updated in EdNA by each LEA. Prior to it becoming available in the public EdNA system, PDE staff will review the information submitted. Information on chief school administrators that is published in the annual Education Directory is taken from the EdNA system. 
For information regarding chief school administrators and commissioned officers, LEAs are asked to contact Debra Haines at [email protected].

Letter Sent to Congress Asking for IDEA MOE Relief in Next COVID-19 Package (June 3, 2020)

National education organizations sent a letter dated May 27, 2020 to Congressional leaders requesting that the next COVID-19 relief package provide IDEA MOE relief.

“Our organizations have championed the full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for decades and we believe it is critical that the next relief package provides more resources to districts to ensure they are meeting their obligations under IDEA for each student with a disability that we educate as we transform the delivery of education in the upcoming school year,” the letter states. The letter goes on to request key flexibility around a provision in IDEA that is intended to ensure that school districts maintain constant spending levels on special education, despite other budgetary pressures they experience.

To read the full letter, click here.

Wolf Announces that PA Schools Will Re-open in the Fall (June 2, 2020)

On May 29, 2020, Governor Wolf stated that there is “no question” that PA school districts will reopen this fall in some manner.  He said that, “Schooling will look different…You’ll probably have more online learning and maybe less classroom learning, there might be fewer students in each classroom.”

In addition, PDE is expected to release specific guidance in the near future that will address salient issues including such things as classroom capacity, online learning, transportation, extracurricular activities, and other logistical concerns. Specific start dates will be determined locally.

Wolf added that “[e]ach of the local education authorities have a lot to say about what school is going to look like,” Wolf said. “We’re providing guidelines.”

For more information, visit the Tribune-Review  by clicking here.

CDC Releases Back-to-School Guidance (June 2, 2020)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released voluntary guidance for reopening schools after extended closures due to the COVID-19 crisis. Recommendations include the following:

  • Face coverings should be worn by staff in all steps of reopening, and students, particularly older students, should be encouraged to wear fabric face masks. Masks should be worn “where feasible,” particularly in situations where physical distancing is difficult.
  • Schools should increase ventilation with outside air, unless it creates concerns for students with asthma.
  • Schools should ensure water fountains are safe to use after prolonged shutdowns.
  • Students should be kept in small class cohorts throughout the day to limit possible transmission of the virus between groups.
  • Schools should turn all student desks to face the same direction and space them six feet apart if possible.
  • Common areas, such as cafeterias, should be closed, and students should eat in their classrooms.
  • Schools should provide enough “high touch” objects, like art supplies and electronics, so that students don’t have to share and items can be disinfected between uses.
  • Schools should conduct daily health checks of staff and students, and isolate individuals if they feel unwell during the school day.
  • Administrators should provide options for telework and virtual learning for students and staff who are at higher risk for severe illness.
  • Administrators should close schools for one or two days to clean and sanitize when a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19.

 For more information from Ed Week click here.