Category: Government Actions

PA Receives Approval to Launch Food Access Program for Kids (May 8, 2020)

The Wolf Administration received approval from the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a plan to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals at school through the National School Lunch Program. This program, known as Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), will be temporary and is designed to bridge the gap left by schools closing and help families who may have strained resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Schools may be closed for the rest of the school year because of COVID-19, but students still need to eat breakfast and lunch. The Wolf Administration is committed to doing everything in its power to make sure that families have the resources they need during this public health crisis, and I am very grateful that the USDA will allow us to offer this support to families” said DHS Secretary Teresa Miller. “Going without essential needs like food to get by now can jeopardize children’s health and development in both the short and long-term, and P-EBT will help families make up for the loss of in-school meals and avoid these potential long-term outcomes.”

The approved P-EBT plan will allow for DHS to provide SNAP funds to households with children who have lost access to free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program due to pandemic-related school closures. P-EBT benefits will be issued through EBT cards issued to qualifying families. A family’s benefit will be determined based off the federal reimbursement rate for the daily rate of free school breakfasts and lunches, or approximately $5.70 per child. This benefit will be calculated for the remainder of the school year, leading to an approximate benefit of $370.50 per child if they were receiving free or reduced-price school meals when school closures began. Now that the program is approved, benefits will begin to be issued to qualifying families within approximately 15 business days.

“As families adapt to the commonwealth’s school closures and students adjust to learning at home, parents and guardians shouldn’t have to be concerned about accessing nutritious meals for their children,” Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera said. “The Department of Education is proud to be able to partner with DHS to ensure that our students continue to be served during the pandemic-related closures.” 

This state plan request was developed in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), who administers the National School Lunch Program in Pennsylvania. DHS has determined that approximately 680,000 students who receive free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch throughout the school year are eligible for P-EBT based on current participation in SNAP or Medicaid. Additionally, students who otherwise qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches will qualify for P-EBT if approved. All told, P-EBT will allow DHS to provide funds to cover the cost of breakfast and lunch for approximately 958,000 Pennsylvania school-aged children. 

If a family’s economic situation has changed since school closures began, they can still apply for the National School Lunch Program and, if determined eligible, receive P-EBT benefits. Families can apply online at www.compass.state.pa.usOpens In A New Window.

Help is available for individuals and families who are having trouble accessing food during the public health crisis and the recovery period to follow. DHS is continuing to process applications for SNAP and encourages people and families who need assistance to apply online at www.compass.state.pa.usOpens In A New Window. All SNAP applications are screened for emergency need, which can accelerate processing time. Any Pennsylvanian who is in a difficult financial situation due to the economic challenges of this pandemic should apply to see if they are eligible for assistance.

Pennsylvanians who need help feeding themselves or their family can also find and contact their local food bank or pantry through Feeding PennsylvaniaOpens In A New Window and Hunger-Free PennsylvaniaOpens In A New Window to access food resources in their community.

USDE Strengthens Title IX Protections (May 7, 2020)

On May 6, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) took action to strengthen Title IX protections for survivors of sexual misconduct and to restore due process in campus proceedings to ensure all students can pursue an education free from sex discrimination. For the first time ever, USDE’s Title IX regulations define sexual harassment, including sexual assault, as unlawful sex discrimination. The new Title IX regulation holds schools accountable for failure to respond equitably and promptly to sexual misconduct incidents and ensures a more reliable adjudication process that is fair to all students.

For more details, click here.

PA State Board of Ed. Holds Virtual Meeting (May 6, 2020)

On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, the PA State Board of Education held a virtual meeting. During that meeting, the Board heard a progress report by Deputy Secretary Matt Stem on the progress of the commonwealth with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Deputy Secretary Stem stated that the world has changed, and our teachers are to be commended for their commitment, flexibility, and adaptability to provide an education for students. He also mentioned that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week. He also stated that PDE’s top priority continues to be the health and safety of students and the broader school community. He also stated that PDE has provided technical support, guidance, and other supports and resources to schools during the time of closure. Salient points of his presentation included:

  1. Partnering with 29 IUs to provide a tech and support system to help educate students through digital and non-dig strategies and resources.
  2. Helped LEAs to get direct access to online learning and to allow students to access online teaching and learning platforms. 125 schools have signed up for over 380,000 students, which has been funded though June 30th, and the state is looking to continue to provide this opportunity. PDE is also partnering with public television/PBS. All eight PA PBS stations have broadcast materials to support school districts.
  3. PaTTAN has provided resources on their website, especially for students with special needs. Over 1,000 educators have been trained with regard to online learning opportunities. Training has also been provided to parents/guardians.
  4. The PDE webpage on COIVID-19 is being updated daily.
  5. PDE is hoping for the best, but preparing for worst (i.e., either no physical attendance in buildings or in-person attendance with social distancing, and other strategies) for 2020-21. It is also important to attend to SEL needs for students and their families.
  6. PA has submitted its Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund application to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to obtain approximately $523.8 million in emergency, one-time funds to help schools respond to COVID-19 impacts.

A Progress Report on Effort to Update Academic Standards in Science and Technology and Environment and Ecology was provided by Judd Pittman.

A discussion regarding Chapter 2 of the PA School Code was conducted by counsel.

Action items were:

  • The composition of the Science Standards Content Committee Team was approved. PDE has identified education professionals from across the state to serve as content experts to draft the new standards. 60 education professionals will serve on the Content Committee and an additional 18 individuals will serve on a Steering Committee to work in tandem with the Content Committee.
  • Chapter 2 (School District Organization) was approved to request corrected amendment to ensure standards from 1970 be published under the appropriate title in the PA School Code.
  • The board approved a hearing on the Erie County Community College Plan to be scheduled for up to two days in June.

Sec. Rivera Paints a Picture of of Post-pandemic Schooling (May 6, 2020)

In a call to reporters on Tuesday, April 28th, PA Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera stated that whenever the COVID-19 pandemic allows the commonwealth’s students to return to school — maybe in September — things will look different.

That could mean masks, smaller class sizes, rethinking school transportation, new ways of delivering children breakfast and lunch, reduced crowds at sporting and performing arts events, and other things students, teachers, and parents/guardians have not seen in the past.

“We’re looking at a hybrid staggered model that addresses not only the academic needs of students but also their health needs as well, and I would encourage parents to think the same way,” Sec. Rivera said. “When we return back to school, it will not look like the schools we participated in just over a month ago.”

For now, summer school is in doubt for most parts of the state.

For the entire article, please visit the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

COVID-19 Pandemic Leads to Increased Focus on the Need for SEL (May 6, 2020)

In the fall, students and staff will return to school with collective trauma, higher anxiety levels and more stress after dealing with everything from child abuse and neglect to unemployment and loss of life.

As our nation endures an unprecedented realignment of daily life, young people absorb their parents’ tensions, but also contend with pressures of their own. They may have lost contact with friends, had to deal with canceled graduations and athletics and performing arts performances for which they have been preparing for years, and the fear that their futures may be compromised. In assessing the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, psychologists speculate that most kids will fall between the extremes of derailing or flourishing.

While school districts send students academic lessons via cyberspace or paper packet, they are providing just part of the school experience children need. For example, between the ages of six and 12, quarantined students are missing out on learning such things as  how to play with each other in games, sports, and other activities; as well as how to make and keep friends. Between the ages of 10 and 18, students need school. The buildings themselves feel like a home base and are symbolic of a formality and structure students lose by being socially distant.

School is the setting for important activities and vital milestones. It is the place where children develop their sense of identity, and a source of impetus for the future.

The mental health resources, other community partnerships, and relationships built with families during this time serve as an important part of reentry planning, and those same relationships will help when the time comes for re-orientation to the new school environment. 

Thus, a renewed focus on SEL â€‹must strive onward when students are back in school. 

To help, federal funds from the CARES stimulus package are working their way into school coffers. It is hoped that there will be ample flexibility to allow them to be purposed for counseling and other supports. 

For more information, visit Education Dive by clicking here.