Category: Government Actions

Penn State Extension Provides Valuable Resources (April 29, 2020)

Penn State University, through its extension services, is proving a myriad of opportunities for all to expand their knowledge through numerous free courses and other resources. These opportunities are great for students and their families, as well as adults. The latest Penn State Extension guidance focuses on food shopping and storage safety guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic and can be accessed by clicking here.

To visit the Penn State Extension COVID-19 resource site,Ā please click here.

To learn more about Penn State Extension,Ā please click here.

Secretary DeVos Reiterates Learning Must Continue for All Students, Declines to Seek Congressional Waivers to FAPE, LRE Requirements of IDEA (April 28, 2020)

On April 27th, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reaffirmed her position that individualized education must take place for all students, including students with disabilities. As a result, the Secretary is not recommending Congress pass any additional waiver authority concerning the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), reiterating that learning must continue for all students during the COVID-19 national emergency. For more, please click here.

DHS Disseminates FAQ Guidance to School Districts (April 25, 2020)

Due to the current pandemic and the high volume of requests for guidance regarding SHARRS, immunizations, PPE, and other pressing issues, PDH Division of School Health Chief Colleen Schultz announced the release of a FAQ to all LEAs via PennLink. To access the FAQ, please click here or visit the PAPSA website by clicking here.

DHS is also asking schools to continue to check the School Health website periodically, as it will be updated with additional information as it becomes available. Please click here to visit the site.

PA Submits SNAP P-EBT Plan to USDA (April 24, 2020)

According to PSBA, earlier this week the PA Department of Human Services and PDE submitted a state plan to the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. This program, known as Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), is temporary and is designed to bridge the gap left by schools closing due to the COVID-19 crisis.
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If approved by the USDA, the plan would provide P-EBT to households with children who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program due to pandemic-related school closures. P-EBT benefits would be issued through EBT cards issued to qualifying families.

At this point, the state is waiting USDA approval.

Sincere thanks to PSBA for the information contained in this article.

Gov. Wolf: Emergency SNAP Benefit Distribution Begins (April 23, 2020)

Governor Tom Wolf has announced that the Department of Human Services (DHS) will begin emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit issuance in line with the federal governmentā€™s interpretation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Payments include a supplemental increase for both March and April and will continue to be issued for current SNAP households through April 29. DHS is also advising Pennsylvanians in need of food assistance of local supports that can help meet essential needs during the public health crisis.

DHS received approval from the US Department of Agricultureā€™s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to issue emergency payments that will allow DHS to increase a householdā€™s currently monthly payment up to the maximum benefit amount for each household size.

These emergency payments are for March and April and will be distributed as a one-time issuance distributed on a staggered schedule beginning April 16 and continuing through April 29. This payment is in addition to a householdā€™s normal April benefit issuance thatā€™s made in the first half of the month. These payments will be placed directly onto a recipientā€™s EBT card. Supplemental payments are in addition to the normal May payment beginning May 1.