With the extended statewide school closures, school districts are planning to provide continuity of education for all students. However, not all schools and families have the resources to provide or access quality continuity of education activities.

To help ensure Pre-K through grade 12 students in Pennsylvania have access to equitable, personalized, applied, and engaging continuity of education programs, the Pennsylvania Department of Education is partnering with organizations across the state to develop and offer a collection of resources and supports for schools and school  communities.

Aligned to PA standards, these resources increase access to continuity of education activities for all learners through diverse platforms that include the internet, television, radio, and printed learning toolkits.

There is no cost to schools to use these resources. Schools should contact their local intermediate unit if they wish to subscribe to the platforms.

Learn more about these resources by clicking here.

All K-12 Pennsylvania schools will remain closed until further notice because of theCOVID-19 pandemic, and schools will be putting distance learning plans in place for an indefinite period of time. Governor Tom Wolf’s March 29, 2020 announcement has extended the school closure he issued the previous week that was to be in place through at least April 6th.

Many school districts are anticipating the need to plan to be closed for the remainder of the school year and are looking to the PA Department of Education (PDE) for help and guidance. Although PDE cannot legally require school districts to teach during the closure, it is strongly encouraging teachers to continue educating students either through mandatory instruction or on a voluntary basis that is considered to be enrichment.

An important consideration in planning instruction is providing special education to students with IEPs. According to Governor Wolf, “[The state is] working on a plan to make sure we have a way to provide an education for the kids who are not getting an education for the next two months.” To that end, PA Education Secretary Pedro Rivera is also working with PA’s 29 intermediate units that provide special services to districts.

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