Category: Government Actions

USDE: Postsecondary Schools to Receive FAFSA Applicant Info in March (January 31, 2024)

On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) released new data that shows more than 3.1 million Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSAĀ®) forms have been successfully submitted since the 2024-25 redesigned application went live on December 30, 2023. The new data comes a little more than three weeks after the USDE announced more than one million FAFSA forms had been submitted and the formā€™s 24/7 accessibility.

The announcement also affirmed that colleges, universities, and other participating postseconday institutions will not receive information from students who completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) until the first half of March. The delay shortens the amount of time postsecondary schools have to make financial aid offers. The process is already three months behind schedule.

The delay was to provide the USDE time to develop a new, simplified form. To view the USDE press release, click here.

PCCD Safety & Security Grants Now Open (January 30, 2024)

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency’s (PCCD) School Safety & Security Committee announced the FY 2023-2024 School Safety Grant solicitation process is now open. The PCCD encourages interest applicants to register for their upcoming webinars, which serve as a helpful tool to answer questions you may have related to one or more of the open funding solicitations. Please register using the links below

-Wednesday, January 31, 2pm – Targeted School Safety Grants (Nonpublic Schools)
-Monday, February 5, 2pm – School District Meritorious Grants
-Tuesday, February 6, 3pm – Ā School Mental Health Grants
-Thursday, February 8, 1:30pm – Competitive School Safety Grants

For more information, click here.

Governor Shapiro Delivers New Blueprint for Higher Education, Focused on Competitiveness and Workforce Development & Grounded in Access and Affordability (January 26, 2024)

On January  Governor Josh Shapiro released a new blueprint for higher education in Pennsylvania, focused on competitiveness and workforce development, and grounded in access and affordability. Much of the governorā€™s blueprint is based on the work of the Higher Education Working Group ā€“ a group of higher education leaders from across Pennsylvania appointed by him to develop a series of recommendations for improving higher education in the Commonwealth. The result is a three-part blueprint for higher education:

First, the plan will build a new system for higher education that unites PASSHE universities and 15 community colleges under a new governance system, preserving local leadership while uniting both types of institutions behind the goal of educating Pennsylvania.

Once that new system is in place, the plan will make significant investments to ensure higher education is both affordable and accessible for all, because any Pennsylvanian who wants to pursue a higher education should have the opportunity to do so ā€“ no matter where they come from or how much money their family makes.

Under the new system created the plan, Pennsylvanians making up to the median income will pay no more than $1,000 in tuition and fees per semester at state-owned universities and community colleges. To help students attending state-related universities and independent colleges, Governor Shapiroā€™s plan will increase PHEAA grants for all students by $1,000.

The governor is also proposing that direct appropriations to publicly funded colleges and universities be distributed on the basis of a predictable, transparent, outcomes-focused formula that will incentivize colleges and universities to focus on whatā€™s most important to the Commonwealth. A performance-based funding model has already been embraced by higher education leaders across the Commonwealth, including Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi.

Pennsylvania currently ranks 48th for affordability and 49th for state investment in higher education.

To view the press release, click here.

USDE Provides Valuable Info to Help Schools Ensure Disabled Students Receive AT (January 28, 2024)

Schools are responsible for ensuring students, families, and educators know how assistive technology works. In fact, studentsā€™ IEP teams should consider how it will be integrated with other therapies and interventions. If teams determine that a student needs assistive technology services, those supports must be stated in their IEP so teachers and related service providers can comply.

So, to that end, the US Department of Education (USDE) has sent a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to schools nationwide, The DCL clarifies that assistive technology is not the same as accessible technology. Accessible technology can be used to help many different users or have built-in features for individualized supports. Assistive technology is selected to help a student perform a specific task.

The DCL provides examples of AT devices for children with a variety of disabilities and also links to the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP), which provides guidance and resources from the Office of Educational Technology (OET) and the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). That guidance is to support children with disabilities who need assistive technology (AT) devices and services for meaningful access and engagement in education.

To view the DCL, click here.
To access the USDE press release with links to guidance and resources, click here.
To access resources from the USDEā€™s IDEA website, click here.

USDE Sends DCL to Schools Urging Gun Storage Awareness (January 26, 2024)

On January 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) sent a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to school principals and district administrators across the country. The purpose of the DCL, signed by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, was “to emphasize a strategy where school principals and district administrators have a unique capacity to help save lives: encouraging safe firearms storage.” Sec. Cardona also urged school officials to ā€œeducate the whole school community about the importance of safe firearm storageā€ by sharing information within the community ā€” including parents and families, parent organizations, and local officials ā€” to help educate people about the importance of “safe firearm storage because doing so has the power to save lives.”

The DCL also included a template letter for school leaders to send to their communities.

To view the DCL, click here.

To access the USDE press release, click here.

To download the template letter for use by school officials to inform the public, click here.