Category: Government Actions

USDE Holds COVID-19 Conference Call with K-12 Stakeholders (March 23, 2020)

On Friday, March 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education and other federal partners held a conference call today with K-12 education leaders representing all 50 states and two territories to discuss the Administration’s whole-of-government response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Those who attended the call included representatives from the National Association of State Boards of Education, National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, and elected officials, among many others. During the discussion, subject matter experts answered questions about the process for approval of statewide testing waivers, meal delivery for students during school closures, lengths of school closures due to the outbreak, requirements for local education agencies to provide services to students with disabilities, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements during the outbreak.

Deputy Secretary Mitchell “Mick” Zais gave an overview of the Department of Education’s COVID-19 working group, which he leads, and encouraged participants to frequently visit the Department’s website, ed.gov/coronavirus, for updated materials.

Assistant Secretary Frank Brogan of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education briefed participants on the Department’s letter on the subject, a webinar on ensuring web accessibility for students with disabilities for schools utilizing online learning during the pandemic, and a fact sheet on how to protect students’ civil rights as school leaders take steps to keep students safe and secure.

Acting Assistant Secretary Mark Schultz of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services spoke about the Department’s guidance on how to provide services to students with disabilities during school closures throughout the outbreak. He announced clarifying information would be forthcoming in response to questions about implementation. Information on single points of contact for technical assistance to SEAs on best practices and models of instruction, accessibility, and data, will also be provided.

Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also participated in the call. Nancy Messonnier from the CDC discussed what schools, parents and communities can do while schools are closed, as well as what strategies school administrators and staff should consider when they begin to think about reopening.

For more information on all the efforts the Department is taking to address the COVID-19 national emergency, visit ed.gov/coronavirus

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the following websites: https://www.coronavirus.gov, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html and https://www.usa.gov/coronavirus

For the Readout of the U.S. Department of Education’s COVID-19 Conference Call with K-12 Stakeholders on March 20, 2020, go to: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/

Online K-12 Public Ed. on Hold for Now (March 23, 2020)

After Governor Tom Wolf closed schools to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, many school districts sought to make online instructional resources available to minimize the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, PDE has instructed school districts to cease mandatory online learning because students who would normally receive special assistance or are involved in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) could not get the same support through online assignments. Thus, continuing instruction online could present an equity problem. Any online learning, for now, will have to be voluntary since some students have various needs that cannot be adequately expressed online.

Several school districts have spent the last several days planning how to proceed with online learning. But, without flexibility in addressing compensatory education everything is on hold, since violating IDEA could become a liability for a school district. Therefore, most school districts have no choice but to comply, since they are not able to provide supports remotely for all students.ā€ For more information visit: https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/school-districts-told-to-stop-mandatory-instruction-grading-during-closure/

USDE Provides Guidance Regarding Distance Learning and FAPE (March 21, 2020)

On Saturday, March 21, 2020, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced that the US Department of Education (USDE) has releasedĀ new informationĀ clarifying that federal law should not be used to prevent schools from offering distance learning opportunities to all students, including students with disabilities. This new resource from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) explains that as a school district takes necessary steps to address the health, safety, and well-being of all its students and staff, educators can use distance learning opportunities to serve all students.

PDE Cancels PSSA, PASA, and Keystone Tests for 2019-20 (March 19, 2020)

On the afternoon of March 19, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis, the PA Department of Education (PDE) announced the cancellation of all PSSA testing and Keystone exams for the 2019-20 school year. This includes the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA). Thus, PDE will be submitting the required waivers to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and no PA schools will be administering those tests this school year. At some point, PDE will be releasing information on the effects of the cancellation regarding accountability and school reporting.

OCR Releases Webinar, Fact Sheet for Protecting Studentsā€™ Rights During COVID-19 Response (March 19, 2020)

The Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR’s) Center for Outreach, Prevention, Education, and Non-discrimination launched a short webinar on ensuring web accessibility for students with disabilities for schools utilizing online learning during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In addition, OCR published a fact sheet for education leaders on how to protect studentsā€™ civil rights as school leaders take steps to keep students safe and secure. These resources will assist education leaders in making distance learning accessible to students with disabilities and in preventing discrimination during the Coronavirus response effort.

OCR Short Webinar on Online Education and Website Accessibility

Fact Sheet on Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Schools While Protecting the Civil Rights of Students.

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