Today, Friday, March 13, 2020, Governor Tom Wolf announced that all K-12 Pennsylvania schools will be closed for 10 business days effective Monday, March 16. The administration has been working with school districts as well as state and local officials to gather input on this decision. The Wolf Administration will continue to monitor Covid-19 in the Commonwealth, and at the end of 10 days will reevaluate and decide whether continued closure is needed.

Governor Wolf made the following statement:

“We understand that these are trying times and recognize the impact of the coronavirus on our students and communities.

First and foremost, my top priority as governor – and that of our education leaders – must be to ensure the health and safety of our students and school communities.

As such, I am ordering that all schools in the commonwealth close for the next two weeks.

Be aware that no school district will be penalized if it fails to meet the 180 day or school hours requirements.

The Department of Education will work with intermediate units and other stakeholders to support school districts with any continuity of learning plans they may be pursuing.

Also, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced today that it received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow eligible schools to serve meals to low income students in a non-congregate setting, such as a drive-through or grab and go, during this closure. We will also work with schools to assist them with those plans.

We appreciate your collaboration as we work together to deal with this difficult issue.”

On March 10, 2020, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency released the following information via PennLink to all LEAs.

“Due to real world events, PEMA will be curtailing the scope of the March 26, 2020, All Hazards Exercise (2020AHX). The CRCC will not activate for the exercise; only the SimCell will be operational to permit counties, schools, health organizations, nursing and personal care homes, and day cares to test their emergency plans.”

“PEMA will re-evaluate this course of action based on the following actions occurring:

• An increased number of county emergency operations centers (EOCs) activating
• An increased number of school districts closing schools
• A large number of those already registered withdrawing from the exercise in TRAIN PA.”

State Exercise Officer Reg Godfrey will be contacting personnel on the design team.

On Friday, March 6th, Dr. Dana Milakovic of PDE’s Office for Safe Schools provided regional workgroup participants with and update on the statewide initiative to advance trauma-informed practices throughout our educational system. She thanked all involved for their efforts. She also reported that PDE is working on the landscape analysis to provide data from all of the regional meetings, which was originally scheduled to come out this month, but delays with emerging urgent needs across the state have slowed the process. PDE is continuing to work on that area.

Dr. Milakovic also relayed some of the positive effects the workgroup has already had in the field, which include increased networking among schools and community agencies, increased inter-agency communication around the needs of schools related to trauma and mental health, and increased discussion around the development of procedures and policies. 

Upcoming plans continue to be to provide a common language document (as requested by the workgroup). Which is currently being worked on by a sub-group of the main workgroup and should be available in the next few months. PDE will also continue to work on the landscape analysis so everyone can see the results of the workgroups. Following this, there will be a large group meeting.

According to Dr. Milakovic, “One of the over-arching themes emerging from the workgroup was the desire for this work to be ongoing and we look forward to supporting that goal.”

The PA Department of Health (PDH) has named Colleen Schultz M.Ed., RN CSN as its new Chief of the Division of School Health. She replaces Jill Clodgo.

Ms. Schultz has been a certified school nurse since 2008. As for joining PDH, Ms. Schultz says, “I look forward to this new and exciting opportunity to work with all schools across the Commonwealth.”

Those wishing to contact Ms. Schultz can email her at: [email protected].

Also, in a March 4, 2020 Penn*Link communique, PDH released its March 2020 School Health Update. The update can be obtained on the PAPSA website by clicking here.