Category: Government Actions

SB 2 ESA voucher plan pulled from PA Senate Education Committee Agenda (April 24, 2018)

On Monday, April 23rd, the Senate Education Committee removed SB 2  from its April 24, 2018 meeting agenda. SB 2 would establish Education Savings Account (ESA) vouchers, which would siphon off tax money from public schools to be used for private schools and vendors. This is the third unsuccessful attempt to move the bill forward, and it is felt that pressure from many school districts that passed school board resolutions opposing the bill precipitated the removal from the committee’s agenda.

OCR Dismisses Hundreds of Cases as a Result of New Policy (April 23, 2018)

The US Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has begun to dismiss hundreds of civil rights complaints in accordance with a new procedure that allows investigators to disregard cases which are either part of serial filings or which they deem burdensome to OCR.
The new procedure is supposed to mitigate the burden on OCR that occurs when advocates flood the office with thousands of complaints for similar violations, which the office asserts hinders its ability to investigate other cases. However, there are many who see this as proof of a more “hands-off” approach to investigating civil rights claims and enforcing civil rights laws, which could result in discriminatory behavior being allowed in public schools and institutions across the country.
A new policy provision allows the OCR to dismiss cases that reflect “a pattern of complaints previously filed with OCR by an individual or a group against multiple recipients,” or complaints “filed for the first time against multiple recipients that” place “an unreasonable burden on OCR’s resources.” The new provision has already resulted in the dismissal of more than 500 disability rights complaints.

Deputy Secretary Stem Releases AEDY Reporting Memo (April 16, 2018)

On April 13, 2018, Deputy Secretary Matthew Stem released a memo regarding 2017-18 End-of-Year Reporting for Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth (AEDY) Programs. The memo states that the End-of-Year Reporting through the Safe Schools’ website will open (www.safeschools.state.pa.us) on June 1, 2018. All school districts and charter schools that place students in AEDY programs, which by definition are designed and utilized as disciplinary placements operated by a public school entity or approved AEDY private provider, must complete their End-of-Year Reporting to KSys through the Safe Schools’ website. Since 2015, sending school districts are responsible for entering data for all their AEDY students. IU programs are no longer able to enter these students on behalf of sending LEAs.

The deadline for completing AEDY End-of-Year Reporting is August 31, 2018, for the 2017-18 school year. If there is an approved program that was not utilized for placements for the 2017-18 school year, school entities must submit a letter signed by the superintendent on official letterhead indicating that no placements were made and submit via email to the State AEDY Team, ATTN:  Dana Klouser, to have the program removed from your reporting requirement.

Anyone requiring further clarification regarding the End-of-Year Reporting process, or who has any questions pertaining to the AEDY program, should contact the State AEDY Team at 717.705.3771 or email [email protected].

PA School Safety Task Force Holds Initial Meeting (April 10, 2018)

On April 6, 2018, the PA School Safety Task Force met at the Central York School District in the first of a series of regional meetings to hear from students, parents/guardians, school officials, law enforcement officials, healthcare professionals, and others in efforts to improve school safety and security. The task force will hold six meetings throughout the state before issuing a final report by the end of June.

The task force will solicit information from participants regarding safety concerns, funding needs, physical and mental health program effectiveness, security training and protocols, information sharing among agencies, and enhancing methods of anonymous reporting of suspicious activity.

The public is invited to share their recommendations for improving schools security online at https://www.governor.pa.gov/school-safety-feedback/. The task force will use the feedback when preparing a final report.