Category: Government Actions

FCC Approves E-rate Funds for Wi-Fi on Buses (October 24, 2023)

As reported by K-12 Dive, on October 19, 2023, by a 3-2 vote, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved an expansion of the E-rate program to support Wi-Fi on school transportation vehicles. The support will help schools to address inequities for students who lack internet access at home, particularly those who live in rural, tribal or high-poverty neighborhoods. Supporters said that using E-rate funds for school bus Wi-Fi will help close the “homework gap” caused by some students lacking connections to broadband internet at home.

The two “no” voters cited concerns over limited evidence showing that the expansion would support students’ academic success.

For more from K-12 Dive click here.

CDC Eyes Unpredictable Flu Season (October 23, 2023)

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, last school year’s influenza season was more severe for children and youth and also started earlier than most previous seasons. The report showed cases emerged in early October 2022 and peaked in late November and December. Rates of flu-related medical visits and hospitalizations were higher for children and adolescents ages 5-17 than any other season since 2016-17.

Among those hospitalized during the 2022-23 season, a lower percentage were vaccinated than in previous seasons. However, flu-related deaths remained low and consistent with past seasons.

In its guidance for educators, the CDC warns that “flu seasons are unpredictable” in their timing, severity and duration. The agency said schools should:
-Encourage students, parents and staff to get vaccinated, top the spread of germs by staying home when sick, and wash their hands.
-Establish relationships with local and state public health officials.
-Provide enough supplies like tissues, soap and water to maintain proper hygiene.

The CDC also advises schools to routinely and correctly clean and disinfect.

Click to access Guidance for School Administrators to Help Reduce the Spread of Seasonal Influenza in K-12 Schools from the CDC.

Click to access How To Clean and Disinfect Schools To Help Slow the Spread of Flu from the CDC.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

PDE Offers Ukrainian Refugee School Impact Grant (October 23, 2023)

Pennsylvania Department of Education, please see the letter with notice of the Ukrainian Refugee School Impact Grant (URSI) Request for Application (RFA). The application is currently open in eGrants and the submission deadline is 12:00 PM on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.

You may email additional questions to: [email protected] or to Joseph J. Eye, Refugee School Impact State Coordinator, Division of Student Services, Bureau of School Support, at [email protected], or contact by phone at 717-783-3755.

Ed. Sec. Mumin Highlights Importance of CTE (October 22, 2023)

Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin was recently joined by Commissioner Kathryn Zerfuss from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), in a tour of the Cumberland Perry Area Career and Technical Center (CPACTC) to highlight the importance of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission oversees more than 9,000 entities which provide utility services across the Commonwealth. Those utilities and suppliers will need plant operators and technicians, industrial mechanics, engineers, line workers, electricians, solar developers, energy analysts, and economists as the Commonwealth moves through an energy transition that will bring systematic change.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

The 2023-24 commonsense, bipartisan budget makes a historic investment in students across the Commonwealth and includes $23.5 million to bring career and technical education back into the classroom, giving every student the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website.

PDE Announces New Program To Expand Access to Gifted Ed. (October 5, 2023)

On September 28, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that $3.5 million is now available to expand access to gifted education programming in schools and serve more students through the Pennsylvania Gifted Equity Initiative (PGEI).

Research shows there is severe underrepresentation of African American, American Indian, and Hispanic/Latino students in gifted education. PGEI will provide school districts with the tools, training, and resources necessary to implement identification procedures that will increase the number of culturally, linguistically, and economically disadvantaged students that are identified as gifted.

The program will use federal Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program funding to develop systemic technical assistance and support to close the excellence and achievement gap currently found in Pennsylvania school districts by the identification of and provision of services to gifted students who are not traditionally identified. This will allow educators to use culturally responsive tools to recognize potential in students; increase identification and retention rates of underrepresented students in gifted education; encourage collaboration between institutions of higher education to prepare pre-service teachers to better serve underrepresented gifted students; and provide support and training to families.

PGEI will develop a statewide support team including state level leads, Intermediate Units (IUs), local education agencies (LEAs), and national leaders in equity to advance the equitable practices in gifted identification across the Commonwealth and will interact with 400 school districts—or 80% of school districts—over the course of the five-year grant. IUs will work directly with LEAs to implement the programming.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website.