Category: Government Actions

FDA Grants Full Approval for Child COVID-19 Treatment (April 25, 2022)

On Monday, April 25, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for the COVID-19 drug remdesivir (aka Veklury) for the treatment of children under 12.  The approval covers children 28 days and older who weigh at least 3 kilograms or over 6 1/2 pounds and are either hospitalized or at high-risk of severe illness. The FDA also emphasized that remdesivir is not a replacement for vaccination.

Previously, remdesivir was under emergency use authorization for children. There is still no authorized vaccine for children under 5-years-old. 

Remdesivir had already been approved as a treatment for adults. 

To read more from The Hill, click here.

PDE Announces Pre-K Counts Applications; Due Date is May 11th (April 25, 2022)

On April 20, 2022 Acting Secretary Pennsylvania Department of Education Noe Ortega released a PennLink titled Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Request for Applications Announced – Action Required. The memo states that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is announcing a competitive Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PA PKC) Request for Applications (RFA) 

This RFA is intended to support providers in preparing to serve and enroll children by September 2022. The RFA is being released in April 2022 to give providers time to conduct outreach to families; recruit, hire and train staff; and plan for implementing the program pending grant approval.

Applicants must submit Letters of Intent to [email protected] by 3 PM on May 11, 2022. Only applicants that submit a complete Letter of Intent by the deadline will be permitted to apply for funding. 

Eligible applicants must provide assurance that they operate in full compliance with Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Statute, Regulations, and Guidance. Applicants should thoroughly review Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Statute, Regulations, and Guidance prior to submission of a Letter of Intent to apply to ensure an understanding of the program requirements and expectations of compliance if an application is successful.

All information relevant to the application process is available in the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Request for Applications (RFA) Guidance  Applicants should review all information in that document before submitting the Letter of Intent. Any questions should be sent to [email protected].

Programs that do not submit the Letter of Intent will not be able to access or submit a funding application in eGrants. Late submissions will not be accepted. Agencies submitting a fully complete Letter of Intent by the due date will be notified when the PA PKC application is open in eGrants.

IRRC Seeks Public Comment on Academic Standards and Assessment (April 25, 2022)

The PA State Board of Education (Board) recently submitted a final-form regulation titled “Academic Standards and Assessment.”  You can obtain a copy of the final-form regulation from IRRC’s website at http://www.irrc.state.pa.us/regulations/RegSrchRslts.cfm?ID=3314.
It will be considered by IRRC at its public meeting on Thursday, May 19, 2022, beginning at 10 am in the 14th floor conference room, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA.  The agenda and any changes to the time or date of the meeting will be posted on IRRC’s website at http://www.irrc.state.pa.us/meetings/.  In addition, the public meeting will be livestreamed and accessible through the IRRC website.
Any comments on this final-form regulation should be submitted to the Board prior to the 48-hour blackout-out period, which begins at 10 am on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.  The Regulatory Review Act requires IRRC to embargo any comments it receives during the 48-hour blackout period.  Any comments received during the blackout period will not be reviewed by IRRC’s Commissioners until the start of the meeting.  For this reason, it is better to comment before the blackout period begins. 
For substantive questions or comments regarding the regulation, please contact Karen Molchanow, Executive Director, State Board of Education, 333 Market Street, 1st Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126, [email protected].  Please also provide IRRC with a copy of any comments by email to [email protected].  All correspondence and documents relating to a regulation submitted to IRRC are a matter of public record and appear on the IRRC website.
Questions about the regulatory review process should be directed to [email protected].

BSE Revises Application Process for RTI Use in Identifying SLD Students (April 24, 2022)

On April 21, 2022 PA Bureau of Special Education Director Carole L. Clancy disseminated a PennLink to LEAs titled Special Education Plan Requirements – Identification of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities using Response to Intervention. The memo states that in response to the continued burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Special Education (BSE) has revised the application process for utilizing Response to Intervention (RTI) to identify students with a Specific Learning Disability (SLD). Initial applications for school districts and charter schools may be submitted on an on-going basis. There is no deadline for submission.

The revised process requires school districts and charter schools to submit the RTI for SLD Determination Fidelity Tool as the application to PDE. The RTI for SLD Determination Fidelity Tool will be used district-wide or for building levels (i.e., elementary, middle and/or high school). Additional information and the RTI for SLD Determination Fidelity Tool are available on the PaTTAN website.

Each local education agency (LEA) must partner with their local Intermediate Unit and/or respective PaTTAN Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) lead consultant to conduct a comprehensive review using the fidelity tool and to receive assistance with the process.

Please contact the following PaTTAN MTSS designees for support: Dr. Jennifer Collins, State Lead ([email protected]) – Harrisburg; Karen Brady ([email protected]t) – Harrisburg; Dr. Sielke Caparelli ([email protected]t) – Pittsburgh; Sherry Hartman ([email protected]) – East.

Upon review of all documentation, BSE will issue a letter indicating the application is approved, disapproved, or requires revision.

LEAs currently approved to implement RTI for SLD Determination are advised to continue to use the RTI for SLD Determination Fidelity Tool for internal assessment and improvement.

Additionally, LEAs are required to outline use of RTI for SLD Determination as part of the required submission for the district comprehensive special education plan and charter school annual report assurances within the Future Ready Comprehensive Planning Portal (FRCPP).

Questions related to this message may be directed to Shannon Eye, Special Education Adviser, at 717-829-5113 or [email protected].