Category: State Government Actions

Now Open in Future Ready Comprehensive Planning Portal (FRCPP): 2026-2027 Annual School Reconfiguration Change Process, 2025-2026 Charter School Annual Report, and Compliance Updates (June 28, 2026)

The 2026-2027 Annual School Reconfiguration Change Process
The window for School Reconfiguration changes in the FRCPP opened , 2026. All changes must be submitted and received by PDE no later than 11:59 pm on , 2026, to be effective for the coming school year.

The following types of school reconfigurations must be submitted through the FRCPP and can only be made during this window: 

  • School name changes 
  • School mailing address changes
  • School physical address changes
  • School grade configuration changes (adding or removing)
  • School closure configurations
  • School opening reconfigurations 
  • Student enrollment changes

The 2025-2026 Charter School Annual Report
The 2025-2026 Charter School Annual Report opened , 2026. The purpose of the Charter School Annual Report is to provide a comprehensive overview of the performance and financial health of charter schools in Pennsylvania and are essential for the annual review process. Every charter school (brick-and-mortar and cyber) in Pennsylvania is required to complete and submit the Charter School Annual Report in the FRCPP by , 2026.

Compliance Updates
There will be several compliance requirements due over the next two months for the 2025/2026 school year, which are submitted via the Future Ready Comprehensive Planning Portal.

  • Due 6/30/2026, each chief school administrator must update a biennial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with local police departments, ensuring it includes threat assessment coordination procedures per Section 1319-B(d)(4), with signatures from all covered building principals.
  • Due 7/31/2026, administrators must report all incidents involving violence, weapons, controlled substances, alcohol, or tobacco on school property; LEAs with a single police jurisdiction should upload one signed Chief Law Enforcement template, while those with multiple agencies must upload a separately signed form for each. 
  • Due 7/31/2026, each school entity must review its Bullying Policy every three years and annually submit a copy to the office. 
  • Due 7/31/2026., Fire and Security Drill ACS needs signed.  Fire evacuation drills must be conducted monthly while school is in session, requiring full removal of staff and students to a safe outdoor location. Reporting is not required for months with fewer than seven school days.

Reminder, the bus evacuation drill (which was due ) must be conducted twice yearly per Pennsylvania School Code, covering emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and proper evacuation procedures.

Summer 2026 SUN Bucks Program is Underway (June 27, 2026)

Bucks, Pennsylvania’s Summer EBT program, is a grocery benefits program that provides households with a one-time payment of $120 for each eligible child to buy food while school is out. Benefits can be used at local participating retailers to purchase groceries.

Many children will get these benefits automatically, but some households will need to apply. The benefits will be added to an existing SNAP/TANF EBT card or a newly issued Summer EBT card. 

Note: Benefits for Summer of 2026 will begin being issued to all eligible children in early June.

Children who applied and were approved for free/reduced-price school meals or who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits are automatically eligible for Bucks. 

Most children who get Medicaid are also automatically eligible for Bucks because their income level is under the income level for the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program. Children who get Medicaid through the Children with Special Needs category (PH 95) and children who are in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will have to apply for Bucks.  For more information, visit the SUN Bucks webpage or call the Bucks FAQ Line at 1-877-762-1575.

PDE’s Refugee Education Program Provides Advocacy for Immigrant Students and Their Families (June 10, 2026)

The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Refugee Education Program offers advocacy for a special population of students and parents who otherwise may not have support. A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee their home country due to war, violence, persecution, or natural disaster. Refugee students often face significant challenges—language barriers, discrimination, disrupted education, and trauma from displacement—that can impact their experiences in the classroom.

PDE’s Refugee Education Program Presents “Legal Rights of Immigrant Students in Pennsylvania Schools”

You can receive a recorded legal overview and best practices to create a school environment that respects the rights of immigrant students, and an update on the status of national legal challenges that could impact schools serving immigrant students. In January 2025, the U.S. government rescinded the longstanding “Sensitive Locations” policy, which has resulted in disruptions at schools. The video covers immigrant students’ rights in enrollment, attendance, non-discrimination, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protections, and warrant requirements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at schools. We will review a model Welcoming Schools policy and protocol.

Click to Watch legal “Rights of Immigrants”

Supporting Students Distressed by ICE Actions

In times of heightened immigration enforcement activity, schools often become the emotional anchor for students who feel afraid, confused, or unsafe. For many children – whether undocumented themselves, part of mixed-status families, or simply empathetic peers – news of ICE actions can trigger significant distress.

Schools cannot control federal policy, but they can shape how students experience safety, belonging, and stability during uncertain moments. The role school staff play is to ensure that campuses function as protective, supportive environments where every student has the opportunity to learn without fear.

Click here to access a guidance document from the national Center for MH in Schools & Student/Learning Supports at UCLA.

‘Unauthorized’ Immigrant HS Grads Face Uncertain Future

Narrowing federal and state policies are fueling uncertainty about life after graduation for “unauthorized” immigrant students in high school, according to a new analysis from the Migration Policy Institute. For instance, most of today’s high-schoolers cannot qualify for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which delays the deportation of people without documentation who came to the U.S. as children. Under DACA’s age and residency requirements, the Migration Policy Institute said that no one under the age of 18 could qualify as of 2025 — even if new applicants were still being accepted.

Meanwhile, some states have recently rolled back policies that allowed unauthorized immigrant students to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Texas, for instance, reversed course on a 24-year-old policy in 2025 in a move expected to affect tens of thousands of students.

First Distribution of $103 Million in SUN Bucks Funding to Feed Children Over Summer Break (June 10, 2026)

On June 8, 2026, the Shapiro Administration began distributing $103 million in summer food assistance benefits for eligible children as part of the SUN Bucks program, a federally funded summer benefit that helps families have fresh food and groceries while schools are closed. As part of this first round of funding, families of approximately 860,000 children who are automatically eligible for SUN Bucks can expect to receive benefits starting this week.

SUN Bucks is a federal program that provides eligible children’s families with a SNAP-like benefit to purchase food for the summer months when school is not in session. Most eligible children will receive the benefit automatically and do not need to apply, including children who already receive free and reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) during the school year.

Benefits are issued to families in one issuance for the entire summer. Most Summer 2026 issuances will occur in June and July for children who are automatically eligible. Additional issuances above the initial $103 million in benefits will occur on a rolling basis from July through September depending on when PA DHS receives individual applications and information on eligible families from school districts.

Households that need to apply to receive a benefit for Summer 2026 can apply using the application online through August 31. Families can use the SUN Bucks Eligibility Navigator to see if they need to complete an application. Applications can be submitted anytime throughout the year, but the deadline to apply for Summer 2026 is August 31, 2026. Applications received after that date will be considered for SUN Bucks 2027 next summer.

Last summer, more than 5.6 million meals were served at 2,110 summer meal sites. Governor Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget proposal includes funding for universal free school breakfast for a fourth consecutive year, helping to ensure Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students continue to receive free breakfast at school, regardless of income. During the 2024-25 school year, Pennsylvania schools served nearly 93 million breakfasts to students — a 13.8 percent increase over two years.

USDE Faces New Suit over Cancelled PD Grants (June 5, 2026)

On June 3, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) was sued over its abrupt termination last year of 28 national professional development grants for teachers of English learners, which allegedly “destabilized” teacher pipelines in at least 12 states.

The USDE rescinded the grants in September 2025 due to “divisive ideology,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which filed the lawsuit alongside the National Education Association. The suit alleges that the cancellations violated the recipients’ rights under the First Amendment and other federal laws, damaged teacher certification pipelines in at least a dozen states, halted coaching and credential pathways for thousands of teachers, and deprived EL students of qualified educators. 

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