Category: State Government Actions

PDE & PDH Announce Updated K-12 Recommendations (April 1, 2021)

The Pennsylvania departments of Health (PDH) and Education (PDE) announced updated recommendations for K-12 schools on social distancing in classrooms and how to handle COVID-19 cases in school buildings. In addition, PDH also announced updated guidance on summer camps, which is mostly unchanged from what was issued last July. Updated answers to FAQs can be found here. The recommendations and guidance take effect April 5, 2021.

Updated recommendations on physical distancing

Aligning with new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations that reflect the latest research, Pennsylvania students may now be at least three (3) feet apart in classrooms. The previous requirement was six (6) feet. Universal masking remains a requirement.

“The department continues its efforts to work with schools to provide guidance when a case occurs,” COVID-19 Response Director Wendy Braund said. “This includes actions related to cleaning and disinfecting, isolation and quarantine recommendations, and actions to recommend the closure of schools or school buildings. We continue to encourage districts to use the to use the percent positivity in counties, as well as the number of cases in a school in the decision making process as we all work to keep Pennsylvania children safe and in school.”

K-12 school social/physical distancing measures:

  • In elementary school, students should be at least three (3) feet apart.
  • In middle and high schools, students should be at least three (3) feet apart in counties with low and moderate community transmission. In substantial counties, middle and high school students should be six (6) feet apart, if cohorting is not possible.
  • Maintain six (6) feet of distance in the following settings:
    • Between adults in the school building (teachers and staff), and between adults and students.
    • When masks can’t be worn, such as when eating.
    • During activities when increased exhalation occurs, such as singing, shouting, band, or sports and exercise. Move these activities outdoors or to large, well-ventilated spaces.
    • In common areas such as school lobbies and auditoriums.

Click to view K-12 school social/physical distancing measures.

Updated recommendations on handling COVID-19 cases in schools

The departments also updated recommendations on how school entities should handle confirmed cases of COVID-19 in school buildings. The recommendations consider the level of community transmission in each county, the number of cases among students and staff in each school building during the past 14 days and the size of the school building.

For example, the recommendation for closures to in-person learning in some instances is reduced to one to two (1-2) days from three to seven (3-7) days and five (5) days from 14 days. The closures allow for cleaning and for public health staff to direct close contacts to quarantine. 

Click to view the chart with the updated recommendations on PDE’s website.

“Our updated recommendations bring us a step closer to a full return to in-person teaching and learning across Pennsylvania,” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. “While recommendations on physical distancing, closures, and quarantines may have changed, the importance to adhering to all health and safety guidelines has not – it is imperative that we remain committed to protecting our students, teachers, and staff.”

While many schools are open for in-person learning, vaccinations are an important part of the Wolf Administration’s effort to get more students and teachers back in classrooms. The administration is ahead of schedule and nearly finished with a special initiative to provide teachers and school staff with an opportunity to get the voluntary, single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The state partnered with 28 intermediate units to operate vaccine clinics, with the Pennsylvania National Guard and AMI Expeditionary Healthcare administering the vaccine.

Governor Wolf also announced yesterday that Pennsylvania is expected to receive nearly $5 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds to help K-12 schools returns students to classroom learning and equitably expand opportunity for students who need it most.

To view the press release, click here.

Vaccinations of PA Teachers and School Staff Steam Ahead (March 27, 2021)

On Friday, March 26, 2021, the PA COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force announced the voluntary single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to Pre-K to 12 educators and school staff, which is ahead of schedule and nearly complete. As of March 26th, 104,331 teachers, school staff, and contractors from across the state have received the J&J vaccine through this special initiative. The departments of Education (PDE) and Health (PDE) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) are collaborating with Intermediate Units (IUs), the Pennsylvania National Guard, and AMI Expeditionary Healthcare to coordinate and operate vaccine clinics for Pre-K to 12 education personnel and support staff. Thirteen regional IU clinics will operate through Tuesday, March 30th.

Philadelphia operates its own vaccine distribution. The special initiative to vaccinate teachers and school staff is separate from Pennsylvania’s ongoing Phase 1A vaccine rollout, which continues at an accelerated pace.

Click here for more information and answers to questions about the COVID-19 Vaccine for PA teachers, childcare workers, and school staff on PDE’s website.

Wolf Administration Receives Approval for Plan to Provide Food Assistance to Families of Nearly One Million PA Children (March 23, 2021)

The Wolf Administration has received approval from the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue more than $1 billion in federally-funded benefits to the families of nearly 1 million Pennsylvania children who have attended school remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and who otherwise would have had access to free-and-reduced-price meals during the 2020-21 school year. This program, known as Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), will help families cover the cost of breakfasts and lunches their children would have been eligible to receive for free or at reduced price through the National School Lunch Program.

Originally created through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to help families feed their children during the spring of 2020 when schools initially closed, the P-EBT program was re-authorized to cover the entire 2020-21 school year. The Pennsylvania departments of Human Services and Education collaborated on the development of the commonwealth’s P-EBT plan and received approval to move forward from the federal government this week.

“The pandemic caused hardships for Pennsylvania families that nobody could have anticipated or planned for,” DHS Secretary Teresa Miller said. “The P-EBT program provides needed relief to many families with school-age children whose expenses unexpectedly increased at the same time that so many family incomes unexpectedly decreased.”

Pennsylvania will distribute the equivalent of about $84 million per month to the families of about 928,000 children – for a total distribution of about $1 billion. For more information, click here.

PDE to Study the Pandemic’s Impact on Learning and Teaching (March 23, 2021)

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) will use a nearly $1 million federal grant to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students across Pennsylvania and recommend educational strategies to help students and schools move forward.

“Our school communities and families have remained resilient during the pandemic, and we are thankful for their ability to pivot throughout the challenges we have faced,” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. “The ability for us to examine inequities in education will help us create responsive teaching and learning opportunities in future years.”

Pennsylvania is one of seven states awarded the two-year grant. PDE is partnering with Mathematica to conduct the research and results will be released late next year. To learn more, click here.

Over 100,000 Educators Have Been Vaccinated in PA (March 23, 2021)

Governor Tom Wolf announced today, March 23, 2021, that the special initiative to vaccinate teachers and school staff has reached another milestone with 100,000 educator vaccinations through last weekend. As of this morning, 102,161 educators have been vaccinated through 28 Intermediate Units (IUs).

Less than three weeks ago, the governor and the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force announced the voluntary single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be offered through 28 IUs to Pre-K to 12 educators and school staff. The vaccinations of staff working with elementary school and vulnerable students was completed two weeks ahead of schedule. Several IUs have completed vaccinations of middle and high school staff as well.

The Pennsylvania National Guard and AMI Expeditionary Healthcare are administering the vaccine at the IU-organized clinics. The vaccination of educators is separate from the ongoing Phase 1A vaccine rollout. The Wolf Administration is also working through the retail pharmacy partnership to ensure all early childhood education workers, including those not associated with an IU, have access to the vaccine, including childcare workers providing an essential service to working families across the commonwealth.