On September 16, 2020, Carole L. Clancy, Director  of the PDE Bureau of Special Education (BSE) sent a PennLink memo to all LEAs titled Indicator 13: What LEAs Need to Know for Compliance Monitoring for Continuous Improvement (CMCI).  The contents of that memo are below.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has the responsibility to ensure that all local educational agencies (LEAs) providing special education services, whether directly or by contractual arrangements, administer special education services and programs that are compliant with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. To fulfill this responsibility, PDE has established administrative procedures for monitoring program implementation, including evaluating the appropriateness, effectiveness, and accountability of special education services and programs.

In order to meet the federal accountability requirements for transition age students, the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) will provide a required training session specific to Indicator 13 for LEAs identified for CMCI for the 2020-21 school year.  The purpose of this training will be to prepare LEAs for the requirements of compliance monitoring as it relates to secondary transition and to highlight effective practices in secondary transition.

The targeted LEAs should plan to participate in a web-based training along with their transition support team.  These team members could include, but are not limited to, special education directors, building principals, transition coordinators, and other educational staff involved in the administration and supervision of special education programs.

The web-based training will be available no later than September 15, 2020. LEAs must complete the training by October 31, 2020.  Registration is available on PaTTAN’s website at www.pattan.net. 

For questions concerning the Indicator 13: What LEAs Need to Know for CMCI training, contact Hillary Mangis, Educational Consultant at the PaTTAN Pittsburgh Office, at 800-446-5607, ext. 6878 or [email protected].

In a September 14, 2020 PennLink communique to LEAs, Colleen Schultz, Chief of the PA Department of Health (PDH) Division of School Health, the 2019-20 SHARRS Reporting Window Has Been Extended to October 30, 2020. LEAs are asked to share this important reminder with staff responsible for completing the SHARRS report.

​Please also note the following:

• SHARRS programming will close the reporting window at close of business October 30.  Therefore, timely submission of information is essential in order to be reimbursed for the 19-20 School Year.
• SHARRS can be accessed at https://apps.health.pa.gov/SHARRS/Login.aspx  An “INSTRUCTIONS” button on each page provides additional guidance to assist in completing the report.
• If school exams/screenings were unable to be completed last year due to the closure of schools during COVID-19, please note it in the “Comments” box on the ADM page in SHARRS.

Previously, near the end of March the Division of School Health stated that it had been receiving many questions regarding the collection of the chronic disease counts, obtaining exams, screenings, etc. At that time, due to the unforeseen circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not the expectation of the Division of School Health for nurses to collect the chronic disease count information nor concern themselves with obtaining exams, screenings, etc. Instead, it was PDH’s utmost concern that all stay healthy and that more information regarding those issues would be forthcoming. Thus, the above information provides an update regarding SHARRS. More guidance is to come as needed with regard to any other items still to be addressed.

Recently, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report that highlights key practices to prevent school attacks. According to the Department’s School Safety Working Group, who compiled the findings, the report contains the 10 most essential actions officials can take to prevent mass shootings and other attacks in schools in the U.S. Among the report’s key findings is the importance of comprehensive school safety assessments. The report cites that while schools around the nation are grappling with COVID-19, they must also balance any changes with security measures and protocols to prevent violence. To view the report, click here or go to: https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/Publications/cops-w0891-pub.pdf
The Center for Safe Schools Certified Assessment Team conducts comprehensive safety assessments that meet and often exceed all recommendations and requirements of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
The Center also specializes in All Hazards Plan review, professional development planning, exercises, and analysis throughout each school year. Our team consists of highly vetted, skilled individuals who possess a tremendous amount of expertise in these fields.
For information on how the Center can be of assistance to your school or school district, please contact me at mailto:[email protected] or 717-480-7268.

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) anticipates an increased need for child care during the typical school day due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As public and private schools announce and begin modified attendance and instructional models for the 2020-21 school year, working families will need access to child care for their school-age children.

OCDEL licenses child care providers and has issued a clarification for operation of non-licensed part-day school-age child care (SACC) programs or Learning Pods for the 2020-21 school year as a strategy to support the needs of working families.

OCDEL has developed the Resources for Care and Education of School-Age Children due to COVID-19 document to assist families in navigating SACC programs for the current school year. 

For additional information and SACC options, please visit the Pennsylvania Key website.

HB 2787 is headed to the Governor’s desk for signature, but it is unclear as to whether he will sign or veto the bill, which gives the governing body of a school entity the exclusive authority to determine whether to hold sports and other in-person extracurricular activities during the 2020-21 school year. If passed and signed into law, HB 2787 would provide the governing body of a school entity or nonpublic school to have the exclusive authority to determine whether to hold school sports activities, including competitions, intramural play and scrimmages, and other in-person extracurricular activities during the 2020-21 school year. It would also require a school entity to develop an athletic, health and safety plan addressing school sports and other in-person extracurricular activities (as long as a plan includes spectator limits and protocols for such activities and is consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Considerations for Youth Sports), and provide for the content of the plans. It would also require the exclusion of students or staff from school buildings or activities if they test positive for COVID-19 and would add nonpublic schools to the list of school entities required to develop a health and safety plan for activities and athletics. To view the bill, click here.