On June 15th, Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Human Services Teresa Miller announced that $260 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding would be dispersed to agencies in the commonwealth that provide care and service for those with intellectual disabilities and autism. According to Governor Wolf, “This funding will help the more than 40,000 Pennsylvanians who receive assistance through one of the Department of Human Services’ programs or facilities…It will help to improve the quality of life for these vulnerable Pennsylvanians and those who have dedicated their lives to caring for them, and it will bring relief to families and loved ones knowing we are committed to providing the highest level of care possible, even during a pandemic.”

According to the governor, $90 million will go to providers of in-home and community, supported and small group employment, companion, and transportation trip services for 120 of retainer payments covering operations from March through June; $90 million of the funding will go to providers of residential, respite and shift nursing services; and $80 million will go to providers of Community Participation Support for 120 days of retainer payments, covering operations from March through June. Payments will be made as gross adjustments, and will be available for providers by July 1, 2020.

The funding is aimed at helping to alleviate the costs of extra staffing, overtime, and personal protective equipment that was necessary to keep those providers operational during the pandemic.

For more information, click here.

PDE has updated the website information that provides guidance and answers to common questions regarding COVID-19 pandemic and K-12 public schools. Updates include Special Education Evaluations and Reevaluations, Child Accounting Reporting, Future Ready PA Index: Evidence Collection and Reporting Requirements, and School Entity Day Reporting.

To view all COVID-19 Guidance and Answers to Common Questions, please click here or go to: https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/emergencyplanning/COVID-19/Pages/AnswersToFAQs.aspx#childaccountingreporting

According to the Governor’s Office, since the virus that causes the Coronavirus 2019 Disease (“COVID-19”) is easily transmitted, especially in group settings, it is essential that the spread of the virus be slowed to safeguard public health and safety. Further, COVID-19 can be transmitted from infected individuals even if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are mild, such as a cough. It can also be spread by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. The guidance document addresses the procedures sports organizations and teams must follow to limit the spread of COVID-19 to the extent they are permitted to conduct in-person operations.

All sports in Pennsylvania, including professional, collegiate, Pre-K to 12 school athletics, and amateur and recreational sports, are covered by this guidance, which is preliminary and will be updated as more public health data and other information is available. Sports organizations and teams may only conduct in-person operations if they are able to do so in accordance with all applicable guidance. They are not required to reopen per this guidance.

To access the guidance document, please click here.

On Wednesday, June 3rd, PA Education Secretary Pedro Rivera announced that the pre-k to 12 public schools of the Commonwealth that are located within the state’s  less restrictive reopening zones can resume in-person instruction and other activities on July 1, 2020, a date that officially begins the 2020-21 school year. Guidance issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) allows  schools in the green and yellow zones under the stoplight-colored reopening system, provided that they adopt health and safety procedures that meet both federal and state guidelines. In the PDE press release, Secretary Rivera said that the guidance is provided to help schools to  create and implement “a framework that best meets the unique needs of their students and communities.”

K-12 schools looking to begin teaching students in person are required to develop plans that are unique to each school’s particular circumstances. In addition, local health agencies must be consulted and the plan must be ultimately be submitted to PDE. Schools will also be required to identify a pandemic coordinator, issue hygiene guidelines, limit large gatherings, ensure those students and staff at higher risk of infection are protected, monitor people for symptoms, and develop plans for cleaning, the wearing of face masks, social distancing, and transportation.

According to Sec. Rivera,  school districts will be provided with a great deal of flexibility with regard to their own reopening plans. Schools will not be required to have all students learning in person on the first day they reopen. He also stated that, “One of the considerations in the plan is understanding not every family may want, or be able, to send their kids physically back to school.

The re-opening guidelines do not apply to private schools. However, colleges and similar post-secondary institutions must also adhere to PDE guidelines, must provide a phased return to campus, and must include earlier start and finish dates for the 2020-21 academic year.

To access the PDE guidance documents, click here or go to:

https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/emergencyplanning/COVID-19/SchoolReopeningGuidance/Pages/default.aspx.