Category: State Government Actions

Sec. Rivera Expects Students to Return to School in the Fall (May 17, 2020)

On May 11, 2020, PA Education Secretary Pedro Rivera, testifying in a PA Senate committee hearing, said that he expects students to go back to school in the fall, and that the PA Department of Education (PDE) will provide guidance in the coming weeks to help prepare staff to return to school buildings. Secretary Rivera acknowledged that schools will need additional aid to address challenges posed by school closures and the need to contain the COVID-19 virus.

Secretary Rivera also resisted the notion that students might not return to school buildings in the fall. Instead, he said that PDE intends to reopen schools with an emphasis on keeping students and staff safe, which will likely mean changes that involve following state PA Department of Health guidelines and recommendations.

PDE Seeks PAPSA Input Towards Expanding Availability of Support Services for Students and Families (May 16, 2020)

As PDE seeks to expand availability of support services for students and families during the COVID-19 response efforts, it is are exploring additional opportunities to leverage existing and future partnerships with graduate level interns and recent graduates in the fields of social work, school psychology, and school counseling. PDE is collaborating with universities to develop a platform that allows students to access mental health professionals and graduate interns over the summer in an effort to maintain relationships with schools and ease transitions into the 2020-2021 school year.Ā  PDE$ is asking PAPSA members to complete a brief survey regarding current need and interest in utilizing recent graduates and interns to support mental wellness and intervention services and supports within the school community by going to the Expanding Availability of Support Services for Students and Families survey. Questions and comments should be directed to the Pennsylvania Department of Educationā€™s emergency response account at: [email protected]

Act 13 of 2020 Mandate Waiver Request Process (May 15, 2020)

Signed into law by Governor Wolf on March 27, 2020, Act 13 of 2020 allows the governing bodies of school entities to request that the Secretary of Education waive certain Pennsylvania School Code provisions, regulations of the State Board of Education, and standards of the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), if the waiver directly relates to the school entity’s staffing needs or impacts its instructional program or operations for the 2019-20 school year as a result of the Pandemic of 2020. Waiver requests and approvals apply only to the 2019-20 school year.

To learn more, click here.

Schools Invited to Apply to PDE for ESSER Funds (May 15, 2020)

On May 13, 2020, as a result of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) submittal of its application for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), Governor Tom Wolf announced that USDE has approved $523.8 million in one-time federal emergency funds to help schools respond to COVID-19 impacts.

PA Local education agencies (LEAs) can apply to PDE to receive their allocation of the funding and can expect to start receiving funds within the next several weeks.

Under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, at least 90 percent, or $471 million, of the funds will flow through to traditional public schools and charter schools. Each entity will receive an amount proportional to federal Title I-A funds received in 2019 under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

LEAs may use ESSER funding for a wide range of purposes, including food service, professional training, technology purchases, sanitization and cleaning supplies, summer and after-school programs, and mental health supports. Funds must be used by September 2022. PDE is urging school entities to prioritize investments for vulnerable students and families, including those living in the deepest poverty, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.

Click here to view a list of what each school district and charter school will receive in ESSER funds.

The remaining ESSER funds will be used for state-level activities to address issues caused by COVID-19. PDE plans to use the funds to support initiatives, including remote learning, that can be designed and implemented with greater economy of scale at the state level than would be possible or practical for LEAs to pursue individually.

LEAs can apply for ESSER funds via eGrants. Each entity will receive an amount proportional to federal Title I-A funds received in 2019 under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). As with all federal funds, payments will be disbursed on a monthly schedule; however, because ESSER is retroactive to March 13, the initial payment may be larger and reflect monthly allocations between March 13 and the date of a district’s application approval. PDE estimates that schools will begin to receive funds in June.

See PDE’s CARES Act website for information, FAQs and more.

PDH Names New Chief of the Division of School Health (May 12, 2020)

The PA Department of Health (PDH) has named Colleen Schultz M.Ed., RN CSN as its new Chief of the Division of School Health. She replaces Jill Clodgo. Ms. Schultz has been a certified school nurse since 2008. As for joining PDH, Ms. Schultz says, ā€œI look forward to this new and exciting opportunity to work with all schools across the Commonwealth.ā€ Those wishing to contact Ms. Schultz can email her at: [email protected].

On April 24, 2020 PDH released a COVID-19 FAQs document that can be accessed on the PAPSA website by clicking here.