Category: State Government Actions

PA Submits SNAP P-EBT Plan to USDA (April 24, 2020)

According to PSBA, earlier this week the PA Department of Human Services and PDE submitted a state plan to the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. This program, known as Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), is temporary and is designed to bridge the gap left by schools closing due to the COVID-19 crisis.
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If approved by the USDA, the plan would provide P-EBT to households with children who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program due to pandemic-related school closures. P-EBT benefits would be issued through EBT cards issued to qualifying families.

At this point, the state is waiting USDA approval.

Sincere thanks to PSBA for the information contained in this article.

Gov. Wolf: Emergency SNAP Benefit Distribution Begins (April 23, 2020)

Governor Tom Wolf has announced that the Department of Human Services (DHS) will begin emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit issuance in line with the federal governmentā€™s interpretation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Payments include a supplemental increase for both March and April and will continue to be issued for current SNAP households through April 29. DHS is also advising Pennsylvanians in need of food assistance of local supports that can help meet essential needs during the public health crisis.

DHS received approval from the US Department of Agricultureā€™s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to issue emergency payments that will allow DHS to increase a householdā€™s currently monthly payment up to the maximum benefit amount for each household size.

These emergency payments are for March and April and will be distributed as a one-time issuance distributed on a staggered schedule beginning April 16 and continuing through April 29. This payment is in addition to a householdā€™s normal April benefit issuance thatā€™s made in the first half of the month. These payments will be placed directly onto a recipientā€™s EBT card. Supplemental payments are in addition to the normal May payment beginning May 1.

PDE Opens the Flexible Instructional Day Application Process (April 16, 2020)

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)Ā  has disseminated a memo via PennLink titledĀ Opening Flexible Instructional Day Application Process. The memo states that PDE will be reopening the application window for the FID program starting April 15, 2020.Ā  To view this memo visit the PAPSA website by clicking here. For additional information, including the FID program application, guidance document and law, contact the PDE School Services Office atĀ [email protected].Ā Ā 

To access the FID webpage, please click on the following link:

Flexible Instructional Day Program Webpage 

Governor Wolf Extends School Closure for Remainder of Academic Year (April 9, 2020)

Secretary of Education Implements State-Level Waivers to Ensure Continuity and Flexibility

Continuing his efforts to protect the health and safety of students and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Tom Wolf has announced that all schools will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year. The governor made the decision in consultation with Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine and Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera. Students and families can continue to pick up meals at designated sites.

Although schools are closed, teaching and learning may continue. Schools are strongly encouraged to provide continuity of education for all students in the most appropriate and accessible ways possible. PDE has secured resources intended to help all schools that want to use them ā€“ including those not currently offering online platforms, those requiring additional technology support, and those that may rely on traditional methods, such as paper lessons, to continue educating students. There is no cost to schools or students for these resources.

Schools will remain closed though the end of the 2019-2020 academic year as it is defined by the local school calendar.

The decision applies to all public K-12 schools, brick and mortar and cyber charter schools, private and parochial schools, career and technical centers and intermediate units. All PDE early learning program classrooms, including those for Pre-K Counts, Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP) and Preschool Early Intervention, will also remain closed.

Secretary Rivera said the administrationā€™s primary consideration has always been to make the best decision in the context of student and community health and safety and stated that the “action to close schools for the remainder of the academic year provides school communities with predictability and understanding of the conditions under which theyā€™ll be operating and serving students. As schools and communities adapt to the prolonged school closure, PDE will continue to work with our state, educational, and business and nonprofit partners to meet the needs of students.ā€

Colleges and universities may not resume in-person instruction or reopen their physical locations until the governor permits them to open or lifts the closure of non-life-sustaining businesses.

Under the stateā€™s directive, schools could begin summer programming on the day after their academic year ends.

Secretary Rivera added that all re-openings will be contingent on public health guidance provided by the Secretary of Health and stay-at-home orders issued by the governor.

In addition to the school closure announcement, through his order Secretary Rivera also took action that will ensure crucial stability of education programs. Under Act 13 of 2020, the secretary has exercised his executive authority to adjust requirements for the evaluation of professional employees and waive student teaching requirements that may not be possible in the context of school closures.

PDE has been providing ongoing guidance to school communities in the form of FAQs. The guidance information is available at education.pa.gov/COVID19.

For more information about Pennsylvaniaā€™s education policies and programs, please visit the Department of Educationā€™s website or follow PDE on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

PDE Provides $5 Million for Equity Grants for Schools to Purchase Computer Equipment (April 2, 2020)

The PA Department of Education (PDE) has allocated up toĀ $5 million dollars in state funding for equity grants for schools to purchase computer equipment, such as laptops, tablets, and internet hot spots, or to use towards providing instructional materials, such as paper lessons and coursework.

PDE will also allocate new federal monies to these grants as the federal appropriations become available.

Schools with the highest percentages of students lacking access to resources will be given priority in receiving these grants.

Grant applications will be available on April 6 and must be submitted through PDEā€™s eGrants system by April 10. For more information, please click here.