Category: State Government Actions

State Performance Plan Data Requirements – Postsecondary School Survey – Cohort 4 (MP4S) (March 8, 2025)

The accountability requirement under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 mandates each state determines the extent to which students are achieving transition outcomes (State Performance Plan – Indicator 14). To meet the federal reporting requirement, each local educational agency (LEA) is mandated to administer an Exit Process and Post-School Surveys to students (who have graduated, dropped out or reached the maximum age) with individualized education programs (IEPs) once over a five-year period, based on the LEA’s assignment to a targeted sampling year.

To meet this federal reporting requirement, once over a five-year period, each local educational agency (LEA) is required to survey all students with IEPs who graduate, dropout, or age out. The My Plan For Success process (MP4S) will be used to gather this data. The random sampling process used to assign each LEA to one of the five years in each cycle ensures that the LEAs selected each year are representative of the state as a whole with regard to LEA size, disability category, ethnicity, gender, and exiting status.

During the 2023-2024 school year, LEAs assigned to Target Sampling Cohort 4 completed the exit process. The LEAs assigned to MP4S Cohort 4 need to be aware of the following points as they must fulfill the post-survey requirements during the 2024-2025 school year:

  • No earlier than one year after the student left school and no later than September 26, 2025, the LEA will need to administer the MP4S post survey to former students who had an IEP and who graduated, dropped out, or aged out at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. (These former students should have been administered the exit survey in Spring of 2023). All this information will be entered by your LEA through the Leader Services online system.
  • Intermediate Unit and Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) transition consultants will monitor the LEA’s progress and assist as needed with the MP4S procedure.
  • The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education will provide training on the implementation and electronic submission of the MP4S Target Year 1 to LEAs via a webinar scheduled for April 10, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Please register for the webinar on the PaTTAN webpage.

For questions about this process, please contact Hillary Mangis, Educational Consultant at the PaTTAN-Pittsburgh Office, at (800) 446-5607, ext. 6878 (inside PA) or via email at [email protected].

USDE Provides Q&A Doc. to Help Clarify Its Stance on DEI in Schools (March 4, 2025)

On February 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a frequently asked questions document to answer anticipated questions that may be raised in response to the Dear Colleague Letter: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act in Light of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that was issued on February 14, 2025 and stated that Title VI prohibits schools from “using race in decisions pertaining to…administrative support” and “all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” Title VI is the federal civil rights law that protects against race-based discrimination. The Q&A document is titled Frequently Asked Questions About Racial Preferences and Stereotypes Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Following the February 14th DCL, the USDE launched an anti-DEI portal aimed at identifying potential areas for investigation. USDE also encouraged parents, students, and teachers to use the portal to bring to USDE’s attention schools or school districts using “illegal discriminatory practices,” as well as the teaching of “divisive ideologies and indoctrination.”

According to K-12 Dive, how the USDE’s focus on DEI programming will impact students with disabilities remains to be seen. Since schools often serve disabled students through inclusive practices. While the special education community has asked for clarification on that issue, the updated guidance does not answer those questions.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

PDE and DHS Announce 2025 School-Based ACCESS Program Stakeholder Sessions (March 1, 2025)

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) are announcing the schedule for School-Based ACCESS Program (SBAP) stakeholder sessions. PA received a grant from the federal government to support expansion of school-based health services beyond those contained in an IEP. To develop the best program and plan for expansion, PDE and DHS need as much stakeholder input as possible.

DHS and PDE want to hear from you and will be holding in-person stakeholder sessions across seven different locations and dates. Attendance at these events is limited to 50 individuals per site to ensure that voices are heard and input is captured. Attendees will participate in small group discussions to respond to questions about the provision of health-related services in the school setting and to share the needs Local Education Agencies (LEAs) experience in providing these services.

Interested parties may register to attend the sessions based on their location and availability. Registration is required (instructions below) and is limited, so register soon!

Registration is available for each live session online via the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) at https://www.pattan.net/events/inservices-workshops/course-3454/events/session-40778.

Please contact Sharon Kennedy at  [email protected] with any registration questions.

For content questions, please contact DHS at [email protected].

Gov. Shapiro Seeks Sponsors for Summer Meals Program to Help Ensure Year-Round Access to Nutritious Food for Children (February 27, 2025)

The Shapiro Administration is encouraging organizations across the Commonwealth to help provide nutritious meals to children in low-income areas during the summer months through the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) Summer Food Service Program. New sponsors must apply by May 1, 2025.

The Shapiro Administration is committed to ensuring that all children and students have access to healthy meals all year long. That’s why Governor Josh Shapiro delivered free breakfast for Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students in his first year. The 2024-25 bipartisan budget builds on that progress with a $16.7 million increase to continue the universal free breakfast program, making sure students have access to healthy meals to start their day on the right foot, and making sure no kid goes hungry during the summer by supporting the Summer Food Service Program.

Last summer, more than 200 organizations provided nutritious meals to children at about 1,650 locations throughout Pennsylvania. They served nearly 3.8 million meals – a 12 percent increase compared to summer 2023. To highlight the positive impact of these programs, PDE produced this video with testimonials from four of last year’s sponsors in both rural and urban settings.

To reach more children and narrow the hunger gap that summer may bring, more organizations and meal sites are needed throughout the state, especially in rural areas.

“Providing children with access to healthy meals year-round is a priority for the Shapiro Administration. The Summer Food Service Program is essential in ensuring that no child goes hungry during the summer months,” said Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe. “I urge organizations across Pennsylvania to step up and sponsor meal sites, so we can continue to support our communities and give every child the opportunity to grow and succeed.”

Participating organizations are reimbursed for meals served to children who live in areas in which at least 50 percent of the children qualify for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program. 

Participating organizations must be year-round, not-for-profit entities, which include schools, local, municipal or county governments, libraries, churches, fire and police stations, residential summer camps, and national youth sports programs. Organizations approved to sponsor the Summer Food Service Program are responsible for managing the meal service sites that provide the meals to children. Organizations serving rural areas may be approved to provide non-congregate meals, such as grab-and-go meals or delivered meals, to children in qualifying areas.

Most participating organizations may be reimbursed for up to two meals a day: lunch or dinner, and breakfast or a snack. Those serving primarily migrant children may be reimbursed for up to three meals a day. Camps may serve up to three meals a day, but they are reimbursed only for meals served to children eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program.

The Summer Food Service Program, which began in 1976, is a federally funded child nutrition program designed to reach those who are age 18 or younger in economically disadvantaged areas. People over 18 who are mentally or physically handicapped and participate in public or nonprofit private programs established for individuals with disabilities are also able to receive free meals at the Summer Food Service Program sites.

For more information on becoming a participating organization or a meal site for the Summer Food Service Program, visit PDE’s website, call 800.331.0129, or email [email protected].

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or email: [email protected]

View the press release by clicking here.

Gov. Shapiro Provides Update: All Federal Funding Identified at the Filing of Lawsuit are Unfrozen (February 24, 2025)

Today, February 24, 2025, Governor Josh Shapiro announced that all $2.1 billion in Congressionally-appropriated federal funding owed to Pennsylvania identified at the time of filing his lawsuit against the Trump Administration has been unfrozen. As a result of the Governor’s lawsuit – and direct pressure on and engagement with the Trump Administration – federal funding is once again accessible to Pennsylvania state agencies.

See below for the Governor’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

Good afternoon.

Less than two weeks ago, my Office filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s illegal freeze of federal funding because of its direct impact on Pennsylvania state government and our work to serve the good people of our Commonwealth.

On the day we filed, at least $2.1 billion in federal funding that had been appropriated by Congress and obligated by the federal government to our state agencies was frozen or placed in an undefined review. 

That included funding to prevent sinkholes and make abandoned mines safe…

Funding to plug abandoned wells leaking toxic chemicals into our communities… 

…and funding to reduce energy costs for homeowners and ensure the water flowing to Pennsylvanians’ faucets is clean and pure. 

Today, I’m here to provide an update on where things stand. 

As a result of our lawsuit – and our continued pressure on and engagement with the Trump Administration… 

In which we demanded the Administration comply with the legal injunctions currently in place and made clear that we were ready to seek immediate relief from the courts…

…every dollar we identified at the filing of our lawsuit is currently unfrozen and once again accessible to Pennsylvania state agencies, in accordance with legal injunctions currently in place.

With the funding restored, we will now resume critical programs and infrastructure projects that have been jeopardized by this illegal freeze. 

There are some who questioned why we would sue the federal government in this matter.

As I said at the time, legal action was not my first choice – and in fact, after the funding freeze first went into effect in late January, we actively engaged with our Republican Congressional delegation, led by Senator McCormick, and the Trump Administration to get these funds unfrozen. 

We saw some progress, but despite those efforts – and multiple court orders to release the federal funding – billions of dollars owed to Pennsylvania remained tied up weeks later.

That’s why we sought and received delegation from the Office of Attorney General to represent my Office and affected state agencies in this litigation.

Look, you don’t need to be the former Attorney General – or even a lawyer – to get this.

This is basic stuff. Kids learn this in grade school. It’s how our Constitution works.

Congress passed laws that committed billions of dollars to the states for serious needs. The president signed those bills into law. 

Then, the federal government entered into agreements with state government agencies to get those dollars out into people’s communities.

Those agreements are binding.

To put it simply: a deal is a deal.

The Trump Administration is legally required to provide these funds.

That is why I took legal action.

But we can walk and chew gum at the same time. 

So even after we filed our lawsuit 11 days ago, my team and I continued to engage the Department of Justice and Trump Administration directly.

When I was at the White House on Friday, I repeatedly brought up our frozen federal funding to President Trump’s senior team and cabinet. 

I urged them to follow the law and honor their agreements with Pennsylvania. 

As a result of that direct engagement, our funding is unfrozen, they are now following the law, and we will continue to press our case.  

For now, thanks to this federal funding flowing to our agencies once again, we can resume important work for the good people of Pennsylvania without subjecting Pennsylvanians to the risk that the Commonwealth would receive a bill for work that should’ve been paid for by the federal government. 

Work that includes plugging orphaned and abandoned wells – and creating good-paying jobs in the process.

Work to clean up our waterways, help our farmers deal with runoff that leads into the Chesapeake Bay, and ensure Pennsylvanians have clean water when they turn on the tap.

Work to repair abandoned mines before they turn into sinkholes and endanger people’s homes and businesses so we can prevent another tragedy like what we saw in Westmoreland County in December.

Pennsylvania is home to more abandoned mines than any other state in the country – and we still have 140,000 acres that need to be fixed. 

We’re resuming work to reduce utility bills for consumers and make sure rural communities have reliable access to electricity.

As a result of the freeze, several ongoing projects in the western part of our Commonwealth – employing dozens of Pennsylvanians – had stopped work.

These folks can now get back on the job, knowing their Governor will continue to have their back. 

As Governor, it’s my job to protect Pennsylvania’s interests – and I will use every tool at my disposal, from legal action to my direct engagement to make sure Pennsylvanians are protected… 

…and the funds that Pennsylvanians rely on every day – the funds that Pennsylvanians pay in federal taxes…

…make their way back to our Commonwealth and we receive every federal dollar we’re owed.

Thank you.