Category: State Government Actions

DHS Recognizes Suicide Prevention Month, Discusses Multi-Agency Approach to Strengthen Behavioral Health Supports and Save Lives (September 16, 2024)

On September 16, 2024, Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh joined leaders from multiple state agencies, the Governor’s Advisory Commissions on LGBTQ Affairs and African American Affairs, and suicide prevention advocacy groups, to recognize September as Suicide Prevention Month. Although behavioral health and suicide prevention are important to address year-round, this month provides a dedicated time to offer resources, information, and support to those who have been affected by suicide and honor survivors and lives lost to suicide.

To access the DHS press release, including resources, click here.

Shapiro Administration Delivers Funding for Free Period Products to all PA Brick& Mortar LEAS (September 13, 2024)

All school districts, intermediate units, career and technical centers, and brick-and-mortar charter schools will receive funding to provide free period products to students. 

Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget includes $3 million to provide period products in schools to help close a gap in women’s health care. The funding enables schools to provide access to period products at no cost to students and complements the efforts undertaken by the Shapiro Administration to improve health equity. 

Applications and reimbursement requests will not be required. All school districts, intermediate units, career and technical centers, and brick-and-mortar charter schools will receive funding. Funding is proportional to the total number of students enrolled in a school and based on a rate of $1.75 per student. Schools may use the funding for period product purchases made between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.  

Funding allocations for the 2024-25 Feminine Hygiene Product Grant Program’s non-competitive, non-solicitation grants can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website. Schools have the option to opt out of receiving grant funding. Any remaining funds following the first round of grant funding will be dispersed in a second round.  Schools should consider privacy, responsiveness, access, and education when developing and implementing strategies to make period products available to their students. Additional guidance and suggestions are available in the Menstrual Equity for Pennsylvania Students – Guidance for School Entities.

FY24-25 School Safety Grant Program Deadline Approaches (September 12, 2024)

Pennsylvania schools and other eligible entities are still able to apply for grant funding for physical security upgrades and to strengthen behavioral health supports through two new school safety grant solicitations from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) School Safety and Security Committee. ​The School Safety and Security Committee approved a funding framework to utilize nearly $120 million in state school safety funding in the 2024-25 budget. Public schools are required to use grant funding to address ‘Level 1’ Behavioral Health Baseline Criteria gaps, and priority consideration will be given to applicants who request funding to address Physical Security and Behavioral Health Baseline needs in competitive applications. 

Eligible applicants can find information about each of these solicitations, including eligibility criteria and application instructions, on PCCD’s School Safety and Security webpage.

The application period for the competitive FY 24-25 Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools solicitation will close on Thursday, September 26, 2024.

PA State Board of Ed. Holds 382nd Meeting (September 12, 2024)

On September, 12, 2024, the PA State Board of Education (Board) held its 382nd meeting. Highlights of the meeting included council reports and the approval of a Chapter 4 amendments.

In his Report of the Chair of the Council of Higher Education, the Hon. Pedro Rivera, informed the Board of an earlier Report by Deputy Secretary and Commissioner for Postsecondary and Higher Education Dr. Kate Shaw to the Council of Higher Education.

According to Dr. Shaw, our state has seen a significant decrease in students enrolling in institutions of higher ed. and she spoke of the various barriers to college enrollment in PA, including the high cost of higher ed. enrollment and a lack of coordination across the state, as well as the impacts of such. As a result, Act 69, which was signed into law on July 17, 2024, is aimed to streamline community college credit transfers for students who have completed their associate’s degree. Her report also informed the Board of the creation of a new 21-member State Board of Higher Education. That Board of Directors will also have an Executive Director.  The higher ed. board will operate within PDE and must collaborate with the State Board of Ed.

Dr. Lee Williams, Chair of the Council of Basic Education, reported recommended final form amendments by the council in response to stakeholder concerns. A copy of the recommendations is posted on the PDE website.

PA Ed. Sec. Khalid Mumin reported on Acts 54 and 55, which are omnibus fiscal code bills for funding education in the commonwealth for 2024-25. He highlighted items included in the largest K-12 funding increase in PA history.

The meeting concluded with the approval of Final-form 22 Pa. Code Chapter 4 (Academic Standards and Assessment)​ amendments.

Virtual Mandated Reporter Training Now Available, Act Now (September 11, 2024)

The Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance is continuing to offer virtual Mandated Reporter Training at no cost to mandated reporters in Pennsylvania. The virtual session will have both American Sign Language (ASL) and Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDI) available!

This three-hour virtual training is approved by the Departments of Human Services, Education, and State and meets all requirements for training on recognizing and reporting child abuse (to include Act 126 for school employees).

It is also approved for continuing education credits under Act 31 (Department of State for health-related licenses) and Act 48 (Department of Education for teachers) at no cost. PFSA will submit your training verification to the Department of State or Education as appropriate on your behalf (details provided during training).

Please register by using this session link: Mandated Reporter Training – Sept. 24th 9am-12pm

Each person must log in through separate devices, using the unique access link emailed to them after registration to receive credit.

For questions or to schedule a session specifically for your organization, please email PFSA at [email protected].