Category: State Government Actions

Gov. Wolf Signs Executive Order to Protect LGBTQIA+ Pennsylvanians from Conversion Therapy (August 18, 2022)

On August 16, 2022, Governor Tom Wolf signed Executive Order 2022-2 to protect Pennsylvanians from conversion therapy. According to the governor, “Conversion therapy is a traumatic practice based on junk science that actively harms the people it supposedly seeks to treat. This discriminatory practice is widely rejected by medical and scientific professionals and has been proven to lead to worse mental health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ youth subjected to it. This is about keeping our children safe from bullying and extreme practices that harm them.”

The Executive Order directs commonwealth agencies to discourage conversion therapy in the commonwealth. It directs commonwealth agencies to take steps to actively promote evidence-based best practices for LGBTQIA+ individuals that is actually supported by the scientific and medical communities. It directs agencies to make updates to policies and procedures to better support LGBTQIA+ employees and the Pennsylvanians we serve. It also directs the Department of Human Services, the Insurance Department and Department of State and other appropriate agencies to explore and implement all options to ensure state funds, programs, contracts, and other resources are not used for the purposes of providing, authorizing, endorsing, reimbursing for, or referring for conversion therapy, to the extent permitted by law.

A survey on LGBTQIA+ Youth Mental Health by The Trevor Project shows that LGBTQIA+ youth are at increased risk for negative mental health outcomes. The survey results show that 45% of LGBTQIA+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. 73% of LGBTQIA+ youth reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety. 58% reported symptoms of depression. Additionally, 36% of LGBTQIA+ youth reported they have been physically threatened or harmed due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to a peer-reviewed study from The Trevor Project, 13% of LGBTQIA+ youth nationwide reported being subjected to conversion therapy, and 83% of those subjected to it were under age 18.

The study showed that LGBTQIA+ youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide in the past year. Researchers found that when they accounted for the harms caused by conversion therapy – including negative mental health outcomes and substance use – conversion therapy costs our nation $9.23 billion each year.

A 2019 study from the UCLA Williams Institute estimated that 73,000 LGBTQIA+ youth will be subjected to conversion therapy before they turn 18 – including 16,000 youth who will receive conversion therapy from a licensed health care professional.

“Conversion therapy is causing horrific consequences for the mental health and well-being of a generation of young LGBTQIA+ individuals,” said Gov. Wolf. “But there is something very simple that we can all do to help. We can stand up and tell LGBTQIA+ youth that we hear them and we accept them exactly as they are. ​The Trevor Project’s Youth Mental Health Survey showed that rates of negative mental health outcomes among LGBTQIA+ youth are much lower in communities, schools and families that are accepting and supportive of LGBTQIA+ people. That’s why I signed this executive order to protect Pennsylvanians from conversion therapy and the damage it does to our communities. Because all of our youth deserve to grow up in a commonwealth that accepts and respects them.”

To read the press release in its entirety, click here.

New Funding Awarded to Boost Student Interest in PA’s Manufacturing Industry, Develop Talent Pipeline for Manufacturers (August 17, 2022)

New Funding Awarded to Boost Student Interest in PA’s Manufacturing Industry, Develop Talent Pipeline for Manufacturers (August 17, 2022)

Governor Tom Wolf has announced new funding for Advance Central PA, through Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Program (MTTC), to create awareness for students about the commonwealth’s manufacturing industry and the local Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs that are available to help prepare them for these good-paying careers.

Advance Central PA plans to use their $80,058 in MTTC funding towards the production of five professional videos highlighting local careers in manufacturing and the local CTE programs that prepare students for entry into pathways for rewarding, stable, and sustaining careers with manufacturers; an advanced marketing campaign showcasing the innovation of CTE and pathways they open to careers in manufacturing; and educator in manufacturing events where guidance counselors and other educators will see their local CTE space before touring local manufacturers to learn first-hand how CTE prepares students for the extensive career opportunities available in the manufacturing sector.

The videos will be shown to an estimated 5,000 students across partner school districts in Clinton, Lycoming, and Union counties, and will also be featured on Advance Central PA’s YouTube channel. As part of the marketing campaign, print materials will be developed and prominently displayed in partner schools.

Advance Central PA oversees programs that are designed to assure that businesses in Central Pennsylvania remain competitive and grow jobs, that workers have opportunities to obtain skills that will help them become or remain self-sufficient, and that Pennsylvania’s communities are economically resilient. Advance Central PA’s nine-county Workforce Development Area (WDA) covers a total of 5,370 square miles and includes Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties.

Governor Wolf’s Manufacturing PA initiative was launched in October 2017 and since then has funded 81 projects and invested more than $17.2 million through the MTTC program.

Training-to-Career grants support projects that result in short-term work-readiness, job placement, or the advancement of manufacturing. The Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program works collaboratively with local manufacturers to identify and teach missing essential skills for entry-level applicants seeking manufacturing employment, engage youth or those with barriers to career opportunities in manufacturing, and or advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers.

For more information, visit the DCED website

To view the press release, click here.

Funding Awarded to Create ‘Students in the Workplace’ Program, Increase Awareness of Manufacturing Career Opportunities (August 17, 2022)

Governor Tom Wolf has announced new funding for The Challenge Program, Inc., through Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Program (MTTC), to help more than 15,000 students learn firsthand about career opportunities in the manufacturing industry in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Challenge Program plans to use their $200,000 in MTTC funding to increase manufacturing awareness activities and implement ‘Students in the Workplace’ among the organization’s manufacturing and school partnerships. Through this program, more than 15,000 students in grades 10 through 12 will be introduced to the breadth of manufacturing opportunities including specific types of positions available in the field and the training and educational pathways needed to enter these careers.

“The ‘Students in the Workplace’ model has allowed The Challenge Program, Inc. to facilitate life changing programs for students, educators, and manufacturers in Pennsylvania communities,” said Barbara Grandinetti, president of The Challenge Program. “Connecting students with jobs, helping businesses find their future skilled workforce, and assisting educators with career and work readiness has resulted in students’ lives being significantly changed for the better and strengthened communities.”

The Challenge Program’s mission is to motivate high school students to develop the habits required to succeed in school and in their careers by building business/education partnerships. The organization has been connecting students to the workforce since 2003.

Governor Wolf’s Manufacturing PA initiative was launched in October 2017 and since then has funded 80 projects and invested more than $17.1 million through the MTTC program.

Training-to-Career grants support projects that result in short-term work-readiness, job placement, or the advancement of manufacturing. The Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program works collaboratively with local manufacturers to identify and teach missing essential skills for entry-level applicants seeking manufacturing employment, engage youth or those with barriers to career opportunities in manufacturing, and or advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers.

For more information, visit the DCED website.

To view the press release, click here.

PDE Announces RTL Grant Applications Now Available (August 16, 2022)

On August 11, 2022, James L. Towse, PDE Basic Education Associate 2, sent an email to school superintendents announcing the release of the Ready to Learn Block Grant (RTL) Grant application. He states that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has released the 2022-23 Ready to Learn (RTL) application in eGrants and that school districts and eligible charter schools and cyber charter schools may apply. The submission deadline is November 30, 2022.
The 2022-23 RTL Block Grant appropriation is $295 million. Act 55 of 2022 stipulates school entities receive the amount they received in 2021-22. RTL grants assist students enrolled in the commonwealth’s school districts and charter schools with attaining or maintaining academic performance targets. The purpose of this email is to inform eligible school entities how to apply for RTL funding.
School entities should file an application on PDE’s eGrants system for RTL funding. The application is accessible under Teaching and Learning Support with the heading Ready to Learn in Grants Management/Grant Applications.
The 2022-23 RTL Grant Guidelines are posted online at: http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/School%20Finances/Pages/Ready-to-Learn%20Block%20Grant.aspx.

PDE Notifies LEAs of Cohort 3 Exit Survey Requirements (August 16, 2022)

On August 15, 2022 Carole L. Clancy, Director of PDE Bureau of Special Education disseminated a PennLink titled State Performance Plan Data Requirements – Postsecondary School Survey (Cohort 3 Exit) to all LEAs. The memo states that the accountability requirement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) mandates that each state determine the extent to which students are achieving transition outcomes (State Performance Plan – Indicator 14). To meet the federal reporting requirement, each local education agency (LEA) is mandated to administer Exit and Post-School Surveys to students who have graduated, aged out or dropped out with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) at a frequency of one time, over a five-year period, based on the LEA’s assignment to a targeted sampling year (Cohort 3).

The following information specifically addresses Exit Survey administration for 2022-23. Below are the requirements for LEAs assigned to Cohort 3, as listed below:

  • Participate in the Pennsylvania Post-School Outcome Survey Overview for Cohort 3 webinar on September 21, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The webinar will provide information concerning the administration of Exit Surveys. Registration is required and may be accessed at: https://www.pattan.net/Events/Webinar/Course-1838/Events/Session-37114 . 
  • Participate in the Exit Survey training webinar on February 21, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Registration for this event is required and can be completed when registering for the September webinar. Information regarding accessing and entering information into the online system will be presented during this webinar.

To see what LEAs are assigned to the 2022-23 Cohort 3, click here.