Category: State Government Actions

BSE Reminds LEAs of Call Resolution Process (March 8, 2022)

On March 7, 2022, PA Bureau of Special Education (BSE) Director Carole L. Clancy disseminated a PennLink that informed LEAs that the BSE sponsors a toll-free Special Education ConsultLine to serve families and advocates who have questions or concerns about their child’s special education program or who are seeking information and resources related to special education. The ConsultLine can be reached via phone (1-800-879-2301), email ([email protected]), or through the Office for Dispute Resolution (ODR) website (https://odr-pa.org/consultline-contact/).

According to Director Clancy, many of the concerns relayed to ConsultLine specialists relate to problems families perceive they are experiencing with the delivery of special education services for their children. These concerns could eventually result in an official complaint or request for mediation or due process. The data collected by ODR reveals that these concerns are often the result of a communication breakdown between the parent and local educational agency (LEA). This Penn*Link serves as a reminder that the Bureau of Special Education implemented a Call Resolution Process (CRP) in September 2000 to proactively deal with complaint issues and expedite solving communication issues between LEAs and families of eligible students. The CRP has been highly effective in reducing the number of formal complaints filed with the Bureau of Special Education.

In addition, many LEAs have stressed during complaint investigations that if they had been aware of a concern by a parent, they would have solved the problem before it became adversarial. To that end, on behalf of the Bureau of Special Education, the ConsultLine specialists in ODR will contact the respective special education director or supervisor by email to alert them of potential problems identified by callers to the ConsultLine that appear to be resolvable at the LEA level.                                                      

The email is offered as a courtesy notification only and does not require a response to ConsultLine. The ConsultLine specialists are not acting as mediators or intermediaries between LEAs and families. The ConsultLine specialists have the parent or guardian’s permission to alert the LEA of a concern and LEAs can determine whether to follow up with the parents after receiving the notice. The notification will also be provided to the Bureau of Special Education Advisor for the LEA, along with the assigned Division Chief.

Director Clancy concluded the PennLink by thanking LEAs for their cooperation with this process, which she stated has been highly successful to date, and for their efforts in providing a free appropriate public education to all students with special needs in the commonwealth.

Governor’s Proposed Final Budget Provides “Historic” Education Investments, Commitment to Equity in Funding (March 7, 2022)

Governor Wolf’s final budget calls for building on the momentum of previous years with a generational investment of $1.9 billion in education from pre-k through college, including:
-$70 million for Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance.
-$1.25 billion in basic education funding, bringing the total going through the Fair Funding Formula to more than $2 billion, or 26.5 percent of state funding. 
-$300 million increase for Level Up.
-$200 million increase for Special Education.
-$125 million for higher education institutions.

One of the programs begun by the Wolf Administration is Level Up. First funded in last year’s budget, the program provided a $100 million equity supplement to the state’s 100 most underfunded school districts. The governor’s current budget proposal calls for $300 million to ensure that children receive an equitable education regardless of the financial resources available in their community.

According to the governor, during the past seven years he has secured an additional $1.8 billion in funding for pre-K through college, including more than $1.1 billion for basic education, $190 million for special education, and $40 million for career and technical education. The 2022-23 budget builds on education and workforce development programs.

For more information, click here.

PA DHS Highlights Research in Best Practices for Behavioral Health Supports (March 7, 2022)

On March 7, 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) released the latest issue of the Positive Approaches Journal, which aims to provide the most recent research and resources for people with mental health and behavioral challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to live an everyday life. This edition focuses on effective behavioral supports and how they affect the populations DHS serves.  

“Part of DHS’ mission is to ensure that people have the resources and information they need to live an everyday life,” said Acting DHS Secretary Meg Snead. “We hope that this edition of the Positive Approaches Journal will provide some insight into best practices and methods so we can all work together to ensure that the people we serve can all be better off.”  

Articles in this issue encourage the reader to focus on merging the silos of mental and physical health and incorporating biomedical and socio-environmental influences which all play into how a person behaves. Positive Behavioral Support has proven effective in a variety of settings where challenging behaviors are likely to be triggered, like fast-food restaurants, playgrounds, job sites, and people’s homes. Behavioral approaches, once thought to be effective only with specific populations of people with diagnoses like autism or intellectual disability are effective for everyone, especially when developing plans with people who require complex mental health support.  

This edition features research and articles on the following: 
-Common Misconceptions About Behavioral Support – Debunked!: This article explores and reviews how behavioral support is often misunderstood. 
 -Employing the Principles of Positive Behavior Support to Enhance Family Education and Intervention: This article details how an evidence-based approach for supporting adaptive behavior, Positive Behavior Support (PBS), helps in addressing behavioral challenges.
-The Power of Collaboration through Behavioral Assessment and Treatment: This article details the admission, assessment, and treatment of an individual at Torrance State Hospital. 
-Putting the Positive in Behavioral Support: Considering the Role of Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose: This article highlights the importance of understanding behavioral supports.  

The journal is a collaboration of DHS’ Office of Developmental Programs and Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and collects resources, observations, and advancements in mental and behavioral health in order to better serve people in their communities.    

Click here to read this edition of the Positive Approaches Journal.  

For more information visit www.dhs.pa.gov.

To read the press release, click here.

Commission Approves Mental Health and Substance Abuse Crisis Recommendations, Other Law Enforcement Improvements (March 5,2022)

On February 28, 2022, the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Commission (Commission) unanimously approved its latest round of recommendations related to police-involved shootings, other uses of force, and bias-based policing. This first of its kind Commission is aimed at reviewing and improving policies within commonwealth law enforcement agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction including, but not limited to, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), the Department of General Services Capitol Police, and the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) Park Rangers.

The Commission reviews completed internal investigative findings to determine if they were prompt, fair, impartial, complete, and performed in a manner consistent with applicable policies. They also consider whether adjudicatory findings or any imposed discipline were reasonable under law enforcement protocols and whether any policy or training deficiencies exist. All final reports of the Commission, along with covered agencies’ responses, will be available on the Commission’s webpage when completed.

Recommendations related to citizen engagement and enhancements to training and investigations procedures include, but are not limited to, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Crisis Response by Law Enforcement, Use of Force Enforcements, and Enhancements to PSP’s Early Intervention Program.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Crisis Response by Law Enforcement – Where feasible, PSP should consider enhancements to its policies and training (based on best practices) concerning encounters with and responding to service calls involving citizens in mental health and/or substance abuse crisis situations, which includes seeking the assistance of mental or behavioral health and substance abuse crisis intervention specialists whenever possible.

Use of Force Policy Enhancements (De-escalation) – DCNR should consider enhancing its Use of Force policy to include a definition of “reasonable force” consistent with United States Supreme Court precedent. DCNR should also consider requiring de-escalation protocols, when feasible, consistent with DCNR’s training (which mirrors a similar recommendation concerning PSP’s Use of Force policy adopted by the Commission on December 10, 2021).

Enhancements to PSP’s Early Intervention Program – PSP should consider updating its Early Intervention Program (EIP) policy to require bi-monthly inquiries to identify EIP candidates who may be engaging in racial or ethnic discrimination, bias-based policing, and/or racial insensitivity and should consider mandating remedial training following administrative investigations and adjudicatory findings of bias-based policing.

Reports of abuse within law enforcement agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction may be anonymously reported by filing an online complaint or calling the Law Enforcement Oversight Tipline: 1-833-581-1692.

To view additional commission recommendations, click here.

BCIU Provides Outstanding PA State Mandate Materials (February 26, 2022)

Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) Early Childhood and Student Services Director Dr. Michelle Reichard-Huff, has provided  PAPSA and its members with two excellent documents updated February 2022. They are a State PA Mandates Document and a PA State Mandates Checklist.

Click here to view these documents on the PAPSA website at www.papsa-web.org.

As a reference, the BCIU works with several IUs to customize these documents for their IU catchment area, so some of you may see different versions of the tool.  The content is the same with the exception of the IU branding.

We hope that the documents will prove useful as a reference guide for our members.

If you have any questions and/or suggestions pertaining to the documents, please feel free to Dr. Reichard-Huff at [email protected].