Category: News in the Field

PDE to Answer Questions on New PK-6 Grade Spans (December 16, 2025)

FAQs about the new PK-6 grade spans will be forthcoming from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). In the meantime, EPPs  cannot advertise, nor apply, for the new PK-6 grade spans until their program has been approved in accordance with the updated competencies. The Division of Professional Education and Teacher Quality is currently in the process of creating the new PK-6 competencies. This process is tentatively scheduled to be completed by June 2026. During this time, BSLTQ will be working with the State Board of Education and the Secretary of Education on approving a new Primary Certification (PK-6) test.

While the Grades PK-6 competencies and tests are being created, Grades PK-4 and Grades 4-8 programs should continue at all approved EPP programs. Act 47 prohibits EPPs from admitting students under the current Early Childhood (PK-4) or Elementary/ Middle (4-8) certificates after July 1, 2028. As a result, fall 2027 should be the last semester that EPPs formally admit students into these current programs.  This will allow students to obtain the required 48 credits and 3.0 GPA for entry into the EPP (students may also use the alternatives to admission under Chapter 354). Current assessments for Grades PK-4 and Grades 4-8 will be available for those students continuously enrolled in these programs until all students complete them.

Bill in Congress Would Ban Student Seclusion, Certain Restraints (December 16, 2025)

On December 12, 2025, bicameral and bipartisan legislation was filed in the House and Senate prohibiting the seclusion of students in schools and certain restraint practices would be banned. The Keeping All Students Safe Act bill would also provide grants to states to train school personnel to on how to address school behaviors with evidence-based, proactive strategies. In addition, it calls for more transparency and oversight to prevent the abuse of students, and would require states to monitor the law’s implementation. Although there is currently no federal law dictating restraint and seclusion practices, Congress has attempted to pass similar legislation for over 15 years.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Civil Rights Data Collection, approximately 105,700 public school students were physically restrained, mechanically restrained, or placed in seclusion at schools during the 2021-22 school year. However, Some legislators and researchers believe restraint and seclusion practices in schools are probably underreported.

The Act would make it illegal for any school receiving federal taxpayer money to seclude students or carry out restraint practices that restrict a student’s breathing, such as restraining students facedown or on their backs. Physical restraint would only be allowed when it is necessary to protect the safety of students and staff. 

For more details from K-12 Dive, click here.

2025-26 PA Budget Provides $1 Million to Protect Pennsylvanians from Tuberculosis as Cases Rise Nationwide (December 14, 2025)

The PA Department of Health (PDH) is investing $1 million to increase efforts to protect Pennsylvanians from tuberculosis (TB), which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports is increasing in the U.S. The funds are in the 2025-26 budget and include a $126,000 increase from the previous year to help protect public health.

“Pennsylvania boosted tuberculosis-related funding to be proactive in addressing a trend identified by the CDC of increasing cases throughout the United States,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “Accurate diagnosis and successful completion of treatment are critical to reduce the risk of transmission of this infectious disease.”

The PDH Tuberculosis Program provides education and medical consultations to health care providers statewide and supports TB clinics at 59 PDH State Health Centers, as well as 11 county and municipal health departments. Services include:
-Outpatient examination and diagnostic services;
-Laboratory and X-ray services, if there is no source of payment;
-Medication for the treatment and prevention of TB disease;
-In-field and virtual, Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) for patients to complete recommended therapy; and
-Identifying close contacts of patients with infectious TB, evaluating those contacts for TB infection or active disease, and providing treatment to close contacts as needed. This year’s added funds will enable the Tuberculosis Program to provide additional clinician hours, pay for radiology and specialized diagnostic services for uninsured patients, and provide nourishment supplements.

Rowe Confirmed as New PA Education Secretary (December 14, 2025)

On Tuesday, December 9, the Pennsylvania Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Governor Josh Shapiro’s nomination of Dr. Carrie Rowe as Pennsylvania’s new Secretary of Education in a bipartisan vote. With this confirmation vote, every member of Governor Shapiro’s cabinet has been confirmed by a bipartisan majority in the state Senate.

Dr. Rowe brings 25 years of public education experience to her role as Secretary of Education. In this role, she provides guidance, support, and oversight to partners in the pre-K–12 field on topics ranging from structured literacy, educational stability, workforce needs, teacher recruitment and retention, and student mental health and well-being. Dr. Rowe advocates for policies and programs that provide college and career pathways for every student, especially those that include access to expansive dual credit opportunities, high-intensity summer learning, and multilingual programs.

USDE Distributes Over $208M in New MH Grants (December 13, 2025)

As reported by K-12 Dive, on December 11, 2025 the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced new allocations for its mental health grants, which it revoked from over 200 original recipients earlier this year. The new funds come after the agency controversially revoked up to $1 billion under the same programs from recipients that incorporated diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The amount of the new grants total more than $208 million, but are significantly less than the nearly $1 billion in funds pulled from school-based programs and providers earlier this year. 

The new awards will be divided up among 65 recipients that were selected under a new application process and are subject to new requirements that limit funding to hiring school psychologists rather than also funding school counselors and social workers. Recipients are also prohibited from “promoting or endorsing gender ideology, political activism, racial stereotyping, or hostile environments for students of particular races.”

In a pending legal case, California’s McKinleyville School District, which serves Native American students and wanted to hire mental health providers to reflect the make-up of its student body, had about $5.9 million in funding revoked, ending the district’s grant with the USDE saying school district’s plans reflected “the prior Administration’s priorities and policy preferences and conflict with those of the current Administration.” Using the money in this way “no longer effectuates the best interest of the Federal Government.” Consequently, the school district and other entities sued the Trump administration over the withdrawal of the grants, saying such a move could only be made in cases where recipients didn’t meet their proposed benchmarks. A court temporarily paused the USDE’s decision in a separate lawsuit brought by 16 states. Those lawsuits are ongoing.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.