On December 18, 2025 the Commonwealth’s new Vaccine Education Advisory Workgroup held its inaugural meeting to safeguard vaccine access for Pennsylvanians and protecting families’ freedom to make their own health care decisions. The workgroup, created by the governor’s Executive Order 2025-02 and signed in October, will provide input and evidence-based recommendations on protecting vaccine access and promoting uptake to protect Pennsylvanians from vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, whooping cough, and hepatitis B.

The workgroup will meet regularly to discuss:
-barriers to accessing childhood and adult immunizations,
-vaccine education and communication to provide consistent evidence-based information tailored to different demographics,
-harmful, inaccurate, and misguided information about vaccines, and
-ways to engage Pennsylvanians to build trust and encourage immunizations in areas with historically low vaccination rates.  

Establishing this workgroup is the latest Shapiro Administration effort to counter efforts from the federal government to sow distrust and confusion about vaccines. For decades, evidence has shown that safe and effective vaccines prevent diseases that previously caused Pennsylvanians to get sick.

Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDH) released new vaccine guidance to provide health care providers and residents with trusted information they need to stay healthy.

The Executive Order also directs PDH to establish a state-based safety net to protect children’s access to vaccines, requires all state agencies to align policies with trusted medical experts, and launches a central online vaccine portal.

You can find more information about vaccines at the PA Department of Health’s website here.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) is in the process of developing guidance for the public regarding how it will evaluate cases involving the use of emotional support animals (ESA) in education, employment, housing, and public accommodations.  

 Under the PHRC’s current provisions, emotional support animals are recognized primarily in the context of housing accommodations, ensuring that individuals with disabilities receive equal housing opportunities. However, these provisions do not extend to other public spaces or accommodations. 

The PHRC is seeking public input regarding access to public accommodations with emotional support animals specifically. Emotional support animals are not service animals like seeing eye dogs and they are not trained to do a particular task. Rather, individuals with certain disabilities have found the presence of these animals provide a significant emotional benefit.  

Public accommodations are places open to the public, like stores, restaurants, amusement parks, schools, colleges, and universities.  

The PHRC is looking to hear from individuals who use ESAs, advocacy groups, businesses, and other effected individuals and entities. The PHRC would like to hear about your experiences, concerns, and suggestions. Public comment will be accepted via an online survey  from December 1 through December 31, 2025. The PHRC will accept comment from schools, postsecondary and higher education institutions, and libraries via email at (aburman@pa.gov) ) until January 29, 2026.  

After the one-month public input period concludes, the PHRC will develop draft guidance informed by the feedback received. Once the draft is finalized, it will be released for a public comment period before being reviewed and accepted by the Commission.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) has released information on pertaining to the passage of the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act.

CROWN Act
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) prohibits discrimination in Pennsylvania based on race, color, familial status, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, disability, the use, handling, or training of support or guide animals for disability, or retaliation. The PHRA applies to discrimination in employment, housing, commercial property, education, and public accommodations.

On November 25th, 2025, Governor Shapiro signed Act 54 of 2025, known as the CROWN Act, into law. The act amended the PHRA to clarify that discrimination based on race includes traits associated with the individual’s race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles include, but are not limited to, locs, braids, twists, coils, Bantu knots, afros, and extensions. The act also clarified that discrimination based on religious creed includes head coverings and hairstyles historically associated with religious creeds. The law includes exceptions for rules or policies adopted for the health or safety of an employee, adopted for nondiscriminatory reasons, tailored specifically to the position, or applied equally to individuals in applicable positions.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission specifies that examples of discrimination under the CROWN Act include, but are not limited to:
-Firing a person because of their hairstyle.
-Creating school policies restricting how students can wear or treat their hair.
-Creating company policies requiring employees to alter their hair outside of safety codes.
-Retaliation for filing a complaint or opposing unlawful behavior.

For additional information on the CROWN Act, please see PHRC CROWN Protections or  PHRC Protecciones CROWN.

CSPG-17 has been updated to reflect availability of records online and through Right to Know; terminology, including the name of the Bureau; and legal references. Currently, certification records are available via the TIMS system. Those who were certified prior to the TIMS system’s creation can contact the Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality in writing to request copies of records. Also discussed in the CSPG is the following:

• Certificate records are a matter of public record on the Search Educator Certification website.
• The Department also releases certification records used to document the eligibility of a holder for a specific certificate if requested by a third party subject to any applicable exceptions of the Right to Know (RTK) law. If the Department should receive a subpoena duces tecum requesting certification records by a third party, the bureau will attempt to notify the certificate holder of the receipt of such subpoena as required pursuant to 22 Pa. Code § 49.13(b)(12).

The following message is from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Bureau of Special Education (BSE) and PaTTAN.

Dear Special Education Educator Prep Programs Faculty,  
We are excited to announce cohort 3 of the Accelerated Program for PK-12 Special Education Teacher Certification Grant. 

Purpose:
BSE, is requesting applications from Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) who partner with one or more Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to provide individuals who currently hold bachelor’s degrees an accelerated program with the required college/university coursework, summer field experiences, mentoring, coaching, and student teaching to obtain their PK-12 special education teaching certification in accordance with PA Public School Code Section 12-1207.1, Postbaccalaureate certification within an 18-month period.

Eligibility:
Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) in collaboration with one or more Local Education Agencies.

Funding:

• Up to $100,000. Initial grant awards will be determined based on projected student enrollment submitted in the application. Final budget allocations may be adjusted following verification of spring 2026 rosters. 
• All grant funds must be expended by December 31, 2027.  
• The final reimbursement form is due no later than January 31, 2028. 

Timeline:

• Application Open: December 11, 2025 
• Deadline: 11:59 PM on Sunday, February 1, 2026
• Awards Announced: February 2026 

Application materials, including a recorded overview of the grant requirements, request for application (RFA), and a PDF of the application, are available on the APR Repository – 2026-2027 PK 12 Accelerated Special Education Teacher Certification Grant.

Questions? Contact Meredith Penner, at mpenner@pattankop.net.