Category: News in the Field

PDE Provides Resources for Student Safety and Well-Being Through SAS (October 6, 2025)

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is highlighting a suite of resources to support you and your staff during the 2025-26 school year. In line with Governor Josh Shapiro’s focus on anti-discrimination and digital literacy, educators can access these tools through the Standards-Aligned Portal (SAS) to promote student safety and well-being within their school community. 

  1. Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Toolkit
    Studying the Holocaust provides critical insights into key concepts like democracy, dictatorship, propaganda, collaboration, resistance, and genocide. To support this, a new toolkit provides educators with a range of resources, including videos, lesson plans, and classroom materials that can be adapted for both virtual and in-person learning
    Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Toolkit – SAS 
  2. Information and Media Literacy (IML) Toolkit
    The IML Toolkit provides educators and families with resources to help Pennsylvania’s youth navigate the digital world. By incorporating information literacy into learning, the toolkit helps students distinguish fact from fiction, promoting online safety and healthy digital skills for the next generation.
    Information and Media Literacy Toolkit – SAS
  3. Disability Inclusive Curriculum Toolkit
    The PDE Disability Inclusive Curriculum Pilot Program aims to educate all K-12 students about the political, economic, and social contributions of individuals with disabilities by promoting the accurate and regular representation of disability in all aspects of school life.
    The program teaches students that disability is a natural part of the human condition.
    The toolkit is inclusive of all age/grade levels. It includes sample lesson plans, professional development offerings/opportunities, ideas for implementing a disability inclusive curriculum, disability-led organizational contacts, and other resources.
    PA Disability Inclusive Curriculum Pilot Program – SAS
  4. Bullying Prevention Resources
    The PDE Center for Safe Schools’ (CSS) bullying and peer abuse prevention resources are informed by more than 25 years of research and practice, including Preventing Bullying Through Science Policy and Practice, a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
    The CSS Bullying Prevention website includes the following:
    -Needs Survey
    -Sample Letter to Schools
    -Flyers -Definition of Bullying
    -Types of Bullying
    -Rough Play, Conflict, Bullying Characteristics
    Safe and Supportive Schools: Bullying Prevention – SAS
  5. Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention, and Child Exploitation Awareness Education The PDE Office of School Climate and Well-being has youth suicide awareness and child exploitation awareness resources to assist educators in all grade levels, including:
    -Policies and Procedures
    -Task Forces -Suicide Prevention Plan
    -Curriculum Guidelines -Prevent Suicide PA (Program)
    -Student Programs -Professional Development
    -Crisis Resources
    -School Resources and Materials
    Safe and Supportive Schools: Mental Health – SAS

PDE wishes everyone a safe and successful school year. Its Division of Instructional Quality (DIQ) is available to assist with the above resources or any of our SAS Toolkits. You may contact DIQ at RA-EDINSTQUALITY@pa.gov .

Suits Filed by Schools and States Challenge USDE Civil Rights Enforcement (October 3, 2025)

As the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) changes the way things have been done, states and school districts have pushed back by filing lawsuits.

Historically, the USDE and its funding recipients have usually collaborated to resolve civil rights complaints, but recently that has not been the case. As a result, school districts and states are increasingly challenging the USDE’s authority as it continues its crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices, especially those related to LGTBQ+ students.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Gov. Shapiro Signs Executive Order to Safeguard Vaccine Access (October 2, 2025)

On October 1, 2025, Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2025-02 at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to safeguard vaccine access for Pennsylvanians and protect families’ freedom to make their own health care decisions.

The Executive Order directs the Pennsylvania Department of Health (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, launches a central online vaccine portal, and creates a Vaccine Education Workgroup to strengthen public communication and combat misinformation. It also ensures continued coverage of recommended vaccines for all Pennsylvanians through Medicaid and private insurance, and directs the PA Department of Education (PDE) to support and schools in following evidence-based guidance.

Click here to view Executive Order 2025-02, Protecting Pennsylvanians’ Health and Freedom by Ensuring Access to Safe and Effective Vaccines.

PDE Addresses Rise in Misinformation, Provides Information and Literacy Toolkit for Schools (October 2, 2025)

In the midst of rising misinformation and violent rhetoric online, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is providing an Information and Media Literacy Toolkit, which equips students, teachers, and parents with skills and tools to recognize biases, distinguish credible information from misinformation, and use digital spaces responsibly. Governor Shapiro directed PDE and the Office of Commonwealth Libraries to develop resources to help schools incorporate information literacy into all aspects of learning, ensuring that Pennsylvania students have the skills to navigate the world around them. Following this directive, PDE surveyed schools to better understand digital literacy instruction, and 90 percent of responding schools indicated that a comprehensive toolkit with additional media and information literacy resources would be useful.

Click here to access the toolkit.

How the Government Shutdown Affects K-12 Education (October 2, 2025)

As the government shutdown moves forward, many are wondering what impact it will have on K-12 schools. The shutdown officially commenced at midnight EST on October 1st when the new fiscal year was to begin.

Initially, the shutdown is expected to have fairly imperceptible impact on schools and school districts, but the pause in federal funding will create some noticeable disruptions for school districts and state education agencies. Some examples include pauses in Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigations, new grant making activities, and technical assistance support.

Of note is the drastic decrease in U.S. Department of Education staff, which will result in only 330 of 2,447 of its employees remaining on the job. This follows a decrease in USDE staff from 4,133 at the beginning of the year to 2,447 as of September 28th. In total, the USDE is only expected to retain 5% of its workforce during the first week of the shutdown. Those continuing to work will not be paid during that time.

School districts qualifying for Impact Aid, which is the only federal K-12 education program not forward-funded months in advance, will see a pause in receiving those funds. Similarly, the National Head Start Association (NHSA), an advocacy group that represents Head Start families and its workforce, has warned that if a shutdown continues for weeks or months, there will be a higher risk of program closures and staff furloughs, which will affect  about three-quarters of a million children.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.