Category: News in the Field

USDE: MH Screenings, Surveys Require Parental Consent (August 28, 2026)

On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) disseminated a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) informing school districts it will consider all mental health screenings and other student surveys, such as those related to sex behavior or attitudes, to be “required” by a school district even when presented as optional, and thus subject to parental notification and consent procedures. Thus, such surveys are automatically considered “required” because students may feel influenced to fill them out.

According to the DCL, “When an educator, counselor, or other school official administers a survey, evaluation, or analysis, students commonly feel obligated to participate” and “Because an authority figure is on the other side of the survey, evaluation, or analysis, students also rarely feel the need to ask a parent to review or approve it beforehand.”

The DCL also said that students’ decisions to fill out surveys on sensitive topics can be influenced by peer pressure, fear of not participating, or wanting to please a teacher or authority figure. Thus, school districts will be required to provide parents a chance to review the survey and provide written consent for student participation. Opt-outs would not fulfill the requirement of securing parental consent.

This would also apply to mental health screenings on emotional well-being, internalized distress, social interactions or other questionnaires indicating psychological well-being. In addition,  the DCL says “gender plans” for students must be accessible to parents even if they are not classified by the district as “education records.”

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PDH Provides Statewide Update on Measles Outbreak as Cases Reach 460 in 31 Counties (August 29, 2026)

On August 28, 2026, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDH) announced that 460 measles cases have been confirmed across 31 counties in Pennsylvania so far in 2026, as PDH continues its response to the ongoing measles outbreak and provides Pennsylvanians with updated information on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. 

PDH is providing statewide data to help Pennsylvanians and health care providers understand measles activity and community transmission across the Commonwealth. 

While daily numbers fluctuate, tracking these trends provides Pennsylvanians and health care providers with visibility into community transmission across the Commonwealth and helps inform the PDH’s ongoing response.

Key updates include:
-New Positive Cases (since August 26, 2026): 36
-Total Counties: 31
-Total Cumulative Cases: 460
-Total Hospitalizations: 83
-Total Cumulative Measles-Associated Deaths: 2

Pennsylvanians can stay up to date on confirmed measles cases, hospitalizations, deaths, community transmission, and vaccination efforts on DOH’s dashboard: pa.gov/measles.

Getting Vaccinated

The best protection against measles is getting fully vaccinated. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is given in a two-dose series and provides 97 percent protection against measles after two doses.

MMR vaccine is available across the state by contacting a health care provider, county or municipal health department, DOH State Health Center, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), or a Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.

Measles Symptoms and Transmission

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can cause serious short- and long-term health problems including pneumonia and brain swelling, with nearly 20 percent of people who contract measles being hospitalized. Death from measles, though rare, occurs in one to three patients per 1,000 cases.

Measles spreads when a person who is infected breathes, coughs, or sneezes. The virus remains infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after the person with the infection leaves the area.

Symptoms begin with fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis), followed by a rash that starts on the head and spreads downward. Without proper protection or supportive care, measles can be deadly. Symptoms can start 7 to 21 days after exposure.

People who believe they were exposed to measles, and are experiencing symptoms, should contact their health care provider or call the PDH’s toll-free hotline at 877-PA-HEALTH (877-724-3258).

PA Leads the Nation with the Most Teacher Prep Programs Accredited by the International Dyslexia Association (August 29, 2026)

On August 28, 2026, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that nine teacher preparation programs in the Commonwealth received accreditation by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), the highest number of any state in the country. This means that future educators in Pennsylvania have a plethora of high-quality programs to choose from that will enable them to help young learners grasp the fundamentals of reading.

IDA accreditation is a rigorous process, requiring programs to go through an extensive, multi-year review of coursework, clinical practice, and alignment to the IDA’s structured literacy standards. In total, there are only 37 programs nationally with this IDA accreditation.

Pennsylvania’s nine IDA-accredited teacher preparation programs include:
-Arcadia University, Montgomery County
-Carlow University, Allegheny County
-Drexel University, Philadelphia County
-Duquesne University, Allegheny County
-Eastern University, Delaware County
-Millersville University, Lancaster County
-Penn West University, Clarion County
-Robert Morris University, Allegheny County
-Saint Joseph’s University, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties

PDE has made it a top priority to help kids learn how to read through structured literacy – a systematic approach to reading instruction that provides a strong core of foundational skills that set students up for success. In January, PDE hosted four webinars for school leaders focused on structured literacy resources and guidance. More than 1,000 participants attended these sessions, demonstrating the field’s deep commitment to structured literacy. PDE’s Structured Literacy landing page has also become a central hub for the field.

Additionally, PDE worked with the Reading Leadership Council to create a list of resources designed to help educators translate research into effective classroom practice – no matter where they are in their literacy journey. Educators can find a wealth of structured literacy resources on the PDE Standards Aligned System (SAS) website, including free and on-demand professional development, and Act 48 and Act 45-approved courses, which keep Pennsylvania teacher and administrative certificates active.

USDE Publishes Rule to Allow Grant Cancellations for Convenience (August 26, 2026)

On August 24, 2026, the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Department of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) published proposed rules in the Federal Register that would give itself more leeway in how and why it cancels federal grant funding. The rule changes would codify methods for cancellation of grant funding that fails to align with the Trump administration’s policies, including allowing the USDE to cancel discretionary funds “for convenience.”

The changes would also require grant program recipients to comply with executive orders, would give the USDE authority to review “information from the grant application and previous grantee activity,” and would allow the USDE to “issue a partial award, provide funding in installments, or delay the release of funds.”

The new rules would also cut off some of the ways grantees could use to appeal the loss of their funding and remove requirements that the USDE publish grant competition notices in the Federal Register, where agencies post new rule proposals and public notices and seek pubic comment. They also include some of the language the Trump administration has used to prohibit what it considers to be diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to grant making criteria.

The public comment period for the proposed rules ends on September 23, 2026, after which the USDE plans to finalize the regulations in late 2026.

Sources: K-12 Dive and Ed. Week

HHS Developing a National Autism Elopement Alert System (August 28, 2026)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in partnership with other federal agencies, has announced that it is developing a national autism elopement alert system for missing children and adults with autism. The goal of the project is to strengthen response coordination among emergency personnel, first responders and community partners as a means to help with the problem of “elopement” or when students wander away from schools.

To address the problem of elopement, schools can work with parents to document the possibility in a student’s individualized education program, report any such incidents, and use prevention measures such as putting out-of-reach locks on doors, according to research and advocacy groups. 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some children with disabilities, such as those with autism or intellectual disabilities, may have challenges understanding safety issues and communicating with others and elopement typically includes situations where wandering away from care may result in injury or harm and differs from brief moments when a child may run away from a caregiver. According to the National Autism Safety Council, there have been 52 autism-related elopement fatalities of children ages 5-17 so far this year and about 53% of autism-related elopement fatalities in 2025 involved children ages 5-9. Five of those fatalities occurred in school settings.

According to a 2012 study published in Pediatrics, about half of all children with autism attempted to “elope” or wander away from a caregiver at least once after age 4.

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