Category: News in the Field

PA Department of Health Confirms Two Measles-Associated Deaths (August 25, 2026)

On August 25, 2026. the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDH) confirmed two measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania. Both individuals were unvaccinated. These mark the first deaths related to measles within the Commonwealth in 35 years.   

PDH confirmed both individuals were unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County. To protect the privacy of the individuals and their families, PDH will not release any additional details that could personally identify these individuals and their families. Protecting Pennsylvanians’ privacy is a core responsibility of DOH. PDH has confirmed 393 cases in 28 counties thus far in 2026. 

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can cause serious short- and long-term health problems, including pneumonia and brain swelling, with nearly 20% of people who contract measles being hospitalized. Death related to 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 infection leaves the area. 

Early symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis). The measles rash follows a few days later, starting on the head and spreading downward. Because early symptoms look similar to other respiratory viral infections, it is important to contact a health care provider early if someone has these symptoms or may have been exposed to measles. Symptoms can start 7 to 21 days after exposure. Without proper protection or supportive care, measles can be deadly. 

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

Getting vaccinated is the best protection against measles, providing 97% lifetime protection after two doses.

PDE Announces $8M in Funding to Increase the Number of School Psychologists in High-Need Areas (August 24, 2026)

On August 21, 2026, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that more than $8 million in funding has been dedicated to increasing the pipeline of school psychologists and delivering mental health services to students in high-need schools across the Commonwealth through the Prioritizing Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining School Psychologists: Delivering Mental Health Services to Students in High-Need LEAs initiative. 

In its first year, the program will provide funding for up to 75 school psychology graduate interns working in schools, with plans to expand the number of supported interns each year of the grant. Eligible interns completing their placements in identified high-need school districts may receive a stipend, waived Praxis exam fees, and additional training and professional development. So far, 42 interns have been placed in 22 schools across the Commonwealth. View the list of placements on this interactive map.

The grant program will strengthen Pennsylvania’s pipeline of credentialed school psychologists by reducing financial barriers to certification, improving recruitment and placement, and increasing retention in critical, underserved settings. By addressing the systemic barriers to recruitment and retention, specifically the financial burden on interns and the geographic isolation of rural districts, the program will stabilize the provider pipeline and increase student access to early intervention and intensive mental health services.

Interns are identified by their graduate training programs based on their placements in high-need school districts across Pennsylvania. The program is funded by a federal grant from the US Department of Education, which will help the Commonwealth recruit and retain individuals from both Pennsylvania and other states, increasing the overall number of school psychologists who complete  internships here and stay in PA.

DCL Focuses the Use of Ed Tech in Classrooms (August 22, 2026)

In an August 20, 2026 Dear Colleague letter (DCL) issued by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), the agency defended technology use in classrooms, saying the use of educational technology is a separate issue from the use of recreational technology. The letter acknowledged the growing concerns from parents, educators, and policymakers on students’ screen time in schools, but said those concerns require both “thoughtful consideration” and “careful distinction.” The DCL also said the policies on screen time and technology use in schools should be made by states and local communities, noting that stakeholders’ questions should focus on whether educational technology is improving learning and student outcomes and not whether students and teachers should use technology.

Recently, school leaders and K-12 technology experts have warned against state and school district policies that simply focus on limiting or banning the amount of time students spend on screens. In fact, the Consortium for School Networking most recently released guidance that emphasizes the importance of reducing “low-value” screen use and ensuring that devices are used for clear instructional purposes. 

The USDE’s DCL is used as guidance and not as a means of federal enforcement and advises that policymaking on technology use in schools “should focus on educational value rather than screen exposure alone.”

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

New DCL Eschews Disparate Impact (August 19, 2026)

On August 18, 2026, The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague letter (DCL), providing school discipline guidance for district leaders, rebuffing previous attempts to reduce discipline disparities for Black and other historically marginalized students and calling for schools to “stop racial balancing.”

According to the letter “neither Title VI nor the Constitution requires the use of race in student discipline” and “neither Title VI nor the Constitution prohibits unintentional disparate impact; nor do they require schools to consider race in student discipline to address an unintentional disparate impact.” The DCL also says ”it is race discrimination under Title VI for the school to evaluate the racial outcomes of their discipline policies and to make decisions based on or because of those racial outcomes.″

While DCLs provide guidance for school districts and convey the USDE’s enforcement approach to civil rights laws, they do not have the force of regulation or formal policy.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Kindergarten Vaccination Rates Continue Downward Trend

CDC data released August 17, 2026 shows that in 2025-26, vaccination coverage among kindergartners decreased for all reported vaccines compared to the previous year. In fact, the rate of kindergartners entering school exempt from one or more vaccines continued its upward trend during the 2025-26 school year, with 4.2% of kindergartners being exempted — up from 3.6% in the previous year, according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine exemption rates for these young students increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia, and 24 states reported exemptions exceeding 5%.

Further, about 280,000 kindergartners attended school without documentation of completing the MMR vaccine last school year, CDC said. The number of reported measles cases for people of all ages already reached a 35-year high nationally by July 30th of this year.

An August 10, 2026 executive order reduced the number of immunizations to provide protection against 11 diseases, rather than the 18 diseases recommended by CDC in 2024.

According to the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) in an August 11, 2026 statement, conflicting vaccine recommendations can “create confusion for families, complicate school health practice, and undermine confidence in vaccines that have protected generations of children.” The statement came after an August 10, 2026 executive order reduced the number of immunizations to provide protection against 11 diseases, rather than the 18 diseases recommended by CDC in 2024.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.