Category: News

SCOTUS Ruling Allows Use of Public Funds at Religious Schools (June 23, 2022)

On June 21, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court further reduced the separation of church and state in a ruling endorsing more public funding of religious entities as its conservative justices sided with two Christian families who challenged a Maine tuition assistance program that excluded private religious schools.

In the latest in a series of decisions in recent years expanding religious rights, the justices overturned a lower court ruling that had rejected the families’ claims of religious discrimination in violation of the U.S. Constitution, including the First Amendment protection of the free exercise of religion.

The court’s majority 6-3 ruling was authored by Chief Justice John Roberts. The decision built upon the court’s 2020 ruling in a Montana case that paved the way for more taxpayer dollars to flow to religious schools. 

The case came to the court after two sets of parents in Maine sued, claiming the tuition program violated their religious freedom. In their Carson v. Makin ruling, the Supreme Court majority decided families should have the option to send their students to private religious schools using a public tuition subsidy program. Overall, the decision will make it easier for religious private schools to access public subsidies. The decision also raises concerns that it could lead to public tax dollars supporting attendance at schools that discriminate against certain students. 

Source: Reuters; click to read more.

For more from NBC News, click here.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

U.S. House Appropriations Committee Releases FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Funding Bill (June 23, 2022)

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee released the draft fiscal year 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee on June 23rd. The legislation funds agencies and programs in the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education.

According to a press release, for 2023, the bill provides $242.1 billion, an increase of $28.5 billion – 13 percent – above 2022. With this historic increase, the legislation:

  • Creates and sustains good-paying American jobs through investments in job training, apprenticeship programs, and worker protection
  • Grows opportunity with major investments in education, including significant funding for high-poverty schools and students with disabilities, and strong increases for programs that expand access to post-secondary education
  • Bolsters our public health infrastructure with more resources for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for states and local governments to strengthen infrastructure and capacity
  • Strengthens lifesaving biomedical research with increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, as well as increased funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
  • Supports middle class and working families with increased funding for child care, Head Start, and preschool development grants
  • Advances equal treatment for women by increasing funding for the range of health services, including family planning, covered by Title X and repealing the discriminatory Hyde Amendment
  • Addresses our nation’s most urgent health crises, including maternal health, mental health, gun violence, and substance misuse, while making strides to reduce persistent and unacceptable health disparities

The text of the draft bill can be viewed by clicking here. The subcommittee markup will be webcast live and linked on the House Committee on Appropriations website.

U.S. Department of Education (USDE) – According to a summary of the bill, it provides a total of $86.7 billion in discretionary appropriations for USDE, an increase of $10.3 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level. Of this amount, the bill includes:

  • K-12 Education, including Individuals with Disabilities Education Act programs—The bill provides $50.9 billion, an increase of $8.3 billion over the fiscal year 2022 enacted level. Within this amount, the bill provides:
    • $20.5 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, an increase of $3 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level.
    • $17.8 billion for Special Education, an increase of $3.2 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level. The amount includes:
      • $16.3 billion for Part B Grants to States, an increase of $2.9 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level, and
      • $35 million for Special Olympics education programs, an increase of $4 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
    • $1 billion for English Language Acquisition, an increase of $169 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
    • $2.3 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), an increase of $100 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
    • $1.4 billion for Student Support and Academic Enrichment State Grants, an increase of $75 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
    • $1.4 billion for Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers, an increase of $120 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
    • Continued support for a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Initiative to support SEL and “whole child” approaches to education. Within this amount, the bill provides:
      • $132 million, an increase of $50 million over the FY 2022 enacted level, for grants for evidence-based, field-initiated innovations that address student social, emotional, and cognitive needs within the Education Innovation and Research program;
      • $90 million, an increase of $5 million over the FY 2022 enacted level, for the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program with a priority for teacher professional development and pathways into teaching that provide a strong foundation in child development and learning, including skills for implementing SEL strategies;
      • $1 billion within School Safety National Activities for Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration Grants and School-Based Mental Health Services Grants to help LEAs directly increase the number of mental health and child development experts in schools; and
      • $468 million, an increase of $393 million over the FY 2022 enacted level, for Full-Service Community Schools to provide comprehensive services and expand evidence-based models that meet the holistic needs of children, families, and communities.
  • Career, Technical and Adult Education—The bill provides $2.2 billion for Career, Technical and Adult Education, an increase of $124 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. This amount includes:
    • $1.4 billion for CTE State Grants, an increase of $45 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, and
      • $132 million for Teacher Quality Partnerships, an increase of $73 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.

A press release with a summary of the draft fiscal year 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill can be viewed by clicking here.

Advocates Denounce Legislation to Bring “Don’t Say Gay” Law to PA (June 22, 2022)

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs and education and youth advocates denounced Senate Bill 1278, alleging that it is a copy-paste version of Florida’s discriminatory “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would harm students and set back human rights in Pennsylvania.

The Senate Bill 1278, which was introduced on June 10, ​2022, was approved on June 21st along party lines by the Senate Education Committee and headed to the full Senate for consideration. Subsequently, the bill was re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 22nd.

Rafael Álvarez Febo, executive director of the LGBTQ Affairs Commission stated that, “This bill, which was introduced in the middle of Pride Month, is a cruel attempt to politicize LGBTQ people and deny their humanity in order to score cheap political points… Even more alarming, these bills have emboldened far right hate groups to mobilize to commit violence against LGBTQ people…While Pennsylvanians are struggling with very real issues such as gun violence, soaring prices and underfunded schools, the General Assembly has chosen to pick on LGBTQ children and teachers to score political points.”

To view the PA Newsroom press release, click here.

To view SB 1278, click here.

Pandemic Learning: Less Academic Progress Overall, Student and Teacher Strain, and Implications for the Future (June 20, 2022)

A U.S. Government Accountability Office  (GAO) report examines the pandemic‘s effect on academic progress in the 2020-21 school year. In the GAO survey, many K-12 public school teachers reported that more of their students started the year behind and made less progress than in a typical year.
In fact, the GAO found that, compared to a typical school year, teachers reported that more of their students started the 2020-21 school year behind and made less academic progress, according to GAO’s generalizable survey of K-12 public school teachers. Teachers also reported that many students ended the year behind grade level expectations (see figure). Educators and parents also shared their insights and experiences about student struggles and learning loss during the year.

To read the GAO report, click here.

PDH Says PA Vaccine Providers are Ready to Vaccinate Children Ages Six Months and Older (June 19, 2022)

On June 18, 2022, following the approval of two vaccines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the PA Department of Health (PDH) says vaccine providers across the state are prepared to begin providing COVID-19 vaccinations for children six months and older beginning early next week.

The federal agencies have approved the use of a three-dose Pfizer vaccine for children under five years old and a two-dose Moderna vaccine for children under six years old. Both vaccines are approved for children as young as six months.

“The approval of the vaccines for young children across the state and the nation is welcome news for many parents who have been waiting for the opportunity to provide valuable protection for their children from COVID-19,” Acting Health Secretary and Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said. “Parents can begin scheduling appointments early next week with many vaccine providers, including pediatricians and primary care physicians, who will have the vaccine available for administration as early as Tuesday (June 21).”

The department notes that pharmacists across the state are only allowed to provide COVID-19 vaccines to children ages three and older, so parents seeking appointments for children under three should contact their pediatrician, family doctor or other qualified physicians.

Pfizer’s vaccine requires three doses and is available for children under five and as young as six months. The vaccine uses three micrograms per shot, which is one-tenth of what is used in the Pfizer shot for adults. Children receiving the Pfizer series of shots, should receive the second dose three weeks after the first, and the third shot eight weeks after the second shot.

Moderna’s vaccine requires two doses and is available for children ages six months through five years. The second shot should be administered 28 days after the first dose. Moderna’s vaccine for children under six calls for 25 micrograms per shot, which is one-quarter of the dose given to adults.

“It is critical for parents to make sure their children receive the complete series of shots for the vaccine to be as effective as possible,” Johnson added. “The CDC says for the vaccine to reach its efficacy, children need to receive the recommended three doses of the Pfizer vaccine and two doses of the Moderna vaccine.”

To view the PDH press release, click here.