Category: News

Linda McMahon Named to Head the USDE (November 20, 2024)

On November 19th, President-elect Donald Trump named Linda McMahon, who served as administrator of the Small Business Association for two years in his first administration, as his nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education. McMahon is also a former president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a company that develops and produces scripted wrestling events. In addition, she currently serves as co-chair of the Trump-Vance transition team.

According to Trump, “Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World.” He also praised McMahon for her advocacy for state-level universal school choice policies: “As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.”

Trump’s post also referred to his campaign promise to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort,” his post said.

McMahon has served on the Connecticut State Board of Education and also as a trustee at Sacred Heart University, a private Catholic school in Fairfield, Connecticut.

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PA State Board of Ed. Meeting Looks at Sp. Ed. Teacher Shortage and New Benchmark Tool (November 14, 2024)

On November 13 and 14, 2024, the PA State Board of Education held its bimonthly meetings. On Wednesday, November 13th, PDE’s Raymond Fields presented an update on the Implementation of Pennsylvania’s Educator Workforce Strategy, which included a report on special ed. teacher shortages. To view the slides for that report click here.

On Thursday, November 14th, Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Ed. Dr. Carrie Rowe reported on PA Firefly, a free tool to schools that is being piloted this year by volunteering LEAs and is designed to provide a snapshot of student progress in specific subjects in light of established benchmarks. It is not required that school districts use the tool, but it will be made available to them free of charge. Her report was followed up by a report from PDE’s Dr. Brian Campbell on results from an examination of Future Ready Index data that showed rate increases with regard to graduation, career readiness, attendance, English Language Learning growth, science scores, and math scores. He also touted the advantages of online proficiency testing, which included inclusivity, accommodation, privacy, expedited reporting, and answer misalignment.

Dr Lee Williams reported on behalf of the Academic Standards/Chapter 4 Committee that the most recent Chapter 4 revisions are slated for consideration by the IRRC on December 5, 2024 and are subsequently scheduled to take effect in early 2025. The next Chapter 4 standards review will focus on health, safety, and phys.ed. as well as the arts and humanities.

The lone action item on the agenda was to approve the renewal of Cognia’s authority to act as a private academic schools accrediting organization.

BCIU Provides Updated PA State Mandate Documents (November 12, 2024)

Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) continues to be a leader in producing a comprehensive set of documents detailing PA state mandates pertaining to education. BCIU Early Childhood and Student Services Director Dr. Michelle Reichard-Huff has again provided PAPSA and its members with excellent updated documents regarding these mandates. This latest version was updated October 2024. Many thanks to Dr. Reichard-Huff and her BCIU team!!

For your reference, please see the following 2024 State Mandates Documents created by the Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU):

*State Mandates Document (100+ Page Comprehensive Summary)
*Summary of Changes to the State Mandates Document (from the prior March 2024 edition)
*State Mandates Checklist (16-Page List of Requirements)
*Summary of Changes to the State Mandates Checklist (from the prior March 2024 edition)

​Should you have any questions or require additional information regarding the State Mandates Documents, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Reichard-Huff or Mrs. Toni Cramp, BCIU Executive Office Program Administrator, at 610-898-8956.

Pennsylvanians Encouraged to Get Respiratory Virus Vaccinations Ahead of the Holiday Season (November 11, 2024)

Leaders from the Pennsylvania Departments of Health (DOH) and Aging are encouraging all Pennsylvanians to stay up to date on their annual vaccinations to protect against flu, COVID-19, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) heading into the holiday season. 

Since the start of the respiratory virus season on September 29, emergency department visits resulting in a flu, COVID-19, or RSV diagnosis have remained low; to help these numbers remain low, Pennsylvanians should get vaccinated against respiratory viruses. During the current respiratory virus season, the DOH has recorded 1,083 laboratory-confirmed flu cases and three deaths; 96 COVID-19-related deaths; and 470 confirmed RSV cases.

Most insurance plans cover COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccinations at no cost, but for people who are underinsured or uninsured, the COVID-19 vaccine is available through local State Health Centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers. For children who qualify, COVID-19, flu vaccines, and other routine childhood immunizations are available at no cost through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program.
The flu and COVID-19 vaccinations are regularly updated to protect against current virus variants. Health care providers recommend these vaccinations for people six months and older.

Respiratory viruses share similar symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, a runny or stuffy nose, headaches, body aches, chills, and fatigue.

For residents at higher risk for more severe illness due to age or health status, it is recommended that they visit a health care provider and get tested early to be eligible for antiviral medications. These medications are available for the flu, COVID-19, and RSV. If started early in the illness course, these medications ease symptoms, shorten the length of a viral infection, and reduce the risk of severe health outcomes.

For more information and to find a nearby vaccination location, visit vaccines.gov.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health provides weekly updates throughout the respiratory virus season on its respiratory virus dashboard to keep residents informed.

USDA to Eliminate School Meal ‘Junk Fees’ for Low-income Families (November 6, 2024)

On November 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that, starting in the 2027-28 school year, schools will be prohibited from charging junk fees to low-income families for meals served through the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program.

The new policy will only apply to students who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals, but the USDA wants to eventually expand the ban on school meal junk fees for more students.

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