The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) has announced the submission deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), with relation to the Pennsylvania State Grant Program, has been extended to June 1.

The launch of the FAFSA application for the upcoming academic year was delayed almost three months as the FAFSA underwent changes as a result of the FAFSA Simplification Act, which was intended to streamline the financial aid application process. The U.S. Department of Education rolled out the new FAFSA on Dec. 31 for the 2024-25 academic year, but it has since encountered a number of issues, delays and errors in processing student applications.

The PA State Grant Program uses the FAFSA form as its primary application point to determine student eligibility for a PA State Grant award. Historically, May 1 was used as the deadline for students to complete their FAFSA for PA State Grant purposes.

More information is available at pheaa.org.

On April 22, 2024, BSE Director Carole L. Clancy, sent a memo to all LEAs titled 2023-24 School Year Restraint Information System Collection Tracking and Training Third and Fourth Quarter Reporting Window. The memo states that the Restraint Information System Collection (RISC) is open for data entry for the third and fourth quarter of the 2023-24 school year (restraints occurring between January 1 – July 14, 2024). The RISC program has been enhanced and gives local educational agencies (LEAs) greater opportunity to provide both more detail about restraints and to analyze trends to reduce the use of physical restraints.

LEAs are required to report RISC data quarterly during the 2023-24 school year. This includes reporting zero restraints during a quarter when restraints did not occur. Additionally, LEAs still are required to comply with 22 Pa. Code § 14.133(f) or 22 Pa. Code § 711.46(f) Positive Behavior Support related to training of personnel in specific procedures, methods, and techniques. However, 22 Pa. Code § 14.133(f) and 22 Pa. Code § 711.46(f) Positive Behavior Support does not require LEAs to acquire specific certification in the use of restraints and leaves this up to the LEAs and their specific training model. The training of personnel should provide varied intervention and strategies needed to address problem behaviors. The types of intervention chosen for a specific student or eligible young child shall be the least intrusive necessary. The use of restraints is considered a measure of last resort, only to be used after other less restrictive measures, including de-escalation techniques.

The Bureau of Special Education (BSE) continues to require LEAs to report the restraints that occurred in each quarter. This reporting process permits LEAs to report restraints in a timely manner which, in turn, allows LEAs to monitor patterns of episodic behaviors and address them accordingly.

The quarterly windows of reporting for the 2023-24 school year are as follows:

Quarter	Begin Date	End Date	Last Day to Report	Zero Window Opens	Zero Window Closes
1	07/01/2023	09/30/2023	10/19/2023	10/01/2023	10/18/2023
2	10/01/2023	12/31/2023	01/15/2024	01/01/2024	01/15/2024
3	01/01/2024	03/31/2024	04/14/2024	04/01/2024	04/14/2024
4	04/01/2024	06/30/2024	07/14/2024	07/01/2024	07/14/2024

The RISC reporting design provides an “End Date” for LEAs to comply with their end of quarterly reporting. In addition, there is a two-week window date labeled “Last Day to Report” to allow LEAs to gather and report on those students that attend an out-of-district facility where they were placed in a restraint during that quarter. This two-week period is also a designated time for LEAs that had no restraints during the quarter to report zero in RISC. BSE will continue to send out reminder PENN*LINKS about this quarterly reporting requirement.

BSE will monitor the restraint information reported by LEAs. RISC requires each LEA to report the event that occurred prior to the incident, the incident, the unsafe behavior, and the de-escalation techniques used.

The LEA must notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the use of a restraint and schedule an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting within 10 school days of the use of the restraint in the educational program, unless the parent(s)/guardian(s), after written notice, agree(s) in writing to waive the IEP meeting.

Restraints occurring during Extended School Year sessions should be reported within three weeks of the start of the school year.

In reviewing restraints submitted in RISC of school-age IEP students, the Special Education Advisers of BSE will continue to focus on LEA monitoring responsibilities, as well as:

• Training of staff in de-escalation techniques;
• Excessive time of restraint;
• Excessive use of parent/guardian waivers;
• Mechanical restraints;
• Injuries;
• Number of restraints;
• Ten-day window (school days) to convene an IEP meeting after a restraint occurs; and
• Handcuffing of students or students charged with a Safe Schools offense.

A new RISC reporting webinar has been recently posted on the RISC website: apps.leaderservices.com/_risc/index.aspx. This RISC reporting webinar link is located below the login box of the Leader Services RISC sign-in page. This webinar explains the reporting and investigation process and how to use the RISC system. The webinar also shares how to update your LEA’s contact information. All parties involved with RISC are highly encouraged to view this webinar to learn how to report restraints, how to use the system, and to understand the regulatory responsibility of LEAs.

Additionally, BSE’s “Guidelines for De-escalation and the Use of and Reporting of Restraints in Educational Programs” is available for review on the RISC website.

Questions regarding RISC should be directed the RISC Resource Account at [email protected].

As advocates across the country are calling, with increasing urgency, for a concerted effort from all stakeholders to assist students and families with their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, the White House and US Department of Education (USDE) have announced this week the FAFSA Week of Action to raise awareness and encourage FAFSA completion.

“The biggest barrier to entry for many of Pennsylvania’s current or prospective postsecondary students is cost, and despite resources such as the FAFSA and other sources of financial aid, too many students are forced to defer college or not attend at all, said PDE Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “The Commonwealth ranks 49th for state investments in higher education, causing Pennsylvania postsecondary students to incur an average of $40,000 in student debt. By investing in our system – and thus our students – we can reverse the decades of disinvestment and build a stronger higher education sector that will ensure success in our students and communities for decades to come.”

FAFSA is the sole gateway to all federal, state, and most institutional financial aid in Pennsylvania, including student loans available for all income levels. Completion is at crisis-low levels due to delays in the application release and subsequent processing and data errors, which is why it is now more important than ever for Pennsylvania to lend support to postsecondary students.

Despite decades of disinvestment in higher education in Pennsylvania, coupled with having one of the most decentralized higher education sectors in the country, the Commonwealth is faced with the unique opportunity to do right by current and future postsecondary students – whether they’re preparing for college after high school graduation, currently enrolled in two- or four-year programs, or returning to school after taking some time off.

The Shapiro Administration’s blueprint for higher education addresses more than just affordability, it would also build a new public system for higher education that unites PASSHE Universities and Community Colleges, and reinvests in our publicly-funded colleges and universities via a predictable, transparent funding formula. 

As college continues to grow more expensive, enrollment is dropping, and college attainment rates are below the national average in 56 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Many counties have little access to affordable higher education options resulting in low college-attendance rates. National experts predict the impact to postsecondary enrollment in the fall could be as bad or worse than during the COVID pandemic.

This is an emergency for PA’s higher education sector, students, and the state economy because:
-High school senior completions are down close to 23% from this time last year;
-FAFSA submission does not equal completion. Many students must also make corrections in order to get their financial aid;
-Further drops in enrollment could be devastating and force closures for more PA colleges and universities; and
–PA’s workforce sector currently faces a workforce shortage in addition to the disinvestment and decentralized higher education sector. We need 61,000 more people with the right college degrees or credentials to fill open jobs. If nothing is done, estimates show that the talent gap will increase to at least 218,000 unfilled jobs within just a decade.
Governor Shapiro’s blueprint for higher education aims to set the course for a new era of higher education in Pennsylvania. It is grounded in research, lessons learned from leading states, and input from vested partners. In the months ahead, the administration will continue to engage in a collaborative process to build out the details of this plan, delivering tangible results for our students, workforce, and the future of the Commonwealth.

On April 19, 2024. the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that $1.5 million in grant funding is available to help schools create learning opportunities that will bolster the Commonwealth’s next generation of special educators.

“The Shapiro Administration is laser focused on growing and expanding the Commonwealth’s educator workforce, and we know that one of the areas of greatest need is in the field of special education,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “This grant funding will complement the efforts we have already undertaken to create a pipeline of high-quality educators who can serve students from all walks of life and those with disabilities or different needs.”

The 2024-2026 Developing Future Special Educators grants are available to local education agencies (LEA), including school districts, approved private schools, career technical education centers, charter schools, cyber charter schools, intermediate units, and institutions of higher education (IHE). Grantees are required to design and implement up to three experiential learning opportunities for secondary/postsecondary students and educate them on career pathways and future job opportunities that exist in the field of special education.

Through the experiential learning opportunities, students will learn about supporting students with disabilities through participation in structured activities, programs, and events with guidance and oversight from current educators. Ultimately, the goal is to recruit future special education professionals by engaging them in authentic, experiential learning opportunities in support of students with disabilities.

The maximum grant award is $20,000 and the funds are available through June 30, 2026. LEAs and IHEs should apply through the Attract-Prepare-Retain (APR) Repository by June 10, 2024. A webinar will be held on Monday, April 29, 2024, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, and the session will be recorded and made available on the APR Repository.

Pennsylvania is facing a major shortage of educators across the Commonwealth. A decade ago, roughly 20,000 teacher certifications were issued each year, while in 2021 only about 6,000 were issued. The Shapiro Administration is taking action to address the education workforce shortage and make it a little bit easier for Pennsylvanians to become a teacher, because creating real opportunity for our children starts with having enough well-qualified, well-paid teachers in our classrooms.

This program builds on the Department’s efforts to recruit and retain teachers in Pennsylvania, as PDE is working collaboratively with leaders in the education field to ensure there is a robust pipeline of educators in place to provide a high-quality education to learners of all ages across the Commonwealth.

Last week, Governor Josh Shapiro announced the application opening of the new student teacher stipend application, the PA Student Teacher Support Program. The program provides up to $15,000 to eligible student teachers in Pennsylvania. Administered through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), this program will help address the teacher shortage in Pennsylvania and fill staffing gaps for critical education positions to ensure every student has the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.