Category: News

USDA to Release Final Regs on Free Meal Expansion & Nutrition in April 2024 (June 25, 2023)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is determining final regulations over the expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and stricter school nutrition standards and expects to release final rules in April 2024 on two important school meal proposals, one to expand free meals served to all students at high-poverty schools and the other to heighten nutrition guidance.

The first change, initially proposed in March 2023, would expand access to the CEP, which allows schools with high concentrations of low-income families to serve free breakfast and lunch without requiring an application for the benefit. The USDA’s proposal aims to lower the minimum threshold for a school or district’s CEP eligibility from 40% of enrolled students to 25%.

The 45-day comment period on the CEP expansion closed in May 2023.

For more from K-12 Dive click here.

PDE Launches Purple Star School Program to Support Military-Connected Children (June 15, 2023)

On June 14, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced the launch of the Purple Star School Program to support military-connected children as they relocate to new schools due to a parent’s change in duty station. The Purple Star School designation is given to schools or local education agencies for their commitment to active-duty military families and students.

The Purple Star School program was passed into law in July 2022. The program encourages schools to identify and support the children of service members on active duty, and in the National Guard and Reserves, as they transition to a new school. Schools can receive the Purple Star Award from PDE if they meet specific criteria demonstrating their commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military.

To learn more and apply for the Purple Star School designation, schools can visit PDE’s website. The program is open to public and non-public schools in Pennsylvania.

The Purple Star School Program is a nationwide initiative. Pennsylvania now joins 37 other states that offer this designation.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit PDE’s website.

Shapiro Administration Announces New Grant Funding To Help Paraeducators Earn Special Ed. Teaching Credentials, Put More Special Ed. Teachers In Classrooms (June 15, 2023)

On June 15, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that $1.5 million in grant funding is available to establish or expand opportunities for practicing paraeducators in Pennsylvania schools to become special education teachers at no cost while actively learning and working in their school. Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin.

viewed it as a way to “create a robust pipeline of high-quality educators is by allowing paraprofessionals to earn credentials while they’re already working in the classroom [and can] transition seamlessly from paraprofessional to educator.”

The grants will create new special education career pathways for paraeducators; increase the number of practicing paraeducators earning certifications, and/or postsecondary credits/degrees; and increase the number of practicing paraeducators pursuing PK-12 special education teacher certification through enrollment in a PDE-approved special education PK-12 certification program.

Intermediate units (IU) that partner with at least one community college located in Pennsylvania and at least one local education agency (school district, approved private school, career technical education center, charter school, cyber charter school, or chartered school for the deaf or blind) may apply for the grant.

IU grant recipients must design and deliver a program to ensure paraeducators within their IU region can participate in networking with other paraeducators, receive academic support, attend courses at no cost, and obtain advanced Credentials of Competency for Special Education Paraeducators in Pennsylvania and/or associate of arts degrees. They must also partner with at least one community college to design and deliver a program to ensure completion of all required program competencies within a two-year period, provide instruction through a combination of in-person and virtual options to meet the needs of paraeducators working full-time, and establish or expand credit for completion of program competencies fulfilled on-the-job. Finally, grant recipients must partner with one or more schools in the IU region to provide paraeducators with mentoring by experienced special educators during the school year and provide scheduling flexibility to allow time for coursework during the school day. 

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM on Friday, August 11, 2023. Applicants may request up to $50,000, and funding for each successful grant application will be available until December 2025.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit PDE’s website.

DHS Highlights Research Examining And Combating Stigma For Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Autism (June 15, 2023)

On June 13, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) released the latest issue of the Positive Approaches Journal which aims to provide the most recent research and resources for people with mental health and behavioral challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to help them live an everyday life. This edition focuses on examining the stigma that persists around mental health and disabilities, and highlighting methods to combat and correct it. It features research and articles on the following:

  • Data Discoveries: Data discoveries in this edition break down the perceptions and stigma of individuals who disclose their autism diagnosis in their workplace.
  • The Importance of Peer Support and Stigma Awareness: My Journey in Mental and Physical Health: This article details the real-life experience of a father whose daughter experienced instances of mental health stigma but was helped by peer supports.
  • Life Through My Lens: An Exploration of Self-Stigma: This article discusses the importance of addressing mental health stigma within oneself in order to address stigma in the world. The Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association has developed a class to help people in reducing self-stigma and understanding what it means to feel good about themselves.
  • Overcoming Stigma Through Education and Capacity Building in Communities: This article talks about the role that social stigma plays in the lives of those with disabilities and offers a case study in how to build collaborative supports within communities to ensure that people with disabilities can lead everyday lives.
  • Mental Health Stigma Across Ethnic Minority Identities: This article addresses different mental health stigmas surrounding ethnic and racial identity, and how it can impact mental health care.
  • Lessons from the Community: The Critical Importance of Lived Experience When Designing Trauma Recovery Programs: This article reviews the importance of community engagement when designing clinical interventions and supports. This research highlights the need for enhanced trauma recovery and resilience building for the neurodivergent community following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The journal is a collaboration of DHS’ Office of Developmental Programs and Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and collects resources, observations, and advancements in mental and behavioral health in order to better serve the people of Pennsylvania.

Read this edition of the Positive Approaches Journal.

For more information visit www.dhs.pa.gov.

Homeland Security Provides Toolkit for Schools to Improve Bystander Reporting and Increase Safety (June 13, 2023)

In May 2023, the U.S. Department’s Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) published a toolkit with strategies to help schools. Titled Improving School Safety Bystander Reporting: A Toolkit for Strengthening K-12 Reporting Programs, the toolkit aims to provide schools with actionable, practical, and cost-efficient steps toward preventing harm or acts of violence and focuses on five strategies for schools to employ. They are:
1. Encourage bystanders to report concerns for the wellness and safety of themselves or others.
2. Make reporting accessible and safe for the reporting community.
3. Follow-up on reports and be transparent about the actions taken in response to reported concerns.
4. Make reporting a part of daily school life.
5. Create a positive climate where reporting valued and respected.

According to the toolkit, the willingness of bystanders to come forward with concerns for the wellness and safety of themselves or others is a key component of student health and violence prevention efforts in kindergarten through 12th grade (K12) schools. The CISA-USSS K-12 Bystander Reporting Toolkit is designed to help community leaders create tailored, customized approaches to encourage reporting that meet the needs of their unique communities.

To access the toolkit, click here.