Category: News

Gov. Wolf Announces $9 Million For Substance Use Disorder Crisis Stabilization Services (November 29, 2022)

On November 28, 2022, Governor Tom Wolf announced ​the availability of more than $9 million in state grant funding for Single County Authorities (SCAs) to establish or expand crisis stabilization services for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (SUD).

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for enhanced and coordinated behavioral health services in Pennsylvania,” Gov. Wolf said. “This funding opportunity will make use of Pennsylvania’s share of the federal Opioid Distributor Settlement to build on our existing programs and initiatives.”

Grants of up to $3 million will be awarded to eligible SCAs and can be applied toward a range of activities including construction and building infrastructure, staffing, and programming.

“These grants will help expand or establish services to provide a much-needed component to the continuum of care; reduce the burden on first responders, law enforcement, and emergency departments, and provide timely care to individuals in need,” said state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) Secretary Jen Smith.

The administration’s goal in offering this funding opportunity is to provide an additional mechanism for counties to invest in infrastructure, staffing, programming, and other necessary components to establish or expand crisis stabilization services.

SUD crisis stabilization services must have the capacity to recognize and manage individuals presenting with a wide range of SUD-related symptoms, mental health disorders, and developmental disabilities. Additionally, services include assessment and stabilization of acute physical and psychiatric symptoms which may include medical management and behavioral interventions, induction on medication-assisted treatment, level of care assessments, short-term stays, and connections to supportive services.

For more information on this Grant Initiative Funding Application, visit the Funding Opportunities page on the DDAP website. Applications must be submitted to [email protected] by 12 PM on Wednesday, December 28, 2022.

Questions regarding the funding and the application process should be emailed to [email protected]

USDE Seeks Public Comment on Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections (November 25, 2022)

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is seeking public comment on Draft Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections Frequently Asked Questions – Nonregulatory Guidance (2022). As indicated in its title, the final document will provide nonregualtor guidance.

In the FAQs, the USDE outlines school violence prevention options under $1B Stronger Connections grant program Schools should take a comprehensive approach to violence prevention that includes not only improved safety measures but meets students’ physical, social, emotional, mental health and academic needs, according to a draft FAQ issued by the U.S. Department of Education for the $1 billion Stronger Connections grant program.  

A September 15, 2022 letter  to Chief State School Officers by U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona provided  information regarding the prioritization of funding for school districts that focuses on poverty levels, as well as other circumstances based on the need to address student vulnerabilities.

The FAQs also provide recommendations for allowable activities under the grant.

The public is invited to provide feedback on the draft document by December 19, 2022.

The USDE will consider all comments in making revisions, as appropriate, but will
not provide individual responses to comments.

Submission Instructions include:
Send comments to: [email protected]
Subject line: Stronger Connections Grant Program FAQs Comments: Please submit succinct, substantive comments regarding the draft Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections Grant Program FAQs, which may include:
• Identifying questions or answers in the document, by question number, that you think are not clear and provide a suggestion for enhancing clarity; or
• Providing suggestions for enhancing the document overall, such as an unanswered question.

Special Olympics Honors Daniel Boone HS as a 2022 National Banner Unified Champion School (November 25, 2022)

The Daniel Boone Area High School has been selected as a 2022 National Banner Unified Champion School by Special Olympics.  This is a prestigious distinction that celebrates the “best of the best” inclusive school communities.  Daniel Boone High School is one of 110 schools throughout the country to receive this national honor for its efforts to make sure all students feel included and respected. It is also one of only three schools in Pennsylvania to be selected as a 2022 National Banner Unified Champion School.

In an interview with WFMZ Hannah Huddleson, a junior at Daniel Boone,  stated, “Our big word is ‘inclusion. We choose to include and just make sure that everybody’s unified.”

In addition, Daniel Boone Superintendent Brett Cooper said, “We developed a district vision. That vision is five simple words: ‘Learning together, advocating for all.'”

The high school has unified sports, where students of different abilities can compete, including a bocce team and track-and-field team. There’s also a unified ambassadors group made up of more than 100 students.

Congratulations to longtime PAPSA member Robert Hurley, Assistant to the Superintendent at Daniel Boone.

For more from WFMZ, click here.

PAPSA’s Matt Ammons Receives WhyTry Resilience in Action Award (November 24, 2022)

At the recent NAPSA conference, Matt Ammons received the WhyTry Resilience in Action Award. The award recognizes how pupil services professionals help students to see the “why” and in turn help to facilitate the development of resilience in students so they can answer the question, “Why Try?”

Matt was given the award by internationally renowned WhyTry founder Christian Moore, who cited Matt for his fine work in programming for students in need at the Hamburg (PA) Area School District. Those programs removed barriers and widened boundaries for students. In fact, Matt has been the catalyst in the development of two educational programs that have greatly benefited students academically, socially, and emotionally while fostering resilience in each student.

One of the programs that Matt has been instrumental in developing is the Transitions Academy. The program helps young adults to transition to postsecondary life and is designed for special needs students aged 18 to 21 years, but could also include students considered high school juniors or seniors that plan to exit school prior to becoming 21 years of age. The program focuses on helping vulnerable learners to become engaged in hands-on educational opportunities within the community, allowing them to develop a work ethic while enhancing a skill set that will help them to become competitively employed after they are no longer high school students. It immerses them at an off-campus job site and fosters in them a sense of value, self-awareness, self-care, self-management, and the enjoyment in successfully completing assigned tasks. Goals and objectives are tailored for each individual student based on need.

Importantly, the Transitions Academy educational experience helps students to develop resilience. For example, it teaches them how to handle challenges as they arise, the demands of everyday work, operating in less desirable job assignments, communicating with peers and others, resolving conflicts, and overcoming barriers and obstacles as they carry out those tasks assigned to them.

The other program Matt has been a catalyst in developing is the Uniting Talent & Passion Extended School Year Program. In this program, the school district partners with Camp Fowler to provide a unique experience for students to have authentic learning experiences in a classroom setting and outdoor educational environment. The program runs for a total of 10 days. During the first day, lessons and activities will be based around team building, social skills, and peer-to-peer interactions. On Wednesdays and Thursdays students attend classroom-based ESY where they will focus on individual goals, therapies, and social skills activities tied to thematic units which will culminate on Fridays. On Fridays, students have a variety of activities and public displays of learning at camp that are tied directly to their individual goals and needs along with the thematic unit of the week.

This ESY program is for students pre-K to age 21. Camp staff collects pertinent data with regard to student goals and tracks their progress with regard to such. A highlight of the program has been a deaf-blind student who participated in camp in a very successful manner.

In essence, both of the above programs foster the development of resilience as students learn to take responsible risks and challenge themselves. Students are also taught to learn from mistakes and failures through recognizing, understanding and accepting that such things are part of the learning process. Further, receiving praise and encouragement for hard work and perseverance spurs students to persist despite difficulty and to interpret academic or social challenges in a positive way. In sum, many of the most vulnerable learners become more resilient as they participate in these excellent programs.

Congratulations Matt!

NOTE: Matt Ammons is PAPSA’s Executive Board President and a NAPSA Trustee.

Matt Ammons Becomes New PAPSA President (November 23, 2022)

At its November 22, 2023 meeting, the PAPSA Executive Board accepted the resignation of Dr. Chris Pugliese as president. Dr. Pugliese submitted his letter of resignation in which he stated, “I am very thankful for the friends and colleagues I’ve met throughout my time as a Board Member and President of PAPSA…My new role as a Building Principal is taking me away from Pupil Services, so I must respectfully step down as President. Please share my thanks and best wishes to the [Executive] Board of PAPSA.”

The Board accepted the resignation with regret, expressed its sincere thanks for Dr. Pugliese’s service to PAPSA and the field of pupil services, and passed along its best wishes to him in all of his future endeavors.

As per PAPSA By-Laws, the leadership torch has been passed on to PAPSA President-elect Matt Ammons. Matt is currently a program supervisor with Lancaster-Lebanon IU 13 after having served as the Director of Pupil Services at the Hamburg Area School District. He was also a special education teacher at the Bangor Area School district. He currently serves as a trustee on the executive board of the National Association of Pupil Services Administrators (NAPSA).

Matt was recently awarded the WhyTry Resilience in Action Award for his work in creating programs that foster the development of resilience as students learn to take responsible risks and challenge themselves as they are taught to learn from mistakes and failures through recognizing, understanding and accepting that such things are part of the learning process. Further, receiving praise and encouragement for hard work and perseverance spurs students to persist despite difficulty and to interpret academic or social challenges in a positive way. Participation in these programs has allowed many of the most vulnerable learners to become more resilient and to enhance their educational experience.