Tuesday, March 31, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for March 31, 2020: Gov. Wolf closes schools indefinitely: Coronavirus infects our unequal schools


Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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PA Ed Policy Roundup for March 31, 2020


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Political Cartoon: Coronavirus infects our unequal schools
Inquirer by Signe Wilkinson Updated: March 29, 2020 - 5:00 AM

“Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters of PA and a former Shippensburg Area School Board member, said, “The emergency school code legislation that was signed into law last week provides clarity and certainty for Pennsylvania’s educational system. Today’s announcement that the closures will be extended indefinitely allows school leaders and educators to make long term plans to ensure the continuity of education for students. While some well-funded school districts will seamlessly pivot to online education, under-resourced districts and districts in areas where families have limited access to high speed internet will face many challenges as they work to meet students’ needs.”
Pa. school closure order extended for an indefinite period of time
By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Mar 30, 2020; Posted Mar 30, 2020
Pennsylvania’s Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered K-12 school buildings to remain closed through an indefinite period of time as part of the commonwealth’s ongoing efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The governor made this announcement on Monday afternoon along with announcing stay-at-home orders extended now though April 30 to four more counties – Cumberland, Dauphin, Carbon and Schuylkill counties– in addition to the 22 previously under such orders. Wolf’s school closure order extends the one he issued last week that indicated schools would remain closed through at least April 6. In the meantime, schools are required through an emergency school law enacted on Friday in response to the COVID-19 outbreak to make a good faith effort to resume education for students through alternate means although the state’s 180-day school year mandate was waived.

Pa. Education Dept.: Waiver to make it easier for schools to offer free meals to all children
WFMZ69 News Mar 30, 2020
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Department of Education said Monday it will now be easier for schools in the state to provide free meals to all children during the coronavirus outbreak.  The department said it received waiver approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow schools to provide free meals to all children during statewide COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Before receiving the waiver, schools that did not meet area-based free or reduced-price meal eligibility requirements were unable to offer free meals community-wide, the department said in a news release. The waiver eases the requirements, which the department said will help make sure all children have access to food during the outbreak. “Schools and community organizations can now use recent and local economic data, including unemployment claims and business closures, to request approval from PDE to qualify as an open meal site,” said Vonda Ramp, PDE state director for Child Nutrition Programs. “Once approved, they can provide meals to all children in their community, age 18 and under, for free.” Local education agencies-school districts, charter schools, intermediate units and career and technology centers-can operate their sites under the Seamless Summer Option or Summer Food Service Program. LEAs can begin applying to PDE for a waiver immediately, and the department is prepared to expedite reviews and approvals.

Why it’s critical we keep our eyes on Pa’s kids during the COVID-19 pandemic | Opinion
 By Simon F. Haeder and Kelli Caseman Capital-Star Op-Ed Contributor March 31, 2020
Capital-Star Opinion contributor Simon F. Haeder is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy in the School of Public Policy at Penn State University. Kelli Caseman is the executive director of Think Kids, a West Virginia-based nonprofit organization. Together, they work on a research project studying the efficacy of school-based health centers in Appalachia for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Leadership Program.
The coronavirus has changed the world as we know it. In the span of just a few weeks, we’re seeing and doing things much differently. Rightfully so, because for the most vulnerable among us, their lives depend upon it. Yet in the middle of this chaos, there has only been a limited focus on perhaps the most vulnerable group among us: children. From a medical perspective, the effect of the pandemic appears mixed. We know that children aren’t immune to the coronavirus, but they’re also not the most at-risk demographic. In a recent study of early cases in China, fewer than 1 percent of all infections were children under the age of 10. However, newer research shows that babies and toddlers appear to be at higher risk of developing more severe symptoms than older children. Kids with preexisting medical conditions are also more vulnerable, but by all counts, this isn’t like the H1N1 virus– this isn’t considered a children’s disease. Yet the threat to children goes well beyond falling sick from the virus. This pandemic has real consequences for many of Pennsylvania’s kids. Some of these are immediate.

“The Department of Education will be providing updated guidance and resources on the continuity of education for students to schools in the coming days.”
Gov. Wolf and Sec. of Health Expand ‘Stay at Home’ Order to Carbon, Cumberland, Dauphin and Schuylkill Counties, Extend School Closures Indefinitely
Governor Wolf Press Release March 30, 2020
As COVID-19 cases continue to grow and the state continues to seek relief to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19, today Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine revised their “Stay at Home” orders to include Carbon, Cumberland, Dauphin and Schuylkill counties, bringing the state total to 26 counties under a stay-at-home order. This order takes effect at 8 p.m., Monday, March 30, 2020, and will continue until April 30. All stay-at-home orders are now extended through April 30. All Pennsylvania schools will remain closed until further notice. Non-life-sustaining business closures remain in effect. The order now includes these 26 counties: Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Butler, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland and York counties.

Latest update on school construction projects
POSTED ON MARCH 30, 2020 IN PSBA NEWS
PSBA has been advocating, along with partners in the school construction community, for the continuance of school construction projects during the COVID-19 outbreak. On Friday, the Office of the Governor stated that, “School construction is not subject to the business guidance. At the local level, they have the ability to determine whether or not a school construction project constitutes critical construction. And a waiver is not required.” PSBA believes this allows school construction to continue at this time. We will continue to share details as they become available. Click here to read the full update from PSBA.

SB751 (now Act 13): PSSAs, flex days, online learning: here's (almost) everything included in Pa.'s approved emergency school code legislation
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer March 31, 2020
Pennsylvania schools got some much-needed guidance from state lawmakers last week. Both the state House and Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed emergency school code legislation in the face of a growing coronavirus pandemic that caused Gov. Tom Wolf to close schools indefinitely. Wolf signed Senate Bill 751 into law on Friday. From the 180-day school year requirement to teacher pay, the bill, originally crafted by state Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Landisville, to fix the state’s teacher evaluation system, covers plenty of ground.
Here’s (almost) everything it includes.

Gov. Wolf closes schools indefinitely
Somerset County Daily American by MATTHEW TOTH mtoth@dailyamerican.com Mar 30, 2020 Updated 1 hr ago
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered all K-12 schools to remain closed for an unspecified period of time to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday Wolf ordered all Pennsylvania schools to remain closed until further notice. Schools were initially closed until April 6 in an attempt to control the spread of the virus in Pennsylvania. “Our business and school closures will no longer have a set date to resume normal operations,” Wolf said in a Harrisburg press conference. “Until now I’ve been saying another two weeks. Now I’m going to leave the date indefinite.”Somerset County superintendents said they received no advance warning about the governor’s order. Many believed, however, that the date would be pushed back. “I think we are in a very fluid environment in terms of public education and I’m sure every other aspect of our life,” Berlin Superintendent David Reeder said. Reeder said the district is planning to continue providing distance learning for students. Berlin students had their first flexible instruction day on Monday. “(We put) as much as we can online. Internet though is a problem for some of our families,” he said. “So in order to get materials to families, packets are a necessity for some.” As of Monday morning, there were 4,087 positive cases of COVID-19 in 59 Pennsylvania counties, according to the state Department of Health. Somerset County and Cambria County have already had confirmed cases of the virus.

Last week, the Education Law Center in Philadelphia asked that special education, English language learners and low-income students be given ample resources so they don’t fall further behind academically. The state Department of Education has said it is working with the state’s 29 intermediate units that provide special services to districts.”
Pennsylvania schools closed indefinitely because of coronavirus; remote learning plans kicking in
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING CALL | MAR 30, 2020 | 7:19 PM
All K-12 Pennsylvania schools will remain closed until further notice because of the coronavirus, signaling Lehigh Valley superintendents to have a remote learning plan in place for an indefinite amount of time. Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement Monday extended the school closure he issued last week that went through at least April 6. Pennsylvania schools have been closed since March 16. The state Department of Education cannot legally require districts to teach during the closure, but it is “strongly encouraging” teachers to continue educating students either through mandatory instruction or voluntary enrichment. On Monday, a number of Lehigh Valley districts, including Parkland, Bethlehem Area and Northampton Area, started requiring remote learning. “I believe there is a good chance we could be closed for the remainder of the year,” Bethlehem Area Superintendent Joseph Roy said. “We need to plan as if we will be closed through the remainder of the year.” Some districts across the state have only been providing enrichment lessons, in which no grades are given, because they do not have the ability to provide laptops or hot spots for Wi-Fi to students. School officials have also wondered how to best serve special education students and English learners. Wolf said Monday the state hopes to have a plan soon to help districts. “We are working on a plan to make sure we have a way to provide an education for the kids who are not getting an education for the next two months,” Wolf said.

Wolf: Schools to remain closed ‘until further notice,’ 4 more counties must stay home
DAVID TEMPLETON Pittsburgh Post-Gazette dtempleton@post-gazette.com MAR 30, 2020 6:28 PM
Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday extended school closures throughout the state “until further notice” and said non life-sustaining business closures will “remain in effect.” "We're going to keep our schools and businesses closed as long as we need to keep them closed to keep Pennsylvanians safe," Mr. Wolf said during a virtual press conference. "Right now, it isn't safe." He did address concern about the shortened K-12 year, especially for children with special needs. “We are working on a plan to make sure we have a way to provide education for our kids” who stand to miss school over the next two months,” Mr. Wolf said. “We hope have a plan in place in the next few days that will provide an alternative to brick and mortal schools.”

Saucon Valley among first to roll out formal online learning as students remain home during coronavirus pandemic
By MICHELLE MERLIN THE MORNING CALL | MAR 30, 2020 | 7:00 AM
Twice a day, Sharon Bender has set up a Zoom video call with her second grade class. They chant the Pledge of Allegiance, read to each other, and screen share while Bender walks them through their assignments. Bender’s students haven’t been in a school since Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all districts to close March 16. They’re excited to see each other during the class sessions Bender offers morning and evening, in case families can’t make one. On Wednesday, they even asked for a Zoom session of show and tell. She obliged. “They miss seeing each other, they miss seeing me, they miss being goofy with each other. It’s really good,” she said. “Just the uncertainty of not knowing when we’re going back, that’s a little tough.” The state Department of Education on Wednesday announced it was “strongly encouraging” all school districts to continue some type of learning for students that could be mandatory or optional in case closures extend beyond the current April 6 end date. Many districts across the Lehigh Valley have plans to roll out remote learning Monday.

Pittsburgh Public Schools announce updated plan for online instruction
Trib Live by TEGHAN SIMONTON   | Monday, March 30, 2020 9:43 p.m.
Pittsburgh Public Schools will begin district-wide online instruction on April 16, according to a letter sent to families Monday. Per the district’s updated plan, this week will be dedicated to teachers and instructional staff learning to teach remotely. Technology will be distributed to identified students on Thursday, April 9. The following week, on April 14 and 15, printed instructional packets will also be distributed at Grab and Go meal locations. The district will maintain its regularly scheduled spring break, April 6 through 13. In the letter, Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said the district will use Microsoft Teams to conduct online classes. The district is using this week to familiarize 1,700 teachers with the software. A survey was sent last week to district families to evaluate their internet and technology access. Of the 6,148 respondents, Hamlet said, 41% of families reported they do not have access to a device for each child in their home. Another 5% reported a lack of internet access.

Jeopardizing health? Philly principals, teachers leery of plan to distribute 50k laptops
It is now official: Pennsylvania schools closed indefinitely.
The notebook by Avi Wolfman-Arent and Dale Mezzacappa March 30 — 1:58 pm, 2020
The School District of Philadelphia’s plan to distribute roughly 50,000 Chromebooks next week as part of a pivot to virtual learning is facing resistance from principals and teachers who say they’re being asked to jeopardize their health. Union leaders haven’t formally rejected the plan, but are warning that a significant portion of their members may not show up as part of the in-person system to catalogue, prepare and distribute the laptops. “How you treat your employees during a pandemic is important,” said Robin Cooper, head of Teamsters Local 502 Commonwealth Association of School Administrators (CASA), the union that represents district principals and school administrators. “I’m sure there will be some [principals] who stay home and some who will go in,” Cooper added. Cooper says many of her members are older or look after older relatives. She says they’re wary of interacting with thousands of parents and children across the district’s 200-plus schools in the middle of an intensifying pandemic. This early snag shows how difficult it may be for Pennsylvania’s largest school district to buy laptops for students that don’t have them at home, distribute them and then shift to a scaled-up version of online learning — all within a few weeks.

Ed Palattella: Virus reveals Erie-area school inequity
GoErie By Ed Palattella @etnpalattella Posted at 12:02 AM
Lack of technology at home creates big issues for many Erie County school districts as they consider online learning. Chromebooks have become critical. For many Erie County school districts, the laptop computers are essential to ensure that all students can learn online during the school shutdown due to COVID-19. The Girard School District already handed out Chromebooks. The Erie School District plans to distribute them. So does the Millcreek Township School District. The Chromebooks are going to students who have no computers at home. The lack of technology and internet access at home is a challenge for school districts with a high percentage of students classified as economically disadvantaged by the state. They include the Erie School District (77 percent), Iroquois School District (74 percent), Girard (57 percent) and even Millcreek (44 percent). In the rural Union City Area School District, where 64 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged, the lack of home computers and internet access is acute. “The geography of our district makes it impossible to go strictly online,” Union City schools Superintendent Matthew Bennett told me. “We have done connectivity tests through providers and they have confirmed that connectivity is a huge issue.”

"The compassion, empathy, kindness, and commitment that the nation’s educators have already shown is the best reason for optimism that America’s public-education system can weather what’s to come"
The Scramble to Move America's Schools Online
Education Week By Benjamin Herold March 27, 2020
America’s sprawling K-12 public education system is scrambling to move online, almost overnight, with little time to plan and even less clarity about what happens next. Undertaken in response to the spiraling coronavirus crisis, the massive and scattershot transition has shifted much of the burden of schooling onto overwhelmed parents and caregivers, highlighting both the enormous potential and profound limitations of classroom technology. Like everyone else, educators were caught unprepared for the scope and speed of the disruptions caused by a global pandemic. In little more than two weeks, the coronavirus led to the mass closure of at least 124,000 school buildings, leaving more than 55 million children without access to in-person classroom instruction, counseling, and other services. Thrust into emergency triage, schools focused first on how to provide food and other basics. In recent days, they’ve pivoted to the far more difficult task of teaching children from afar. With minimal training, often while stuck at home and juggling their own family responsibilities, the country’s teachers and principals have sprung into action, distributing Chromebooks to students and sending Wi-Fi enabled school buses into their communities, teaching on Instagram Live and hosting virtual class discussions on Zoom—and calling students and parents on the telephone to make sure they’re OK.

What Coronavirus-Stricken Schools Want From the Feds Next: Online Learning Help
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on March 30, 2020 3:34 PM
There have been three coronavirus aid packages signed by President Donald Trump so far, and two of them have important effects on issues like like child nutrition and schools' cash flow. So if there's a fourth aid package—and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has said another is necessary—what will education groups push hard for? We already know at least one answer: They want more resources and freedom to help students connect to the internet and learn online. The lobbying on that front has been underway for a couple of weeks now, yet so far it's mostly come up short, even as schools have scrambled to connect their students with some kind of learning experience. So what are education groups looking for on this front? Let's divide up the answer into two tracks:

Jeopardizing health? Philly principals, teachers leery of plan to distribute 50k laptops
By Avi Wolfman-Arent  Dale Mezzacappa March 30, 2020
The School District of Philadelphia’s plan to distribute roughly 50,000 Chromebooks next week as part of a pivot to virtual learning is facing resistance from principals and teachers who say they’re being asked to jeopardize their health. Union leaders haven’t formally rejected the plan, but are warning that a significant portion of their members may not show up as part of the in-person system to catalogue, prepare and distribute the laptops. “How you treat your employees during a pandemic is important,” said Robin Cooper, head of Teamsters Local 502 Commonwealth Association of School Administrators (CASA), the union that represents district principals and school administrators. “I’m sure there will be some [principals] who stay home and some who will go in,” Cooper added. Cooper says many of her members are older or look after older relatives. She says they’re wary of interacting with thousands of parents and children across the district’s 200-plus schools in the middle of an intensifying pandemic. This early snag shows how difficult it may be for Pennsylvania’s largest school district to buy laptops for students that don’t have them at home, distribute them and then shift to a scaled-up version of online learning — all within a few weeks. “It’s not about getting the children computers. We want to do that,” said Cooper. “But how do you do that?”

Schools, parents report technical issues as Lancaster County begins online instruction
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer March 30, 2020
Aryana Arocho, an eighth-grader at Centerville Middle School, woke up early Monday, picked up her school-issued iPad and prepared herself for the first day of online learning in Hempfield School District. But there was a problem: Schoology, a virtual learning environment where online courses take place, wasn’t working. “She got a little frustrated,” Evelyn Arocho Ortiz, Aryana’s mother, told LNP | LancasterOnline Monday. The issues didn’t last very long – about 20 minutes, Arocho Ortiz said – but it symbolized an at times rocky beginning to remote learning in Lancaster County as Schoology reported technical issues throughout the day. Schoology did not return a request for comment Monday but, in a tweet, said “some customers using Schoology have been experiencing performance issues for a short time today due to increased usage.” Schoology’s parent company, PowerSchool, is based in California. Schools across the state are beginning to use Schoology and similar services to conduct online learning as school buildings remain closed indefinitely. Globally, Schoology serves more than 60,000 schools.

Pottsgrove adjusting to drive-by meals and cyber classrooms
LOWER POTTSGROVE — It's not every day that a student gets greeted at the car door by a talking dinosaur who says "I miss you." But then, we are not living in normal days. So perhaps it was not so strange after all to find school counselor Aaron Bell dressed as a Tyrannosaurus rex standing in the drizzle outside Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School Monday and waving to students. Most of the students were riding in cars driven by parents and caretakers who were in a slow-moving line of cars waiting to get a week's worth of school lunches and breakfasts. By the time the distribution began, Pottsgrove had already surpassed 10,000 meals provided in the previous two weeks, according to Business Manager David Nester, who spent his morning delivering boxes to food through open  windows as vehicles lined up. The line of vehicles was met with teachers and counselors holding signs with supportive messages, and by Ringing Rocks Elementary School Principal Lisa Jones and art teacher Joy VanRuler handing out art supplies.

Instruction plans in place for all Beaver County schools
Beaver County Times By Daveen Rae Kurutz @DK_NewsData and @DKreports Posted Mar 30, 2020 at 7:49 AM
No more “spring vacation” for Beaver County children — school is back in session, just not like they’re used to. Districts across the county will resume instruction this week, using an amalgamation of different teaching techniques. Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include Western Beaver’s return date. No more “spring vacation” for Beaver County children — school is back in session, just not like they’re used to. Districts across the county will resume instruction this week, using an amalgamation of different teaching techniques.  “I am so excited about this,” said Jeff Fuller, superintendent at Freedom Area School District. “It might look completely different a week from now than it does today, but we’re going to give this a try.” Most districts are using an online learning system, ranging from Schoology to Google Classrooms, and intending for students to take part in “asynchronous learning.” That means that a teacher will put up an assignment or lesson and the student can complete it at their own pace. Superintendents have said that they understand families are adapting to having their children at home and, in some cases, the parents are working from home themselves.

PIAA doesn't discuss status of winter championships, spring sports at board meeting
The Sentinel by Jake Adams March 30, 2020
The PIAA did not discuss whether remaining winter championships or spring sports would be canceled during Monday's board of directors meeting. The state's high school sports governing body held a video conference for a meeting originally scheduled for two weeks ago. The agenda did not include any updates on the postponed Class 2A swimming championships, boys and girls basketball championships or nearly the entire spring season. The only discussion of the winter championships was when associate executive director Melissa Mertz spoke briefly about the swimming championships. "We're taking a wait-and-see approach [with the 2A swimming championships that were postponed], as we have with everything," Mertz said during the meeting, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We're following the edict of the governor and the department of health.


PSBA FAQ Sheet Regarding Closure of School Due to Coronavirus
PSBA has compiled answers to your most pressing questions surrounding school closures due to the #coronavirus outbreak. View this resource here:

Request@PSBA.org: PSBA establishes channel to answer COVID-19 questions
POSTED ON MARCH 19, 2020 IN PSBA NEWS
In light of statewide school closings and as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve, PSBA is here to provide support to members and answer questions regarding how schools will operate, meet instructional requirements and provide services both now and in the future. Please send your questions to request@psba.org with your name, district and contact information. A member of PSBA staff will respond directly or will funnel your inquires to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. PSBA will act as your voice and ensure you receive the answers and information you need to make decisions at this crucial time.

PSBA: Coronavirus Preparedness Guidance
In the last few weeks, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, has become a topic of concern nationwide. Although the virus is not widespread in Pennsylvania at this time, that status could change. Being proactive is key to prevention and mitigation. Below, you will find a list of resources on all aspects of preparedness, including guidance on communication planning, policy, emergency management and disease control. Use these resources to help you make decisions regarding the safety and health of those in your school district.

The former Sectional Meetings have been converted to a webinar format. PSBA will be hosting six webinars (starting today), presented by an expert on critical and timely topics related to #Coronavirus (COVID-19).
PSBA: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for Schools: Webinar Series
As PSBA announced in an email on March 12, the former Sectional Meetings have been converted to a webinar format to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. Each of the six upcoming virtual sessions will be offered as a one-hour webinar: a 45-minute presentation by an expert on critical and timely topics; communication practices during the coronavirus pandemic; the business of boards during shutdown; facilities restoration and clean-up, and other essential topics. Each session will include 15 minutes of direct Q&A at the conclusion of the 45-minute content presentation.
Members are welcome to register for any of the six complimentary webinars.
All webinar sessions are 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Monday, March 30, 2020 Facilities Restoration: Coronavirus Clean-up
Presenter:
 SERVPRO, expert presenter
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Risk Mitigation: Strategy for Operational Continuity and Reducing Adverse Impacts
Presenter:
 CM Regent Insurance, expert presenter

All school leaders are invited to attend Advocacy Day at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU) and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) are partnering together to strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center around meetings with legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public education. Click here for more information or register at http://www.mypsba.org/ School directors can register online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you need assistance logging in and registering contact Alysha Newingham, Member Data System Administrator at alysha.newingham@psba.org

PSBA Board Presidents Panel April 27, 28 and 29; Multiple Locations
Offered at 10 locations across the state, this annual event supports current and aspiring school board leaders through roundtable conversations with colleagues as well as a facilitated panel of experienced regional and statewide board presidents and superintendents. Board Presidents Panel is designed to equip new and veteran board presidents and vice presidents as well as superintendents and other school directors who may pursue a leadership position in the future.

PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020 in State College
The 2020 PARSS Conference is April 29 through May 1, 2020, at Wyndham Garden Hotel at Mountain View Country Club in State College. Please register as a member or a vendor by accessing the links below.

Register today for the 2020 PASA/PA Principals Association PA Educational Leadership Summit, August 2-4, at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square 
(hosted by the PA Principals Association and the PA Association of School Administrators). Participants can earn up to 80 PIL hours (40 hours for the Summit and - for an additional cost of $50 - 40 hours for EdCamp) for attending the conference and completing program requirements. Register early to reserve your seat! The deadline to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount is April 24, 2020.   
Click here to register today!

Network for Public Education 2020 Conference in Philly Rescheduled to November 21-22
NPE Website March 10, 2020 7:10 pm
We so wanted to see you in March, but we need to wait until November!
Our conference will now take place on November 21 and 22 at the same location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Please read the important information below.
Registration: We will be rolling over our registration information, so there is no reason to register again. You will be automatically registered for the November dates. If you cannot attend in November, we ask that you consider donating your registration to absorb some of the costs associated with rescheduling the conference. If you feel you cannot make such a donation, please contact: dcimarusti@networkforpubliceducation.org


Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization that I may be affiliated with.