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
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PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 20, 2020
The Pennsylvania Principals Association
in partnership with other educational organizations oppose school property tax
freeze.
Pennsylvania Principals Association Website
Friday, April 17, 2020 4:23 PM
Click here for
the joint letter to the PA House and Senate.
“Shutting the
schools was essential to slow the spread of COVID-19, but so much was lost in the
process. This includes — let’s be honest — so much learning.
We worried this loss might have lasting impacts on students,
setting them back significantly. But we were encouraged by what we heard from
five Lancaster County superintendents in our virtual discussion last week. The
superintendents outlined how their districts were adjusting to remote learning.
They related, with evident empathy, how their districts are trying to reach the
human needs of their students — for food, wellness, emotional support, learning
supplies, connection.”
Closing schools has brought some losses for students.
Superintendents are working hard to counter those losses.
By THE LNP | LANCASTERONLINE EDITORIAL BOARD Apr
19, 2020
THE ISSUE: On April 9, Gov. Tom Wolf
announced that schools would remain shuttered for the rest of the academic
year; they had been closed since mid-March. On Wednesday, five Lancaster County
superintendents — Damaris Rau, School District of Lancaster; Brian Bliss,
Solanco; Mike Bromirski, Hempfield; Bob Hollister, Eastern Lancaster County;
and Mike Leichliter, Penn Manor — joined LNP | LancasterOnline Opinion Editor
Suzanne Cassidy in an online discussion
of the challenges facing educators, parents and students amid the COVID-19
pandemic. If this were an ordinary year, high
school students would be preparing for prom or sharing their prom photos on
Instagram. The spring musical would be in the rearview mirror, and the performers
already would be missing how they felt on the triumphant opening night and
during the bittersweet closing performance. Seniors would be ordering caps,
gowns and tassels. Student athletes would be wrapping up their spring seasons. Parents
of preschoolers would be attending kindergarten orientation with their little
ones, wondering how their babies got to that stage so quickly.
Southern York school district approves wage freeze in
lieu of tax increase
Lindsay C VanAsdalan, York
Dispatch Published 3:51 p.m. ET April 17, 2020 | Updated 4:28 p.m. ET
April 19, 2020
The Southern York County school board on
Thursday approved a voluntary wage freeze for many district employees to
avoid a tax increase in its 2020-21 budget. Teachers, nurses, librarians and
psychologists, salaried staff in technology and human resources, the
transportation coordinator and administrators agreed to a one-year freeze
in an effort to ward off budgetary shortfalls due to the coronavirus
pandemic. Hourly workers were not included in the agreement. The one-year pay
freeze was included in the district's $58.6 million preliminary
budget, which the school board approved unanimously. The board separately
approved a revised employment contract with its education association — also
unanimously — to reflect the freeze. Under the contract, employees will
essentially push back their salary step increases by one year. The 3-year
contract was extended to four years, and the formerly agreed-upon yearly
increases of 2.32% were pushed back until after 2020-21.
Coronavirus has upended education for all children. For
those with disabilities, the challenges are greater.
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham, Updated: April
18, 2020
Syrita Powers has advocated for her three
daughters to get the resources they need in school. Her 11-year-old is autistic
and works with reading and math specialists, while her 9- and 7-year-old
sisters are nonverbal and have aides who even help them in the bathroom. “My
husband and I had a plan,” said Powers, of West Philadelphia. They told the
schools: “If you all just meet us halfway, we can see what they’re capable of.”
They don’t know how they will manage at home. With schools closed for the
foreseeable future due to the coronavirus outbreak,
families across the region have been challenged to oversee their children’s
education. But for parents of students with special needs, the task is more
daunting. Many are unsure how to assume roles normally filled by teams of
professionals while also managing disruptions to their children’s lives. “My
worries are that … my children will regress, that it will take triple the
support to get them back” to their current level, Powers said. “I’m just
concerned they’ll lose everything we worked so hard to maintain."
“The latest state guidance tells districts and charter schools
to ensure students’ rights to a free public education “as appropriate and
reasonable for each student’s circumstances.” This will necessarily require
adjustments. Some services for special-needs students almost certainly require
face-to-face interaction. “The question is, ‘Who gets to decide what’s
reasonable and appropriate?’” said Judith Gran, a special education attorney in
the Philadelphia region.”
Special education during coronavirus: What should parents
tolerate, demand?
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent April 20, 2020
Maegen Wagner wants her daughter to learn in
the same classroom as everyone else.
It’s a simple goal that requires a lot of
effort — even when there isn’t a global pandemic.
Her first-grade daughter, Elizabeth, has down
syndrome, ADHD, and a condition called Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Her
special education plan provides her with a speech therapist, a physical
therapist, and a one-to-one aide that follows her throughout the school day.
With that coordinated assistance, Elizabeth can function in a general education
classroom and do a modified version of the work her classmates do. “The main
goal for Elizabeth was full inclusion so she would have that peer interaction,”
said Wagner, whose children attend the Wilson School District just outside
Reading. “[But] nothing is really inclusive any more.” Since her district
started online learning earlier this month, Elizabeth now gets a separate
packet of generic “special education” assignments, said Wagner. Speech therapy
has moved online. Physical therapy is, understandably, off the table. Elizabeth
has limited, sporadic contact with her one-to-one aide, according Wagner. These
days, Wagner is serving as her daughter’s therapist, aide, and teacher — while
balancing her own responsibilities as an educator in a nearby school district.
Special Ed. Administrators Press Congress for IDEA
Waivers During Pandemic
Education Week By Corey Mitchell on April
16, 2020 1:40 PM
The nation's leading special education
administrator groups are pressing leaders in Congress to give schools
flexibility on federal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, the nation's primary special education law. The Council of Administrators
of Special Education and the National Association of State Directors of Special
Education are seeking waivers for timelines that govern when schools must
review students' Individualized Education Programs, evaluate students for
special education services, and respond to legal complaints. The groups also
want temporary reprieves from state monitoring and enforcement and the
requirements that schools spend a "proportionate share" of
their IDEA funding on services for private school students and
provide services to students who need academic and behavioral support, but are
not currently identified as needing special education services. The requests
put the groups in direct conflict with disability rights
advocates who fear waivers will put
students at risk of falling behind their educational goals. About 7 million
children nationwide are served under IDEA.
Penn Manor becomes first Lancaster County school district
to announce virtual graduation
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Apr 18,
2020
Lancaster County officially has its first
virtual high school graduation ceremony of 2020.
Penn Manor announced Friday
that its conducting the event virtually on the original date, May 28. Both
Penn Manor and Hempfield planned to hold commencements at Franklin &
Marshall College. It's unclear whether Hempfield will follow Penn Manor's lead
and switch to a virtual ceremony. Penn Manor also announced it's
canceling prom, which was scheduled for May 8, because the venue, Eden Resort
& Conference Center, has canceled all large gatherings through the end of
May. The district said high school administration is working on
alternative ways to honor seniors in the coming weeks.
Teachers on TV: Classes hit the airwaves during pandemic
Inquirer by Mike Catalini, Associated
Press, Updated: April 18, 2020
TRENTON, N.J. — Using his cat’s blanket as
green screen, history teacher Bill Smith recorded himself teaching a lesson on
New Jersey’s underground railroad, taking student viewers on a tour of sites
including a river where slave hunters would try to re-enslave people attempting
crossings. The lesson was broadcast over television airwaves for the state's
homebound students, part of an effort to keep children engaged in learning
during the coronavirus outbreak. “This is such a weird, strange and tragic
time," said Smith, a teacher at Southern Regional High School in Stafford
Township, New Jersey. The televised lessons like the one he volunteered for
"can provide something that regardless of where a student is in the state
of New Jersey, they can see a teacher and they can learn from them.” Teachers
have begun recording classes at home, using whatever technology they can, for
television in places including New Jersey, Nebraska and New Mexico, where
officials have partnered with broadcasters to help students feel connected and
to overcome hurdles with access to the technology needed for distance learning.
It's one approach among many that public media stations around the country are
taking to boost the availability of educational programming while schools are
closed.
Area high schools plan graduation ceremonies through
uncertainty of a pandemic
Trib Live TEGHAN SIMONTON | Sunday, April
19, 2020 11:01 a.m.
It’s a challenge to stay optimistic, but
Lauren Michaels, 18, is doing her best. The Kiski Area High School senior was
disappointed when she learned schools would not reopen this academic school
year. She doesn’t mind finishing her courses online, but the prospect of
missing out on certain year-end rites of passage — like prom and graduation —
is disheartening. Michaels is a member of Kiski Area’s senior committee, a
group of students who have taken on leadership roles in their class. In the
past several weeks, the group has had regular virtual meetings with school
administrators trying to sort out plans for the annual gatherings. They also
respond to classmates’ questions. The committee sent out a Google Form to the
senior class of 250, inviting them to send inquiries. Michaels said the most
frequently asked questions are related to prom and graduation — will they be
canceled?
Allentown School District buying 5,000 Chromebooks for
students during coronavirus closure
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | APR 17, 2020 | 8:36 PM
The Allentown School District will spend
$1.75 million in federal funding to get Chromebooks in the hands of students so
they can start remote learning at the end of this month. Thursday night, the
school board unanimously approved buying 5,000 Chromebooks that the district
hopes students will receive by April 27, when Allentown officially starts
remote learning, which districts across the state are doing now that schools
are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Allentown’s purchase of the
laptops weeks after many suburban districts started online learning highlights
the disparities among districts that the pandemic has made more noticeable,
Superintendent Thomas Parker said. Districts that are the “haves” were able to
move to remote learning quickly. The “have-nots” weren’t able to, Parker said. “The
issues of equity are bubbling up in a significant way,” he said. To purchase
the laptops, the district reallocated Title I funding, federal money given to
districts with a high percentage of low-income students. A few school directors
questioned why Allentown waited so long to buy the Chromebooks and start remote
learning when others in the Lehigh Valley started weeks ago.
Donations covered most of the cost of Chromebooks for SDP
students
Philly Trib Chanel Hill Tribune Staff Writer Apr
18, 2020
All district students will be working on
Chromebooks remotely come Monday due to donations from various companies and
the ongoing partnership between the School District of Philadelphia and The
Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. Donna Frisby-Greenwood, president
and CEO of the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, said she hopes
students take full advantage of the computers. “I want them to start connecting
with their peers and teachers,” said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, President and CEO
of the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. “I want them to work hard,
get their work done, and don’t fall behind. If you have questions, reach out to
your teachers. I want them to read as much as they can and continue to prepare
for next school year.” Schools have been closed since March 13. District
officials originally planned to have students learn remotely, but halted graded
instruction because many students did not have access to computers or the
internet at home. A 2019 survey by the District found that only 45% of students
in grades 3-5 have access to the internet from a home computer; only 56% of
students in grades 6-8 have similar internet access; and 58% of students in
grades 9-12.
Allentown board rejects superintendent’s plan to hire
investigator to see if charter students really live in the city
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | APR 17, 2020 | 1:28 PM
With the Allentown School District expected
to pay $60 million in charter school tuition this year, Superintendent Thomas
Parker asked to hire a private investigator to verify that charter students who
say they live in Allentown actually do. It’s a tactic that many
school districts, including Bethlehem Area, have moved
to in recent years as charter school tuition bills have ballooned. The private
investigator would have cost the district $60 an hour. But it’s a strategy that
a number of Allentown school directors see as a waste of money. The board
tabled Parker’s motion Thursday night after a lengthy discussion, meaning it
will not be voted on. “I don’t think we need this,” Director Lisa Conover said.
“This right here is money going out the window.” Allentown was considering
hiring private investigator Daniel Monek of DBM Investigations, who has worked
with other Lehigh Valley districts. Conover argued that the district should
have its staff do this job, volunteering herself at one point to do it for $20
an hour. Parker said the district has a small staff when it comes to verifying
residency and the private investigator has expertise. He said Monek had the
potential to save the district a significant amount of money. If one student is
discovered using a false Allentown address, it could save the district at least
$10,000.
Music thriving at area school districts
Bucks County Courier Times By Chris
English @CourierEnglish Posted
Apr 18, 2020 at 7:01 AM
Eleven districts from Bucks or Eastern
Montgomery counties were named 2020 Best Communities for Music Education by the
National Association of Music Merchants.
Music programs at several local school
districts continue to strike the right chord with a national association. Eleven
districts from Bucks or Eastern Montgomery counties were recently named
2020 Best Communities for Music Education by
the National Association of Music Merchants. They were among 754 districts in the country to be
recognized. Honored were Abington, Bensalem Township, Centennial, Council Rock,
Lower Moreland, Neshaminy, New Hope-Solebury, North Penn, Palisades, Pennridge
and Pennsbury. It was the 12th straight year Pennsbury has been named, the
ninth straight for Council Rock and sixth straight for New Hope-Solebury. Pennsbury
Superintendent William Gretzula said there are many musical opportunities for
students to explore in the district. “With our high school’s Long Orange Line
Line marching band, concert jazz band, Pennsbury symphonic orchestra and winds,
honors music groups at all levels and the Pennsbury concert choir, Falconairs
and chamber choir, we are known for our excellent music program both nationally
and internationally,” he said. The national association evaluates districts and
schools on student/teacher ratio, number of music courses taught, levels of
success, levels of participation and many other areas.
Schools Transform Into ‘Relief’ Kitchens, but Federal Aid
Fails to Keep Up
Many school cafeterias are now operating more
like community soup kitchens, even though the federal school meals program
won’t reimburse districts for meals served to struggling adults.
New York Times By Erica
L. Green and Lola
Fadulu April 19, 2020
BALTIMORE — On the first day of the
coronavirus school closure at Sinclair Lane Elementary School, Janet Bailey,
the cafeteria manager, showed up to the school’s kitchen like any other day,
ready to do her job. She began fixing the favorites of the 250 or so children
who relied on her to feed them daily — chicken patties, a fruit and vegetable,
and flavored milk. On the second day, Ms. Bailey realized that she had answered
a calling. By the time the building in northeast Baltimore had opened at 10
a.m., there was a line. Among the first was a man who said he only had a half a
loaf of bread in the refrigerator. “I just packed him up, no questions asked,”
said Ms. Bailey, one of dozens of food service workers who signed up to staff
meal sites around the city. “I didn’t know his situation, if he had four kids
at home or not, like he said. But I know he was hungry. We are supposed to be
here to meet the needs of the community. How could I say no?” After the
coronavirus shut down America’s education system, districts fortified their
school meals programs to ensure that their most needy students would stay fed.
One month in, school leaders realize the federal programs set up to subsidize
the meals of tens of millions of students cannot meet the demands of an
emergency that has turned their cafeterias into food banks and community
kitchens. Several districts are now feeding adults and sending days’ worth of
food home for entire families. And they are doing so at a cost that under
federal rules they will not recoup, and at a rate that is financially
unsustainable.
Superintendents (AASA) blast ‘inconsistent and incongruous’
federal guidance on reopening schools
Washington Post By Valerie Strauss April
19, 2020 at 5:56 p.m. EDT
The association that represents America’s
school superintendents blasted the Trump administration for what it called
“inconsistent and incongruous” guidance related to the reopening of schools
during the coronavirus pandemic.
Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School
Administrators, issued a statement over the weekend criticizing the federal
government for the guidance it has given in relation to opening schools, saying
state and local leaders need “informative and actionable” guidance that they
can “implement with minimal confusion and with confidence in the science behind
it.” More than 30 states and the District of Columbia have either ordered or
recommended that schools be closed for the rest of the 2019-20 school year. On
Saturday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) became the latest state leader to
announce that distance learning should continue even as he moves soon to reopen
the economy. “I think the last thing you want to do is … to force everyone in
school [only] to have half the kids not show up because their parents didn’t
want to do it and have teachers not show up,” he said. “It was an easy decision
to make knowing we have done so well with distance learning.”
Last week, President Trump announced optional guidelines for states to
gradually lift economic restrictions that have been put in place this spring to
try to slow the spread of covid-19, which has claimed tens of thousands of
lives in the United States. Schools are mentioned in the second of three
phases. In his statement that AASA said was directed to the Trump
administration, Domenech said the guidance relating to the reopening of schools
is confusing.
“To stop the spread of infection, parents weren’t allowed
inside. Teachers couldn’t gather in the staff room. The children each now had
their own desks, marooned two yards away from their nearest neighbor. During
recess, they could play only in small groups. And by the time the school shut
again at 2 p.m., they had all washed their hands at least once an hour for the
past six hours.”
In Denmark, the Rarest of Sights: Classrooms Full of
Students
Danish elementary schools have become the
first in Europe to reopen after shutting down for the coronavirus. Our reporter
visited one in southern Denmark, which could become a template for a
post-lockdown world.
New York Times By Patrick Kingsley Published April 17,
2020Updated April 18, 2020
LOGUMKLOSTER, Denmark — The cluster of red
brick buildings in a remote part of southern Denmark looks unremarkable from
the outside, but this week, its classrooms housed some of the rarest people
during the pandemic in today’s Europe. Schoolchildren.
On Wednesday, 350 pupils returned to classes
at the Logumkloster District School for the first time in a month, as Denmark
became the first country in the Western world to reopen its elementary schools
since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. It has turned the Danish education
system into a laboratory for whether and how schools can function in an age of
contagion. “It is a new world,” said Tanja Linnet, the school’s head teacher,
as pupils arrived early on Thursday morning. “We used to make plans for if there
was a terrorist attack here — but never this kind of attack.” Leaving
Logumkloster District School at the end of lessons. Some parents in Facebook
groups are protesting the reopening, fearing their children were being
sacrificed to save the Danish economy. Other European countries have also gently eased restrictions on
certain businesses and sporting activities in recent days. But by allowing
hundreds of children to congregate once again at thousands of schools across
Denmark, the government has taken the boldest step toward something resembling
normal life, in a measure that will be watched carefully around the world.
Delibes: Lakmé - Duo des fleurs (Flower Duet), Sabine
Devieilhe & Marianne Crebassa
Youtube runtime: 4:37
PSBA Board Presidents Panels (Zoom) April 27, 28, 29 and
30 (depending upon the size of your district)
This annual event supports current and
aspiring school board leaders through facilitated discussion with colleagues in
leadership. 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.
Due to current social distancing
requirements, this annual program will shift from a series of in-person
regional events to a digital platform using Zoom Meetings. Participants of each
of the four sessions will meet in small groups using virtual breakout rooms.
Experienced facilitators will guide discussions on attendees’ unique
challenges, solutions and experiences related to board leadership during the
COVID-19 school closures.
This year’s program will be organized to
group together leaders from schools of similar enrollment sizes for relevant
conversation. Members may register for one or two nights to participate in all
of the topics offered. If your district's average enrollment is above 3,500,
you are invited to join the sessions on Tuesday, April 28 and/or Thursday,
April 30. If your district's average enrollment is below 3,500, opt to join the
sessions on Monday, April 27 and/or Wednesday, April 29.
The New York Times is available to high schools across
the U.S. — for free.
Enjoy free digital access from April 6
to July 6.
Helping people understand the world has always
been the cornerstone of our mission at The Times. And as the world continues to
rapidly evolve, it’s more important than ever.
That’s why The Times is working with Verizon
to provide high schools with three free months of digital access from April 6
to July 6 — helping students stay connected to the world, even as they learn
remotely.
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.
Blogger note: we’re waiting for details on this event becoming
virtual.
Rescheduled: Join us for Advocacy Day in Harrisburg to support public
education Monday May 11, 2020! (subject to change)
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
Cancelled: PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020
in State College
Due to current conditions caused by the
coronavirus pandemic, we have cancelled the 2020 PARSS Conference, scheduled
for April 29 through May 1, 2020. Please read our cancellation letter for
important information.
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.
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