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, 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.
These daily
emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the
email list please have them send their name, title and affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com
With school openings underway, controversy moves to
sports
Learn more about the history of
cyber charters, their academic performance and the impact of cybers on your
local district school.
Cyber Charter Schools
Webinar August 26, 1:00 pm
Free and
Open to the Public · Hosted by Councilmember Helen Gym
As families across the state plan for
the start of the school year, join Councilmember Helen Gym, PA Auditor General
Eugene DePasquale, Donna Cooper, Executive Director of Public Citizens for
Children and Paige Joki, Staff Attorney at Education Law Center for a
discussion on Cyber Charters. This event is free and open to the public. RSVP
and submit questions for the experts at: tinyurl.com/cybercharters
Blogger note: PA Schools Work, a group that advocates for
traditional brick-and-mortar public schools, recently created a Check
Before You Choose online
resource where families can compare public cyber-charter schools to traditional
public schools.
PDK Press Release: Majority of Americans Disapprove of
President’s Education Policies, Want More Federal Support for Public Schools
52nd Annual PDK Poll finds deep partisan
divides over charter schools, standardized testing, the value of student
diversity, and more.
ARLINGTON, VA, Aug. 24, 2020 — The 52nd annual
PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools reveals that as
Americans prepare for this November’s elections, they are sharply divided along
party lines on a number of hot-button issues in education. Overall, however, a
large majority of Americans say they want the federal government to take a more
active role in supporting efforts to recruit and retain teachers, make college
more affordable, and protect students from discrimination, and a majority say
they disapprove of President Trump’s performance in the area of education
policy. As in previous years, the 2020 poll addresses topics of perennial interest
(such as teacher quality, standardized testing, and the biggest challenges
facing K-12 education), as well as new and emerging areas of concern (such as
students’ growing use of e-cigarettes).
Download the full PDK report here……
Public School Priorities in a Political Year
PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the
Public Schools
A supplement to Kappan magazine | September
2020
Curmuducation Blog by Peter Greene Monday,
August 24, 2020
Trump has released his agenda for his second term, and it's
special. Cut taxes. Add jobs. Eradicate Covid-19. End reliance on China. Cover
pre-existing conditions. Congressional term limits. Bring violent extremist
groups like ANTIFA to justice. Dismantle human trafficking. Build the world's
greatest infrastructure system (so, more infrastructure week!) Stop endless
wars. It's all familiar hooey, in bullet point list
form (so not a word about how or why, but education gets its own subheading,
under which we find these two bullet points.
·
Provide School Choice To Every Child In
America
·
Teach American Exceptionalism
That's it. That's the whole thing. Get some
of that good old ahistorical jingoism back in the classroom, and dismantle the
public education system and replace it with a privatized one.
As schools go virtual, districts look to furlough support
staff, saying they don’t have enough work for them to do
Inquirer by
Maddie Hanna, Updated: August 25, 2020-
3:58 PM
After deciding to begin the year virtually,
the Pottsgrove School District considered its staff: Did it need building
aides, part-time nurses, hall monitors? The district, in western Montgomery
County, determined it didn’t. It furloughed 39 people — and cut its school
resource officers, crossing guards, and security contractors. As districts
around the Philadelphia region prepare for virtual
instruction this fall, some have taken steps to pare their
workforces, authorizing furloughs of support staff whose positions are deemed
no longer necessary under remote reopenings. In the spring, Pennsylvania
required that public schools pay staffs through the end of the school year
despite the coronavirus closures. No such mandate exists heading into the fall.
“We’ve been advised legally that we’re not allowed to pay people for not
working,” said Dan Nerelli, superintendent of the Chichester School District,
which is considering furloughing bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and other
staff. Bus drivers in the Delaware County district protested last week, Nerelli
said, and “there are some people who are unhappy, saying if you budgeted for
it, pay them anyway.”
Scranton, other NEPA students could be without laptops as
virtual learning begins
Times Tribune BY SARAH
HOFIUS HALL AND KATHLEEN BOLUS STAFF WRITERS Aug 25,
2020
The Scranton School District has only
received 1,700 of the 10,000 Chromebooks ordered this summer.
A national shortage of computers means that
as virtual learning begins, some students may wait for technology or share a
laptop with a sibling. When the Scranton School District starts virtual
learning Sept. 8, it will likely be short 8,300 laptops. The district ordered
10,000 Chromebooks this summer — enough for each of its students. As of
Tuesday, the district has only received 1,700. The district expects the rest to
arrive in mid-October. Until then, administrators will issue one device per
family, Superintendent Melissa McTiernan said. The Associated Press reported
last week that the world’s three biggest computer companies, Lenovo, HP and
Dell, have told school districts they have a shortage of nearly 5 million
laptops. Lackawanna County students will all have some kind of remote learning
component this fall, whether their districts start fully online or with a
hybrid model, with in-person and at-home learning to allow for social
distancing. All students will need access to a device for lessons and to
complete work.
See the list of Grant recipients
Gov. Wolf: $17 Million to Help Schools Improve Services
to Historically Underserved Students
Governor Wolf Press Release August 25, 2020
Governor Tom Wolf is dedicating approximately
$17 million to help 220 local education agencies (LEAs), including school
districts, to improve educational services for approximately 180,000 students
at schools designated for Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI)
under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). “While all schools have
been impacted this year by the COVID-19 pandemic, the schools that have been
identified under ESSA as needing extra support are facing additional
challenges,” said Gov. Wolf. “This funding will help these high-need schools as
they put systems in place to help students while we work to control the spread
of this virus.” The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act
authorizes governors to determine the educational use of Governor’s Emergency
Education Relief (GEER) Funds. ESSA requires states to develop plans to
designate schools for support and improvement based on the performance of
individual student groups in key areas, including academic achievement and
growth; graduation rate and English learner progress; and student success
factors such as regular attendance and chronic absenteeism. Student groups
include race, economically disadvantaged, English language learners and
students with disabilities.
If a student tests positive for COVID-19, here’s what
schools will do and what parents should know
Penn Live By Hannah
Kanik | hkanik@pennlive.com Updated
6:48 AM; Today 5:15 AM
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: a
positive case of COVID-19 at their child’s school.
Most central Pa. schools are opening their
doors, either full or
part-time, in the next few weeks, leaving
many parents uncertain of how long the doors will really stay open. As schools
are reopening across the country, stories are rolling in of Coronavirus
spreading. Georgia reported nearly 2,500 students had to quarantine after
schools opened in the Cherokee County School District, according
to the New York Times, and a school in Indiana had a
positive case reported on the first day that school reopened. Locally, a student-athlete from
the Middletown School District and
a teacher from Central
Dauphin School District both
recently tested positive for COVID-19. Districts in the area say they are
closely following the Department of Health and Department of Education’s
guidelines for responding to confirmed COVID-19 cases, contact tracing and
potentially closing schools. Families can expect phone calls, text messages and
email alerts if schools close.
Delaware County medical society supports virtual learning
through October
Delco Times By Kathleen E. Carey
kcarey@21st-centurymedia.com @dtbusiness on Twitter August 26,
2020
In line with the recommendations issued by
the Chester County Health Department, the Delaware County Medical Society
announced that it, too, supports virtual learning through Oct. 9. Signed by its
board of directors, including Delaware County Senior Medical Advisor Dr. George
K. Avetian and Delaware Countys Medical Examiner Fredric N. Hellman, the
medical society issued a release outlining their support for the recommendation
that public and private kindergarten through 12th grades in Delaware and Chester
counties start the school year in a virtual learning model, transitioning to a
more in-person model after Oct. 9. "Such a start will mitigate any impact
anticipated by increased cases due to the end of the summer holiday (as seen
during July 4), and ensures school districts have the necessary time to
implement the guidance set forth in the Health and Safety Plan," the
release stated.
Valley View suspends fall sports after student-athletes'
possible exposure to COVID-19
Citizens Voice By JOBY
FAWCETT STAFF WRITER Aug 24, 2020
Scranton Prep also pauses athletic programs
because of COVID-19.
Less than 24 hours after approving fall
sports, Valley View suspended athletics indefinitely Monday when the district
learned student-athletes from several school-sponsored sports had contact with
a student from another school who recently tested positive for COVID-19. Valley
View has contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Health and is awaiting
further guidance, per protocol. “This is the last thing we wanted to have
happen,” Valley View superintendent Michael Boccella, Ed.D. told The
Times-Tribune. “I made it a point at (Sunday’s) board meeting, prior to, and
reiterated after, that I would support whatever the board decided. ... We came
into today ready to go full steam ahead and have the best, most successful
practices, and ultimately seasons, as possible. We are devastated.” On Sunday
night, the School Board voted,
6-3, to conduct all fall sports,
going against Boccella’s recommendation to not host the contact sports of
football and soccer because of health concerns over COVID-19. Meanwhile,
Scranton Prep also suspended fall extracurricular activities Monday after
learning Sunday of a “likely positive” case of COVID-19 involving a student.
The student may have exposed others in the Prep community over the past several
days, Scranton Prep Principal Kristin Cupillari said. All activities, including
practices and tryouts, are suspended pending more information from the state
Department of Health, Cupillari wrote in an email.
Aramark exec: National School Lunch Program needs
extension to feed hungry kids during pandemic | Opinion
Barbara Flanagan, For The Inquirer Posted: August
25, 2020 - 12:11 PM
Barbara Flanagan is the president of Aramark’s
K-12 education division.
Amid all the debate around the coronavirus,
there has been at least one area that has received fairly widespread and
bipartisan support: the need to ensure our nation’s neediest children do not go
hungry as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Unfortunately, due to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and Congress not extending needed regulatory relief to
schools, we now face the possibility that
tens of thousands of American children could start going without meals in a
matter of weeks. Since its establishment in 1946, the federal National School
Lunch Program (NSLP) has been reimbursing schools for providing needy children
with free or reduced-price meals. In recent years, the program has supported
nearly 100,000 K-12 schools and close to 30 million children. For many of these
children, the meals they are provided at school may be the only healthy and
regular meals they receive.
“The good news here is USDA's measure will provide school
districts that haven't begun the calendar year with an additional month to
operate their current summer programs, which because of Area Eligibility will
enable schools to feed all students presenting at sites in need. The bad news
is that these extensions provide no relief to districts running hybrid or
remote online learning models.”
USDA Temporarily Extends COVID-19 Summer Nutrition
Waivers
AASA Leading Edge Policy Blog Last Edited by
Chris Rogers at 8/24/2020 1:09 PM
On Thursday, August 20, 2020, the U.S. Dept.
of Agriculture (USDA) issued the following nationwide waiver extensions.
- Nationwide Waiver to Allow
Non-congregate Feeding in the Summer Food Service Program – EXTENSION 3
- Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal
Pattern Flexibility in the Summer Food Service Program – EXTENSION 6
- Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area
Eligibility Waivers – EXTENSION
- Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents
and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children – EXTENSION 3
Specifically, these extensions will enable
districts that have not begun the 20-21 school year to continue their summer
food service operations through September 30, 2020, or for the duration of
summer operations, whichever is earlier. While USDA did extend the nationwide
non-congregate, meal service time, meal pattern flexibility, and parent pick-up
waivers for the duration of the 2020-21 school year, these waivers did not
apply to districts that will begin their calendar year in early to late
September, and as such, are able to run the Summer Food Service and Seamless
Summer Option Programs until that time. The good news here is USDA's measure
will provide school districts that haven't begun the calendar year with an
additional month to operate their current summer programs, which because of
Area Eligibility will enable schools to feed all students presenting at sites
in need. The bad news is that these extensions provide no relief to districts
running hybrid or remote online learning models. Looking ahead, AASA will
continue pressing the Department and the Hill for a permanent fix to this
issue. It's clear we're facing an uphill battle on extending the waivers, so
stay tuned to see how you can get involved.
Nearly 9,000 Florida Children Diagnosed With Coronavirus
in Two Weeks as Schools Reopen
Newsweek BY MATTHEW
IMPELLI ON 8/25/20
AT 4:07 PM EDT
The number of Florida children diagnosed with
the coronavirus has increased by nearly 9,000 over the past two weeks as
schools across the state begin to reopen. There are currently 48,730 confirmed
cases of the novel virus among children under 18, according to a recent
pediatric report released by the Florida Department of Health. In a previous
report released August 9, there were 39,735 confirmed cases among the same
group, which marks an increase of 8,995 cases over the past two weeks. Across
the different age groups listed in the pediatric report, there are 17,311
confirmed cases among Florida children between 14 and 17, which constitute 36
percent of all cases in children. Children between 5 and 10 make up the next
largest share, 27 percent, and the pediatric report shows 12,946 cases in this
age group. The report also shows an increase in the number of children
hospitalized with COVID-19. According to the state's department of health,
there were 436 hospitalizations of children on August 9, compared with 602 in
the most recent report, marking an increase of 166 hospitalizations.
Parents and teachers are asking for every school district
to follow the rules to keep schools safe from COVID-19 | Opinion
Penn Live Opinion By Rich Askey Posted
Aug 25, 2020
Rich Askey is a Harrisburg music teacher and
president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
As the summer draws to a close, we find
ourselves on the doorstep of a school year like no other. And, across the state, so many students,
educators, support professionals, parents, and school leaders are asking the
same questions. What are the rules? What can we do to reopen? What will school
look like this year? Is it safe? The 180,000 dedicated education professionals
I represent as president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA)
are eager to return to their schools and classrooms. They want to be back with
their students and colleagues. But they want to do it in the safest possible way.
They want to protect their students and their students’ families as well as
their colleagues and their colleagues’ families. And, like everything else
Pennsylvanians have been asked to do to slow the spread of the coronavirus, we
can only open schools safely if we follow the rules.
Beaver Area High School to start school year virtually
due to teacher shortage
Daveen Rae Kurutz Beaver
County Times August 25, 2020
BEAVER — A Beaver County high school will
start the 2020-21 school year online due to a shortage of teachers able to be
in the classroom. The Beaver Area School Board approved a change to the
district's return-to-school plan Monday that moves all high school students to
an online format for the first nine-weeks. Superintendent Carrie Rowe said the
move was necessitated by a number of medical sabbaticals and leave-of-absences
granted by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. "When we have these
highly qualified, very caring individuals stepping out of their position, then
we need to have somebody else step in," Rowe said. "Part of
the issue that we're having is finding enough substitutes who not only are
willing to come in for the amount of pay and risk that they perceive but also
who are highly qualified in the area where we need them."
Blackhawk School Board votes to move to virtual learning,
will slowly reintroduce hybrid model
Andrew Chiappazzi Beaver
County Times August 25, 2020
CHIPPEWA TWP. — The Blackhawk School Board
unanimously approved a shift Tuesday to a predominantly virtual learning model
to start the school year, with a staggered reintroduction of in-person classes
progressing throughout September. On Sept. 8, all K-4 students in the
district will start the school year in a hybrid model, while fifth- through
12th-grade students study remotely. Cohort Group A of the K-4 students will
attend in-person classes on Mondays and Thursdays, while Cohort Group B will
attend in-person classes on Tuesdays and Fridays. That pattern will last
through Sept. 18. The district will monitor community and school spread of
COVID-19. Depending on school and community transmission levels, Blackhawk will
bring fifth- through eighth-grade into the hybrid model no earlier than Sept.
21. “If we were able to do that for a four week period, we would finally
then begin to introduce our high school students,” Superintendent Rob Postupac
said.
Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School suspends
sports, goes virtual, through September
Daveen Rae Kurutz Beaver
County Times August 25, 2020
MIDLAND — No in-person classes means no
sports for students at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School. The
board of directors at the Midland-based charter school voted Tuesday to move
classes online for the first four weeks of the 2020-21 school year, CEO P.K.
Poling said. Additionally, the school has suspended fall sports through Sept.
30. "We want to protect everybody," Poling said of the board's
unanimous decision to only offer virtual classes. The school year is slated to
begin Sept. 2. The board agreed to suspend sports until the students
resume face-to-face instruction, a recommendation made last month by Gov. Tom
Wolf. Poling said officials notified the WPIAL of their decision, which
directly impacts volleyball, cross-country and golf. Poling said school
officials are wrestling with how the decision will impact the co-op football
program between Lincoln Park and Western Beaver School District. Students who
wish to play football do so for the Western Beaver Golden Beavers.
Cyber charters rolling in pandemic aid
Bucks County Courier Times Opinion By Richard
Robinson August 26, 2020
Remember the 1980s? Ronald Reagan was
president, cell phones were the size of walkie-talkies, and the best source of
music videos was MTV? If you do, you might recall the song “Money for Nothing”
by Dire Straits. It’s about a hard-working guy who delivers and installs heavy
appliances. Seeing a music video playing he decides rock musicians get paid
huge sums of money without really working. With apologies to Mark Knopfler
and Dire Straits, the same could be said for cyber charter schools in
Pennsylvania these days. While public schools districts in our state will be
facing revenue shortfalls of $1 billion or more as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic, charter schools and cyber charter schools will benefit from pandemic
relief measures without any drop in revenue. Can that be right? Right or not,
it’s happening. Under the recently enacted state budget, charter schools will
receive $15 million in state health and safety grants to address
COVID-19-related health and safety needs. This is much needed funding for
public schools and brick and mortar charter schools that are offering some sort
of in-person learning this fall. Here’s the best part. Every individual cyber
charter school in Pennsylvania, schools that offer their instruction virtually,
stands to receive $90,000 for health and safety needs! Virtual instruction —
real money!
As Black Lives Matter protests continue, schools take a
look at race in their own curriculum
Sarah Siock Bucks
County Courier Times August 26, 2020
Samah Ahmed didn’t learn about Juneteenth in
her history classes at Central Bucks East High School. There was no discussion
about the Tulsa massacre or other pivotal moments in Black American history. “The
curriculum was not inclusive,” said Ahmed, now 20, adding she was the only
Black Muslim student in her class at the Buckingham school. “Much of the
curriculum was Euro-centric. There were little to no topics regarding Black
history. These are such important events in Black history that need to be
acknowledged during class.” As Black Lives Matter protests continue across the
country, students are demanding that school districts take a closer look at
their curriculum to provide an anti-racist education. “I believe these
discussions will lead to students learning that racism is not always actions
but deeply rooted and learned behavior,” said Ahmed, who recalled incidents of
racism, both overt and covert, during her time in Central Bucks.
A few glitches aside, the first day of an unconventional
school year in Lancaster County went calmer than some expected
Lancaster Online by ALEX
GELI | Staff Writer August 26, 2020
With a 104-year-old great-grandmother at
home, Manheim Township High School junior Paloma Rivera said she felt paranoid
going back to school with the threat of COVID-19 looming. But the first day of
school Tuesday ended up calmer than she expected. “It went a lot smoother than
I thought it would be,” she said outside the school, holding onto her mask that
she had worn throughout the day. “I was expecting absolute chaos.” Despite a
few first-day glitches, Lancaster County students, teachers and administrators
said the first day of an unprecedented school year went as well as can be
expected during a pandemic. Five county school districts — Cocalico, Donegal,
Hempfield, Manheim Township and Pequea Valley — kicked off the 2020-21 school
year on Tuesday. Lampeter-Strasburg starts today.
Lehigh Valley health experts raise red flag about PIAA
football, soccer and field hockey resuming
By BINGHUI HUANG THE MORNING
CALL | AUG 26, 2020 AT 5:05 AM
Doctors from St. Luke’s University Health
Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network advised about two dozen
superintendents to be cautious about resuming contact sports such as football,
soccer and field hockey, said two superintendents who were on the Friday
virtual call. Many Lehigh Valley high school athletes are in limbo as they
await the decisions of superintendents and school boards, regarding whether
sports like football and soccer will be played. Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
athletic directors will meet Thursday with a plan to finalize fall sports
schedules. Colonial League officials voted to have a delayed fall sports
season. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association voted to start
fall sports, but each superintendent and school board will decide if the
students will participate. School officials are weighing the risk of spreading
the coronavirus among students against a desire by many to resume sports.
A big decision looms for EPC fall sports: Some schools
gearing to play, others may not
By KEITH GROLLER THE MORNING
CALL | AUG 25, 2020 AT 5:23 PM
The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference athletic
directors will meet Thursday with a plan to finalize fall sports schedules and
a goal to release them Friday morning. Whether the games on that schedule are
played remains to be seen as EPC school boards and administrators grapple with
the decision to play or not play, at least when it comes to contact sports such
as football. On Friday, the PIAA gave the green light to fall sports after
pausing for two weeks following Gov. Tom Wolf’s surprise strong recommendation
to suspend all sports until Jan. 1. The PIAA and Gov. Wolf, by making a
recommendation and not a mandate, have left it up to each school district to
decide whether to play this fall. Several have begun the decision-making
process. On Monday, the Colonial League voted 8-5 to not proceed with the
PIAA-allowed start times, but voted 12-1 to go forward with a revised timetable
that would have soccer, field hockey and volleyball league competition starting
on Sept. 18 and the initial league football games slated for Sept. 25.
Fall high school sports: I hope the show goes on
By PAUL MUSCHICK THE MORNING
CALL | AUG 25, 2020 AT 8:00 AM
The difficult decisions keep coming for
Pennsylvania school officials.
As they put the finishing touches on their
plans for virtual teaching and classroom cleanliness, they also must decide
whether to allow their students to play sports, too. The pressure is on them
after the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association on Friday decided
to move ahead with its fall schedule, with a huge caveat — school districts get
the final say about whether they will participate. The PIAA made the right call
in clearing the way for the games to go on, with local approval. That’s where the
decision always should have rested, and it’s consistent with the state Department
of Education’s choice to allow each school
district to decide how to offer classes. So, now,
school superintendents, school boards and athletic directors who want to play
need to prove to their communities that they can do it safely. There should be
a process for taking public input as those decisions are made.
In a match-up between politics and public health, bet on
football every time | Fletcher McClellan
By Fletcher McClellan Capital-Star Op-Ed Contributor August
26, 2020
Politics and public health clashed again in
this crazy, COVID year.
This time, the issue was whether Pennsylvania
secondary schools should conduct fall sports competition. The winner? Politics,
so far. Earlier this month, Gov. Tom Wolf issued a “strong recommendation” that
schools postpone fall sports until January 1, 2021 at the earliest. Whether the
contests involve contact or not, sports attract clusters of people – players,
coaches, officials, support personnel, parents, and fans – and risk violating state health and safety
guidelines in combating COVID-19, argued the
governor. Though the Commonwealth has done better than most states have
in containing the spread of the coronavirus, 600-800 Pennsylvanians contracted the
virus daily in the month of August. Wolf
stopped short of commanding an end to fall 2020 sports, telling the Pennsylvania
Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and individual school
districts “to do what they want.” Last
Friday, the PIAA executive board, by a 25-5 vote, gave the green light to its 1400 member
schools to participate in fall varsity
sports.
It's official: No fall sports of any kind at Unionville
Pottstown Mercury by Fran
Maye fmaye@21st-centurymedia.com August 26,
2020
EAST MARLBOROUGH - There will be no fall
sports at Unionville-High School School District this year. Patrick Crater,
athletic director at the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, made the
announcement Monday night at the district's school board meeting. The decision
is in line with the recommendation from the Chester County Health Department,
encouraging all sports programs in Chester County to postpone activities until
at least the beginning of the new year. "This is the most heartbreaking
decision I have ever had to make," Crater said. "football was
supposed to start two weeks ago, and we have been hanging on by a thread this
past month." Recently, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic
Association suggested that local school boards make their own decisions about
whether to allow students to plan athletics this fall. But with the Chester
County Health Department's recommendation against playing sports, school
officials are put in a tight spot. "Everyone is Chester County is
wrestling with the same thing," said John Sanville, superintendent of the
Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. "It's so very difficult if we are
going to follow the Chester County Health Department guidance relative to
teaching school virtually until Oct. 9, why should we ignore the Health
Department's guidance as it relates to sports? I am an advocate of sports and
it makes a positive difference in the lives of our children."
Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference: No spectators at
fall sports events; bands, cheerleaders OK
Johnstown Tribune Democrat By Mike Mastovich mmastovich@tribdem.com August 26,
2020
The Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference
announced it will follow Gov. Tom Wolf’s guidelines and not permit spectators
during athletic events amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Somerset High School
Athletic Director Scott Close, who also is executive director of the LHAC,
released a statement after the 13-member conference held a Zoom meeting on
Tuesday. The LHAC met "to reaffirm its commitment to providing the safest
possible environment for the student athletes of the member schools,” Close
said in the statement. “League-wide safety guidelines were established in
accordance with the PIAA, department of health and governor's recommendations. “All
LHAC schools will follow the governor's mandate that eliminates spectators at
scholastic contests. It is the hope that this mandate will be revisited by the
governor or legislature in the future. “All member schools have agreed that
contests will be halted if spectators are in violation on school district
property. The main focus of the LHAC at this time is to follow all prescribed
requirements so that we can keep our student athletes on the playing field.”
Officials: Hempfield student-athlete tests positive for
covid-19
Trib Live by MEGAN
TOMASIC | Tuesday,
August 25, 2020 10:05 p.m.
A Hempfield student-athlete recently tested
positive for covid-19, according to a letter written
by Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. District officials were informed of the
positive case by the student’s parents Monday. The student, who was not named,
is part of the district’s golf team, Wolicki said. After district officials
were informed of the case, they were in contact with the state Department of
Health. According to the letter, the department investigated the case and on
Tuesday recommended that the individual who tested positive, and a few others
who were in close contact with that person, quarantine. It was not immediately
clear if those individuals were students or staff, or how many were asked to
quarantine. The quarantine is not recommended for all members of the golf team,
“as golf is an outdoor sport, the athletes do not share equipment, and social
distancing was maintained for nearly all students,” Wolicki said.
Administrators in Southmoreland School District
quarantining for covid-19
Trib Live by TEGHAN
SIMONTON | Tuesday,
August 25, 2020 8:56 p.m.
Some administrators in the Southmoreland
School District are self-quarantining after being exposed to covid-19 — before
the school year has even begun. An administrator in the district recently
tested positive for the coronavirus, the superintendent confirmed to the
Tribune-Review. That person has stopped visiting buildings and grounds. “In
order to protect privacy, the district cannot identify the person or supply
information which would cause the person to be identified,” Superintendent
Vincent Mascia said in a written statement. It is unclear how many staff
members may have come in contact with the infected individual. Mascia said all
involved persons have been notified, and members of the administrative staff
that were in close proximity are in quarantine.
After 66 years, Unionville retires iconic Indians name
Pottstown Mercury Fran
Maye fmaye@21st-centurymedia.com August 26,
2020
EAST MARLBOROUGH — After nine years of
off-and-on debate over whether to keep the iconic Unionville Indian logo, the
Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board has voted unanimously to retire the symbol
that was beloved by some, but rejected by many. The Monday vote comes at a time
when companies are changing the names of their products to distance themselves
from logos and brand names with racist origins, and just a few weeks after the
Washington professional football team retired the Redskins name. "Racism
has no part in our community," said board member Tom Day. "We should
call it out as disgusting and abhorrent when we see it." Day said that a
school mascot should be three things -- something that would do no harm and not
be divisive; tell a story about the community; and provide a symbol for the
community to rally around. Day said the Unionville Indian logo fails in every
regard.
DeVos softens position on schools reopening in Georgia
visit
Trib Live by ASSOCIATED PRESS | Tuesday,
August 25, 2020 7:57 p.m.
CUMMING, Ga. — U.S. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos has softened earlier comments that called for schools to reopen for
in-person instruction for all, saying during a visit to a Georgia high school
Tuesday that what she really wants to see is “100% learning.” “I think perhaps
there’s been a little bit of a misunderstanding that going back to school meant
100% of the students had to be in-person 100% of the time,” DeVos said at
Forsyth Central High School in suburban Atlanta. “No, the expectation is that
there’s 100% learning in a way that’s going to work for each family and each
student, and importantly, in each community and each school.” DeVos and
President Donald Trump have been pressuring school systems to open in person, a
position that has prompted demonstrations and shouting matches at school board
meetings in some places as school leaders have wrestled with their options.
Trump at one point threatened to withhold federal funding for schools that do
not bring their students back in the fall.
School Choice Was the Main Policy Mentioned at Monday’s
RNC. Why?
Almost every speaker mentioned school choice
by name.
Slate By CHRISTINA
CAUTERUCCI AUG 25, 20206:20 PM
The first night of the Republican National
Convention was extremely light on policy talk. The party put together no
platform this year, opting instead to draft a simple resolution declaring
its intent to support whatever Donald Trump decides he wants to do. So, instead
of mounting an argument in favor of a sweeping policy agenda on Monday night,
the convention’s cast members spent most of their time painting Trump as an empathetic leader who
loves Black people—but will also keep Black people from moving to the suburbs
where you, white voters, live. One of the few exceptions was the topic of
school choice, which was raised by almost every speaker on Monday’s docket.
California public school teacher Rebecca Friedrichs, who has been fighting for years to
prevent teachers unions from compelling members who oppose their union’s
politics to pay union dues, appeared at the beginning of the evening. In her
speech, Friedrichs accused teachers unions of “trapping so many precious,
low-income children in dangerous, corrupt, and low-performing schools” by
opposing policies that divert money from public schools to charter, private,
and parochial schools. Friedrichs praised Trump for “empower[ing] kids to escape
dangerous, low-performing schools” with a proposed tax credit program that
would encourage funding for private and home-school education.
Blogger commentary:
Parents considering cyber charters due to COVID might not be
aware of their 20 year consistent track record of academic underperformance. As
those parents face an expected blitz of advertising by cybers, in order for
them to make a more informed decision, you might consider providing them with
some of the info listed below:
A June 2 paper from the highly respected Brookings Institution stated,
“We find the impact of attending a virtual charter on student achievement is
uniformly and profoundly negative,” and then went on to say that “there is no
evidence that virtual charter students improve in subsequent years.”
In 2016, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers,
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and the national charter lobbying
group 50CAN released a report on cyber charters that found that overall, cyber
students make no significant gains in math and less than half the gains in reading
compared with their peers in traditional public schools.
A Stanford University CREDO Study in 2015 found that cyber students on
average lost 72 days a year in reading and 180 days a year in math compared
with students in traditional public schools.
From 2005 through 2012 under the federal No Child Left
Behind Act, most Pennsylvania cybers never made “adequate yearly progress.”
Following NCLB, for all five years (2013-2017) that Pennsylvania’s School
Performance Profile system was in place, not one cyber charter ever achieved a
passing score of 70.
Under Pennsylvania’s current accountability system, the Future Ready PA Index, all 15 cyber charters that operated
2018-2019 have been identified for some level of support and improvement.
PSBA Fall Virtual Advocacy Day: OCT 8, 2020 • 8:00
AM - 5:00 PM
Sign up now for PSBA’s Virtual Advocacy Day this
fall!
All public school leaders are invited to join
us for our fall Virtual Advocacy Day on Thursday, October 8, 2020, via Zoom. We
need all of you to help strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center
around contacting legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public
education. Registrants will receive the meeting invitation with a link to our
fall Virtual Advocacy Day website that contains talking points, a link to
locate contact information for your legislator and additional information to
help you have a successful day.
Cost: As a membership benefit, there is no
cost to register.
Registration: School directors can register
online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you
have questions about Virtual Advocacy Day, or need additional information,
contact Jamie.Zuvich@psba.org.
Save The Date: The PSBA 2020 Equity Summit is happening
virtually on October 13th.
Discover how to build a foundation for equity
in practice and policy.
Learn more: https://t.co/KQviB4TTOj
PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference October 14-15
Virtual
Registration is now open for the first ever
virtual School Leadership Conference! Join us for all-new educational sessions,
dynamic speakers, exhibitors, and more! Visit the website for registration
information: https://t.co/QfinpBL69u #PASLC20 https://t.co/JYeRhJLUmZ
Adopt the resolution against racial inequity!
School boards are asked to adopt this
resolution supporting the development of an anti-racist climate. Once adopted,
share your resolution with your local community and submit a copy to PSBA.
Learn more: http://ow.ly/yJWA50B2R72
Adopt the 2020 PSBA resolution for charter school funding
reform
In this legislative session, PSBA has been
leading the charge with the Senate, House of Representatives and the Governor’s
Administration to push for positive charter reform. We’re now asking you to
join the campaign: Adopt the resolution: We’re asking all school
boards to adopt the 2020 resolution for charter school funding reform at your
next board meeting and submit it to your legislators and to PSBA.
292 PA school boards have adopted charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 290 school boards across the state have adopted a resolution
calling for legislators to enact significant reforms to the Charter School Law
to provide funding relief and ensure all schools are held to the same quality
and ethics standards. Now more than ever, there is a growing momentum from
school officials across the state to call for charter school funding reform.
Legislators are hearing loud and clear that school districts need relief from
the unfair funding system that results in school districts overpaying millions
of dollars to charter schools.
Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then
Call for Charter Change!
PSBA Charter Change Website:
The Network for Public Education Action Conference has
been rescheduled to April 24-25, 2021 at the Philadelphia Doubletree Hotel
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.