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,
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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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
“This pandemic has turned the already complex job of
providing public education for all children in the commonwealth, into an impossible
scenario with incomparable planning and preparation with few explicit answers”
Blogger note: I am compiling a list of
school districts that have announced 100% virtual openings. It appears towards
the end of today’s postings. Please drop me a note if your district has done
so. Thanks!
Please note that the ED Policy Roundup will
be offline next week, resuming on August 17th. Don’t let anything
newsworthy happen in the meantime.
Taxpayers in Senate Minority
Appropriations Chair Vincent Hughes’s school districts paid over $106.9 million
in 2018-2019 cyber charter tuition. Statewide, PA
taxpayers paid over $600 million for cyber charter tuition in 2018-2019.
|
Colonial SD
|
$491,424.00
|
|
Upper Dublin SD
|
$314,595.76
|
|
Philadelphia City SD
|
$106,152,521.20
|
|
|
$106,958,540.96
|
Data Source: PDE via PSBA
Why are cyber charter tuition rates the same as brick and mortar
tuition?
Why are PA taxpayers paying twice what it costs to provide a
cyber education?
Education leader: Providing public education during
pandemic is ’impossible scenario... with few explicit answers'
Penn Live By Hannah
Kanik | hkanik@pennlive.com Updated 4:13 PM; Today 4:13 PM
Student access to technology, a possible
teacher shortage and how to implement state public health guidelines were just
a few examples of the concerns raised by state education leaders in a public
hearing Tuesday on how to safely reopen schools this fall.
This hearing before the House Education
Committee comes just three weeks before school starts for many districts in the
state. Most districts have been working through the summer to plan for a safe
return to classes, but educators said they still feel overwhelmed. “The bottom
line is that this pandemic has turned the already
complex job of providing public education for all children in the commonwealth,
into an impossible scenario with incomparable planning and preparation with few
explicit answers,” said John Callahan of the Pennsylvania School Boards
Association. Pennsylvania State Education Association President Rich Askey
noted the differences between each district’s back-to-school plans, citing some
that require face masks for all students at all times, while others only
recommend them. He asked legislators to provide clear, state-wide guidance to
school leaders for reopening safely. While districts were given recommendations
from the Department of Health and Centers for Disease control, he said there
are a lot of questions still left on the table. Shane Hotchkiss, superintendent
at Bermudian Springs School District and a representative of the Pennsylvania
Association of School Administrators, echoed these remarks. “Most of what has
been issued are suggestions, without specificity, leaving difficult decisions
to school leaders who are not public health experts,” he said.
Three days of talk in Harrisburg yield scant consensus on
critical school reopening questions
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison August 5,
2020
Rich Askey is slated to start another year in
the Harrisburg City School District this fall, where he’s taught music for most
of his three-decade career. But Askey still doesn’t know what his day will look
like, or even how schools will offer extracurricular activities such as chorus,
as COVID-19 continues to burn through much of the United States. “Everybody’s
trying to be as creative as possible to give the students the best
opportunities,” Askey, who also serves as president of the Pennsylvania State
Education Association, said during a state House Education Committee hearing
Wednesday. “But it just depends on the situation in the local district, and the
plans have to be made there.” Pennsylvania educators and school administrators
told lawmakers in a series of hearings this week that countless questions
remain unanswered as they try to figure out how to safely educate students this
fall. Among them: How far apart should students sit when they’re in
class? How many children should be on a school bus? If there’s an outbreak in a
community, at what point should schools shut down? What happens if a school
staff member gets sick on the job? Educators say that guidelines from state,
federal and local leaders have been lackluster and sometimes
contradictory.
State lawmakers hear schools face range of challenges in
reopening
Post Gazette by MARK SCOLFORO Associated
Press AUG 5, 2020 11:26 PM
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state lawmakers
heard about the slew of challenges ahead when schools reopen during a pandemic,
as two days of hearings that ended Wednesday offered little reason for
optimism. In hours of testimony before the House Education Committee, school
officials and other experts said there has been months of planning but there
are also concerns about what lies ahead. “How prepared are we? We’re as
prepared as you possibly can be,” said John Callahan, lobbyist for the
Pennsylvania School Boards Association. “I think schools are taking every
action they can, listening to every piece of advice.” Among the issues are
questions about what standards schools should use to decide whether to shut
down a school or a district when an outbreak occurs, a prospect that looms
large as the school year is about to begin. “What happens if a student tests
positive, a teacher?” asked Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Schuylkill. “Because if you
don’t have a plan in place, you can be prepared to hear exactly what we’ve been
hearing, which is what the hell have you been doing to prepare for this?” Bermudian
Springs Superintendent Shane Hotchkiss, representing the state superintendents’
association before the committee, said the state Health Department has promised
to respond to all outbreaks. “We keep hearing that it’ll be handled on a
case-by-case basis, about what to do, how to determine who’s been in close
contact” with sick students or staff, Mr. Hotchkiss said.
These are Pa.’s most — and least — equitable school
districts | Thursday Morning Coffee
PA Capital Star Commentary By John L. Micek August
6, 2020
Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Across Pennsylvania, school officials are
making critical decisions about how students, teachers, support staff and other
critical education employees can return to the classroom. Some large districts,
such as Philadelphia, are opting to start the school year entirely online.
Others are opting for hybrid approaches that will combine online and in-person
instruction. And while schools have received some assistance to do this
critical work, the financial health of each of Pennsylvania’s 500 school
districts continues to differ dramatically from county to county, or even from
community to community. A new study from the financial literacy site WalletHub takes
stock of our current landscape, ranking the Keystone State’s most, and least, equitable school systems. WalletHub’s analysts
reached their conclusions by just two metrics: “average household income
and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.” Overall,
Pennsylvania ranked 24th nationwide for the equity of its school systems, the
analysis found. It concluded, in terms familiar to any public education
advocate that “states that provide equitable funding to all school
districts can help prevent poor
students from having lower graduation rates, lower rates of pursuing higher
education and smaller future incomes than their wealthy peers.” Below, a look
at the most and least equitable districts.
“Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters PA, said
the money could be funneled through state and federal funding formulas that are
designed to distribute the most aid to needy school districts. Alternatively,
she said, state officials could prioritize districts that are encountering the
highest costs for online learning and cyber charter school tuition payments,
which could reach all-time this year as cyber charter administrators report maxed-out enrollments.
“Whatever the formula, this one-time emergency funding should be
targeted to help increase resources available to students who have the greatest
needs,” Spicka said.”
Pennsylvania got $104M from the feds to expand internet
access to students. Much of it is still unspent
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison August 5,
2020
This spring, as Pennsylvania schools
struggled to complete a historic school year entirely online, state officials
secured $104 million in federal funding to improve internet connectivity for
K-12 and college students statewide. Now, with less than a month until
the school year traditionally starts, most of the money still hasn’t been
spent – even though districts are increasingly accepting that
remote instruction will be the reality for hundreds of thousands of school
children this fall. Gov. Tom Wolf has total authority to allocate the grant
that Pennsylvania received from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief
(GEER) Fund, a pot of money created in the federal CARES Act, and controlled by
the U.S. Department of Education. So far, he’s distributed just one-third of
Pennsylvania’s award, giving $3 million to preschool programs and $28 million
to colleges and universities. But his administration can’t say when they’ll
release the remaining $73 million to K-12 schools or how they’ll decide to dole
it out. “It’s very strange to me that they could not allocate it,” Donna
Cooper, a longtime education advocate and former Rendell administration
official, told the Capital-Star on Monday. “We’re getting close to school
opening.” The money from the GEER Fund represents a tiny fraction of the aid
that Pennsylvania received from the federal government this spring and still
has yet to spend.
Gov. Wolf: Online-only schools shouldn’t play sports this
fall
Trib Live By: Chris
Harlan Monday, August 3, 2020 | 2:24 PM
Online classes await students at a number of
schools this fall, but that wasn’t expected to keep their sports teams from
competing. Now, they’re not so sure. Gov. Tom Wolf said schools choosing an
online-only approach shouldn’t play sports in the fall, an informal
announcement that left coaches, athletes and administrators worried. “I’m not
sure we’ve figured out exactly how we can do this, but what happens in schools
should be consistent with what happens on the playing fields,” Wolf said Monday
while answering a question at a joint press conference with state Health
Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine. “In other words, if the school is going completely
virtual, it seems hard to justify having in-person contact sports being played
in the fall,” Wolf added. “If the school is going to be open and feels it’s
safe — if teachers, administrators, parents feel it’s safe to reopen — that’s a
different proposition for contact sports.” Wolf referenced “contact sports,”
but a spokesperson clarified later to the Trib that he was talking about all
sports. Many districts would be impacted including Pittsburgh Public Schools,
which already announced plans to
exclusively use online classes for the first quarter of the school year.
Riverview, East Allegheny and Moon are among the WPIAL schools taking a similar
virtual-classroom approach.
For students with autism, remote learning is particularly
challenging. Here’s how children and parents are adjusting.
Public Source by Veonna
King | August 5, 2020
Jennifer Salamon’s son Roman attends the
Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh Day School where he’s about to start eighth
grade. Roman, who has autism and an intellectual disability, has had a mostly
positive experience with remote learning during the pandemic. “A lot of his
goals and what he does in school are everyday skills as far as learning how to
do dishes, doing laundry, identifying very basic things like clothing,” Salamon
said. Each day, Roman has two 30-minute video sessions with his occupational
therapist and speech therapist. While the transition has been fairly smooth,
he’s also isolated from much of the personal interactions he’d have at school. “I
am concerned only because he does like to be out, and he does like to be around
other children,'' said Salamon, who is director of communications at Autism
Connection of Pennsylvania. “Thirty minutes to an hour a day of school at home
isn’t the same as him being at school for a full day.” The pandemic has exposed
the challenges of shifting abruptly to remote education for students across the
country. For children with autism and their parents, the challenges have been
even more pronounced. As plans for the fall are being designed by school
districts in the Pittsburgh region, PublicSource spoke with parents and care
providers about the struggles and unforeseen advantages of remote learning for
kids on the autism spectrum.
Upper Darby goes all virtual for fall school opening
Delco Times by Alex Rose August 5,
2020
The Upper Darby School District will begin
the 2020-21 school year with virtual learning only following a 7-1 vote at a
special meeting of the school board Tuesday night. “The problem right now in
Delaware County, and particularly in Upper Darby, is there is an upward trend
(in coronavirus cases),” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel McGarry
during the online meeting. “As people are a lot more relaxed, they’re not
following social distancing guidelines and they’re not wearing their masks if
they are below 6 feet, we are seeing an upward trend.” McGarry noted the
district last month put out an intricate flexible plan for online and in-person
learning that split the district’s approximately 12,000 students into several
cohorts to try to maintain safety amid the pandemic. He said he believed that
model was best until seeing data that showed an upward trend in infection rates
among teenagers and those up to age 29, and discussing guidance for schools
Tuesday with two medical professionals from the University of Pennsylvania. “If
we have to quarantine staff for 14 days and groups of students for 14 days,
ultimately we would be in a position where we would have to shut down,” he
said. “Right now, it would be unwise for me to say to this board and this
public that if the data is showing an upward trend, to reopen for in-person
instruction if the data is increasing and not decreasing.” Upper Darby follows
the lead of the Chester Upland School District, which also recently announced
it would move to online-only instruction this fall. Other districts in the
county have approved combination online/in-person instructional models when
schools reopen.
“Centennial’s reopening plan is similar to ones adopted or being
considered by other districts in Bucks County. Council Rock and Pennsbury have
both approved plans that start the year with all remote learning and then add a
hybrid option.”
Centennial reopening plan has no in-person instruction
until Nov. 9
Bucks County Courier Times By Chris
English @CourierEnglish Posted
Aug 5, 2020 at 12:56 PM
The school board voted 8-1 at Tuesday night’s
virtual meeting to go all remote to start the year, and then add a hybrid
option after the first marking period. In a decision one Centennial School Board
member said was like trying to pick the “least bad” option, the board voted 8-1
at Tuesday night’s special virtual meeting to leave students at home for the
first two months of the school year. Under
the reopening plan, all instruction will be virtual until the end of first
marking period on Nov. 9, at which time a hybrid, or blended option will be
added if conditions allow. The hybrid option will have roughly half the regular
education students attending schools two days of the week, the other half attending
on another two days, and all learning remotely on the other three days. Board
President Andrew Dixon and fellow members Mark Miller, Patti Crossan,
Christopher Berdnik, Flemming Godiksen, Jon Panofsky, Mary Alice Brancato and
Shelley Eilenberg voted in favor of the reopening plan that had been
recommended by acting Superintendent Thomas Seidenberger, other administrators
and committees that had studied reopening scenarios.
Allegheny, Westmoreland school districts reveal plans for
upcoming classes
TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Wednesday, August
5, 2020 12:01 a.m.
As school districts across the state were
ordered closed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf in March to help curb the spread
of coronavirus, they are now developing new health and safety protocols in an
effort to restart instruction in the coming weeks. Some will begin with online
instruction, some will hold classes in the buildings and others will employ a
blended schedule. Here are the plans to date for schools in Allegheny and
Westmoreland counties:
Here’s a look at back-to-schools plans unveiled by central
Pa. school districts
Penn Live By Hannah
Kanik | hkanik@pennlive.com Updated Aug 04, 2020; Posted Jul 20,
2020
A number of school districts in Dauphin and
Cumberland counties have announced their plans for the fall semester, while
others are planning to unveil their plans in the coming weeks. Here’s a quick
look at what plans are available. PennLive will update this list as more
districts make public their plans. All districts have received the same
guidance from the state Department of Health, and Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, so many of the plans are similar, but there are differences as
each district tries to address its own, unique needs amid the uncertainty of
the coronavirus pandemic. One overwhelming theme across them all is the need to
be flexible with plans as the situation changes. Nearly all districts have
proposed a “phased” or “tiered” return to classes that gives it the flexibility
of offering in-person education, online learning or a hybrid of the two.
Districts say it may be necessary to move between the options during the course
of the school year.
Find out how your Lehigh Valley school plans to reopen
and keep students safe
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO and KAYLA DWYER THE MORNING
CALL | AUG 01, 2020 AT 4:56 PM
The state Education Department requires all
districts to submit a Health and Safety Plan approved by local school boards.
In the plans, districts and charter schools outlined what safeguards they will
put in place to protect students and staff from the coronavirus and what steps
they will take if a student or staff member contracts the virus. The plans all
include such state requirements as mask wearing for students, staff and
visitors; daily temperature checks and screening for symptoms of COVID-19;
disinfecting of buildings and classrooms; and social distancing, even during
gym classes and recess. Schools have cut out field trips, limited the number of
visitors and volunteers, and have braced parents for a pivot to online-only
classes if cases spike. The Education Department is posting plans as schools
submit them, at education.pa.gov. Schools
also are required to post their health and safety plans on their websites. Here
are highlights from plans that Lehigh Valley schools so far have either
publicly announced or submitted to the state.
Carbondale Area School District changes course, will
begin school year virtually
Majority of teachers, plurality of parents
surveyed support virtual reopening
Times Tribune BY FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY STAFF WRITER Aug 5, 2020
In a reversal of a reopening plan presented
last week, Carbondale Area School District students will not return to a
classroom until at least October. The district's school board unanimously voted
Wednesday to begin the school year remotely Sept. 8. On Sept. 22, the district
will decide whether to remain virtual or move into its second phase of
reopening, which calls for a blended model of virtual and in-person classes.
The targeted start date for the hybrid reopening is Oct. 6, according to
Carbondale's health and safety plan. Last week, Superintendent Holly Sayre
presented a plan that called for students to begin the year under the hybrid
model. Following the meeting, the district sent out surveys with open-ended
questions about reopening to parents and teachers, many of whom said they
wanted to begin the year virtually. According to the survey results, which
Sayre shared during Wednesday's meeting, the plurality of responding parents
and the majority of responding teachers favored a virtual start to the school
year. Of the 551 parents who responded, 44% wanted a virtual reopening, 31%
supported the hybrid model and 25% wanted a full reopening. Out of 125 teachers
who responded, 62% favored a virtual reopening, 31% wanted a hybrid reopening,
and only 7% wanted a full reopening. The district considered the survey
results when deciding how to reopen, Sayre said.
Lakeland board approves virtual start to school year
Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL STAFF WRITER Aug 5, 2020
Lakeland students will learn from home for at
least the first five weeks of the school year. With an 8-0 vote Wednesday, the
school board approved the district’s health and safety plan, joining a growing
number of Northeast Pennsylvania districts that will start the year virtually. “We
decided to err on the side of caution,” Superintendent William King said. “At
the end of the day, we were concerned about the health, safety and welfare of
our students … and also the adults in the building.” For nearly 40 minutes
before the vote, King read public comments submitted prior to the virtual
meeting. Many parents asked the district to start with a model including
in-person learning, citing concerns with child care, special education and
social interaction. Before the vote, school board President Mark Solomon said
he understands virtual learning can be a difficult scenario for families, but
the district had to consider everyone’s safety. “It’s not an easy decision,” he
said. Lakeland plans to begin virtual learning Aug. 31 and go through at least
Oct. 2. But unlike the spring, when districts suddenly closed and then
scrambled to offer online learning, the virtual option will come with a similar
schedule to a normal day in school.
As COVID-19 rages, teachers unions fielding myriad
questions before school year starts
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com AUG 6, 2020
5:44 AM
Rich Askey, the president of Pennsylvania’s
biggest teachers union, has had countless conversations with educators this
summer as schools prepare to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers
have shared with him their thoughts, their needs and their concerns about their
health — and the health of those they return to when they come home at the end
of the school day. “‘When I became a teacher, I knew with all the school
shootings out there that one day I might have to take a bullet for my students.
But I did not agree to bring a bullet home to my family,’” Mr. Askey said one
teacher recently told him. “How do you respond to that?” This is the kind of
issue that education stakeholders have been grappling with daily as plans to
reopen schools have taken shape over the past few months. Just weeks away from
the start of classes in Pennsylvania, union leaders still have many questions
about safety protocols as well as the logistics of various models of
instruction being implemented at schools across the state.
State College shifts gears in elementary schools after
70% choose to learn in person
Centre Daily Times BY
MARLEY PARISH AUGUST 04, 2020 02:38
PM , UPDATED AUGUST 04, 2020 06:43 PM
About 70% of State College elementary
students plan to attend school in person this fall, prompting the school
district to alter its reopening plan for those grade levels. State College Area
School District parents and guardians had until last week to select their
learning plan for the 2020-21 school year. After analyzing the numbers, the
district had to reevaluate its elementary education model, according to a letter
to district families from Assistant Superintendent for
Elementary Education Vern Bock. With the high percentage of students choosing
to learn in person, the district did not have enough teachers to cover both
in-school and remote classrooms, according to Bock. Moving to a cohort
approach, in-school and remote learning will be synchronous, and K-5 students
will attend classes every day either online or physically. “Without this
adjustment, we would face serious space and staffing issues because of the
final numbers,” Bock wrote. SCASD plans to purchase cameras that will allow
teachers to show remote students what is happening in the classroom. With 2,739
elementary students, 837 families — 31% — selected remote or virtual learning
for the upcoming school year. Under the previous plan, SCASD would have needed
to reassign 27-30 teachers to teach virtually.
Pittsburgh City School District Unveils Creative Remote
Learning Plan That Depends On Backordered Computers
WESA 90.5 By SARAH
SCHNEIDER •August 5, 2020
Central office staff for the state’s second
largest school district outlined a comprehensive plan for remote learning
Tuesday, a plan that requires nearly 19,000 computers and tablets that the
district doesn't have on hand yet. Last week, Pittsburgh Public Schools said
that nearly three-fourths of the devices it has purchased for
students since schools closed in March are back ordered. Some may not arrive
until mid-October. Districts across the country are making similar purchases as
more have chosen to postpone in-person instruction. Also on Tuesday, the PPS
board approved the $4.2 million purchase of 7,000 computers. With those
devices, the backordered ones and the ones on hand, the district will achieve
"one-to-one" device distribution, which means enough devices for
every student and teacher in the district. The district is hosting
a series of webinars for families with questions about
remote learning this month. The first session is on technology; other sessions
will cover early learning, supporting English Language Learners and students
with disabilities, athletics and accessing healthy food during remote learning.
Back to class: Parents must be ready to roll with changes
as schools reopen
By PAUL MUSCHICK THE MORNING
CALL | AUG 05, 2020 AT 8:01 AM
My children will be going back to school in a
few weeks, one to high school and the other to college. Frankly, I don’t know
what to expect. I want them to attend classes in person because I believe
that’s the best way to learn, and because it will give them opportunities to
socialize after being largely isolated since spring. As of now, the schools
they attend will be opening their doors, so I’m happy about that. At the same
time, I’m worried. I’m worried, of course, about the potential that they could
get sick, or bring the virus home and get everyone else in the house sick. I’m
worried about all of the new rules they’ll have to follow, and how that will
go. And I’m particularly worried about giving up control. Since children were
sent home in March, parents have been in charge of protecting them, and making
sure they protect others.
Looking from the inside out: An educator's insight into
the inequities of remote learning
A+ Schools Blog By Jason Boll, English
Teacher, Perry High School, A+ Schools Board Member August 04, 2020
“When white America sneezes, Black America
catches pneumonia.”
That old public health axiom has been echoing
in my head for a few weeks now, getting louder and more gong-like as we fall
further into this pandemic. I can’t help but see this sentiment everywhere I
look, with reaches far beyond the world of public health. It echoes in the
scary death rates of Black Americans from this virus, in the turning of our
collective heads to the struggle of so many people of color in our education
systems, in the relentless cry of so many at the persistent and brutal assault
of the Black body at hands of police officers, or bigoted and violent white
citizens, and in the painful and deadly realities that Black Americans are
facing each day, in almost every system this country has envisioned, imagined,
and built. And tragically, in the eyes of George Floyd. Racism has stained
every aspect of this country, and whether we as white Americans choose to
grapple with that reality is one of the many privileges afforded to whiteness.
Arresting, charging, and jailing some racist cops and villainous citizens
serves as a band-aid on a gaping wound, and unless we deal with that long-infected
wound at its core, the blood will continue to pour through. That blood, running
with currents of history and present, is on white America’s collective hands. I’m
writing here as an educator in a small, racially divided and segregated city
wedged right in the armpit of America’s Midwest and Northeast corridors. James
Baldwin’s words on racism in systems on “The Dick Cavett Show” in 1968 show the
prophetic vision of Baldwin and point clearly to our reality here in Pittsburgh
along with so many other cities. He said, “I don’t know what most white people
in this country feel, but I can only conclude what they feel from the state of
their institutions.” In other words, are feelings what matter if the systems
are murderous? “I don’t know if the board of education hates Black people,”
Baldwin continued. “But I know the textbooks they give our children to read and
the schools that we have to go to.”
Pittsburgh, my city, is just one example of
this.
Districts go round and round on school bus reopening
plans
AP News By MARK SCOLFORO August 5, 2020
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — School districts
nationwide puzzling over how to safely educate children during a pandemic have
a more immediate challenge — getting 26 million bus-riding students there in
the first place. Few challenges are proving to be more daunting than figuring
out how to maintain social distance on school buses. A wide array of strategies
have emerged to reduce the health risks but nobody has found a silver bullet. Should
students with COVID-19 symptoms be isolated at the front of the school bus?
Should bus seats be assigned? Should buses be loaded from the back? Should
buses only carry a few students at a time? “The transportation professionals
are left with the issue of, OK, you’ve got little Billy at the bus stop. Mom’s
not there and he’s got a temperature. That’s a dilemma,” said Steve Simmons, a
bus safety expert who used to head pupil transportation for Columbus, Ohio,
public schools. “We can’t answer those kinds of questions. I don’t think
anybody can.” Simmons, president of the National Association for Pupil
Transportation, was part of team of industry and school officials who produced
a 70-page report on ways to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Many
schools have been surveying parents to determine how many students will take
the bus and how many will be privately driven to school. Others are making
decisions about bus capacity that involve a trade-off between safety and
affordability. The task force report warned that a 6-foot (2-meter) social
distancing regulation “is not financially nor operationally feasible,” and that
“current thinking” is that a 72-student capacity bus can accommodate 24 students,
or more if family members sit together.
Safe2Say Something nears 50,000 tips; report explores
COVID-19's affect on students
NorthCentralPA.com NCPA Staff August 5,
2020
Harrisburg, Pa. -- On Monday, Attorney
General Josh Shapiro announced that the Office of Attorney General has released
the second annual Safe2Say report. The report tracks data received during the
2019-2020 school year beginning July 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2020. “Safe2Say
Something PA empowers students, teachers, and administrators to anonymously
report potentially unsafe activities in schools,” Attorney General Shapiro
said. “While the COVID-19 pandemic has kept students from vital parts of the
child safety net, young people across Pennsylvania have continued to rely on
Safe2Say to report life-saving tips." AG Shapiro continued, “None of this
would have been possible without the students who have trusted us and
participated, the analysts in the crisis management center who work 24-7 to
handle tips and keep people safe, and nearly every school in Pennsylvania that
has worked with us to get the word out about a service that is supporting
students during this critical time and strengthening public safety.” The
highest number of tips continue to concern mental health rather than potential
school violence. “When I visited Pennsylvania schools, kids told me over and
over that they were most concerned about their peers’ mental health—more than
any of the other stresses they had to worry about every day,” AG Shapiro said. According
to the second annual report, of the 23,745 tips received during the 2019-2020
school year, the top three tip categories were:
- Bullying/Cyberbullying:
3,608 tips
- Suicide/Suicidal
Ideation: 2,576 tips
- Cutting/Self-Harm:
2,139 tips
Advocates seek to change school names with racist
histories
“I believe a student should be proud to say,
‘My school is named after an individual who fought for my rights.’ Not one who
fought to oppress me,” said Sheridan Elementary's assistant principal, Julio
Nuñez.
The notebook by Shayleah Jenkins August 5
— 11:45 am, 2020
In the midst of the protests for racial and
social justice, educators and community members across Philadelphia are calling
for the renaming of several schools that have problematic namesakes. Andrew
Jackson Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Middle School, and Henry Sheridan Elementary
are among the examples given of institutions that honor historical figures who
have questionable pasts. Education advocate Dana Carter supports the effort as
a member of Parents Organized for a Better School District of Philadelphia and
the Racial Justice Organizing Committee, which
wants the late U.S. Reps. John Lewis of Georgia and Elijah Cummings of Maryland
to be among the first people to be honored in renamings. “We have to go back to
history. When did these schools get their names? Who was in control of telling
the story at the time?” Carter said. “The same people who were in charge of
naming these schools were the same people who oppressed the Black children in
schools. It’s not surprising they chose not to uplift the names of many Black
people, and specifically Black women, when they named the schools.”
Gerald Zahorchak and Chad Miller | School resource
officers respond positively toward students
Johnstown Tribune Democrat by Gerald
Zahorchak Chad Miller www.tribdem.com August 5,
2020
Healthy schools and their communities take
the time to develop students intellectually and behaviorally, guiding healthy
human development, building cultural literacy inside safe environs. States that
adequately and equitably invest in the education system experience better
living conditions and greater productivity. Members of these communities highly
esteem the education profession and its professionals. Local public schools
envision the desired identity of the community; and to enact change in a
community, they focus on students and the schools. Schools provide education,
career training, civic responsibility and the opportunity for improving police
and community relations. These changes are nurtured in schools and families,
and it takes time for the development of a community’s positive and cooperative
culture. The Johnstown community and its schools have demonstrated – amid the
context of national racial inequities – mostly positive and cooperative
experiences while working toward building a safe and healthy community. Within
the Johnstown schools, cooperation is modeled by teachers, parents/guardians
and students being able to thrive safely, beyond expectations, despite enormous
financial inequities. With Johnstown’s demonstrated cooperation as context,
this article highlights one initiative that has supported the bonding of many
parts of the Johnstown community.
ROCKING THE YOUTH VOTE, NO MATTER WHAT
Central High School teacher Thomas Quinn will
pivot in whatever direction the world sends him in the name of getting out the
youth vote
Philadelphia Citizen BY REBECCA PEPPER SINKLER AUG. 05,
2020
Thomas Quinn, super-hero of Philly’s
youth vote, thought he’d slain the dragon, but
the dragon lashed back. That dragon was paperwork, a constant drain on his
efforts to register young voters. The weapon: Go digital. Everything was primed
to roll out a cool tablet-computer system that kids would deploy to get their
peers on the rolls. Then Philly closed the schools. Quinn is obsessed with
registering young voters, always has been. Teaching civics and social science
at Central High School, he prods
his students to sign up the minute they turn 18. You’d think all high
school teachers would
do that, but you’d be wrong. Only about six percent of teens in American
schools are ever offered the opportunity to register. No wonder. Legendarily
overworked teachers have to send for the forms, identify eligible students and
get the forms to them, bug kids to fill them out, then get them back and
hand-deliver or mail them to the proper authorities. Who needs it?
Blogger note: this is work in process. Please let me know if you
have additions or corrections to this list
School Districts Reportedly Opening Virtual Only as of August
6, 2020
Large Urban Districts
Allentown
Lancaster
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Allegheny County and Western PA
Carlynton
East Allegheny
Riverview
Moon
Wilkinsburg
Woodland Hills
Northeastern PA
Carbondale
Lakeland
Berks County
Exeter
Central PA
West Shore
Bucks County
Centennial
Council Rock
Pennsbury
Delaware County
Chester Upland
Marple Newtown
Upper Darby
William Penn
Montgomery County
Cheltenham
Hatboro Horsham
Lower Merion
Methacton
North Penn
Norristown
Pottstown
Pottsgrove
Spring-Ford
Upper Dublin
Upper Merion
Upper Perkiomen
Chester County
Avon Grove
Coatesville
Downingtown
Octorara
West Chester
Blogger commentary:
Parents considering cyber charters due to COVID might not be
aware of their 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.
Cybers charters are paid at the same tuition rates as brick
& mortar charter schools, even though they have none of the expenses
associated with operating school buildings. It has been estimated that cyber
charters are paid approximately twice what it costs them to provide an online
education. Those excess funds are then not available to serve all of the
students who remain in the sending school districts.
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
TRAUMA INFORMED EDUCATION COALITION (TIEC) AUGUST SUMMIT
August 5th, 12th, 19th
ACT 48 credits available PA NASW CEU’s
This TIEC Summit is designed to provide
in-depth, trauma-informed training for educators and other practitioners whose
agencies or organizations service children and their families. Those who participate
in the Summit sessions will be exposed to information and practices that enable
them to approach their work through a trauma-informed lens.
PSBA: 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:
The 2021 PA Superintendent of the Year nominations are
now open.
Those
seeking to nominate must first register on the American Association of School
Administrators (AASA) Superintendent of the Year website. For more information,
visit: https://t.co/2omWRnyHSv
Interested in becoming an Advocacy Ambassador? PSBA is seeking
ambassadors to fill anticipated vacancies for Sections 1, 2 and 6.
PSBA Advocacy Ambassador program brings legislators to
you
POSTED ON JULY 1, 2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
PSBA’s Advocacy Ambassador program is a
key resource helping public school leaders connect with their state legislators
on important education issues. Our six ambassadors build strong
relationships with the school leaders and legislators in their areas to support
advocacy efforts at the local level. They also encourage legislators to visit
school districts and create opportunities for you to have positive
conversations and tell your stories about your schools and students. PSBA
thanks those school districts that have worked with their advocacy ambassador
and invites those who have not to reach out to their ambassador to talk about
the ways they can support your advocacy efforts. Interested in becoming an
Advocacy Ambassador? PSBA is seeking ambassadors to fill anticipated vacancies
for Sections 1, 2 and 6. For more information contact jamie.zuvich@psba.org.
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.
Apply Now for EPLC's 2020-2021 PA Education Policy
Fellowship Program!
Applications are available now for the 2020-2021 Education
Policy Fellowship Program.
The Education Policy Fellowship Program is
sponsored in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center
(EPLC). The 2020-2021 Program will be conducted in briefer, more
frequent, and mostly online sessions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The content
will be substantially the same as the traditional Fellowship Program, with some
changes necessitated by the new format and a desire to reduce costs to sponsors
in these uncertain fiscal times.
The commitment of EPLC remains the same. The
Fellowship Program will continue to be Pennsylvania's premier education policy
leadership program for education, community, policy and advocacy leaders! The
Fellowship Program begins with two 3-hour virtual sessions on September 17-18,
and the Program ends with a graduation event in June 2021.
The application may be
copied from the EPLC web site, but it must be submitted by mail or scanned and
e-mailed, with the necessary signatures of applicant and sponsor.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of
the Fellowship Program and its requirements, please contact EPLC Executive
Director Ron Cowell at 412-298-4796 or COWELL@EPLC.ORG
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.
283 PA school boards have adopted charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 280 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.
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