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.
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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 23, 2020
Opinion: Public school districts’ cyber programs deserve
more credit
“Perhaps the most significant development with next year’s
reapportionment is that Pennsylvania is expected to lose one
of its 18 seats in Congress due to national population trends,
further eroding the state’s influence in Washington. Pennsylvania had a peak of 36 seats after the 1910 census. The state’s
share of Electoral College votes would fall from 20 to 19.”
Pennsylvania Republicans held on to the state
legislature. But Democrats still feel good about redistricting. Here’s why.
Inquirer by
Andrew Seidman, Posted: November 23, 2020-
5:01 AM
Pennsylvania Democrats had their best chance in years this
election to take control of one or both houses of the state legislature. They came up well short of
that goal, as Republicans expanded their
majority in the House — even defeating the Democratic minority leader in that
chamber — and regained control of the Senate. Despite the setback, Democrats
will still play a significant role next year in drawing new congressional and
state legislative maps in accordance with decennial redistricting. The party is
in a much better position than it was in 2011, when Republicans held the
legislature, the governor’s office, and a majority on the state Supreme Court. This
time, the Democrats have Gov. Tom Wolf, who could veto a congressional map sent
to him by the GOP-controlled legislature. Perhaps even more important,
Democrats have a 5-2 majority on the Supreme Court. That will almost certainly
give the party an advantage in drawing new state legislative maps for the 203
districts in the House and 50 in the Senate.
Where you live should not dictate whether you receive the quality
education you need.
FundOurSchoolsPA.org: Education Law
Center/Public Interest Law Center
Every child in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has the right to an
education that prepares them for college and career. That’s why we’re taking the state to
court.
Right now, 86% of Pennsylvania students
attend schools that don’t receive adequate resources to give students a shot at
reaching state academic standards, according to state law. How much is
your district underfunded per student? Check out the interactive map to see
state data for your district. Help spread the word by sharing it with your
neighbors.
Learn
more about how we calculated this underfunding, and what we’re doing to change
it.
https://www.fundourschoolspa.org/
“School districts deserve credit for implementing a remote
learning model for much less than the $12,600 they spend on average to send a
non-special education student to a cyber charter school. This achievement of
running lean and efficiently is one measure of success, but equally, if not
more important, is the quality of the education. On average, cyber charter
school proficiency rates on state assessments are more than 24% lower than
traditional public school rates and cyber charter school 4-year graduation
rates are more than 33% lower than traditional public school graduation rates.”
Opinion: Public school districts’ cyber programs deserve
more credit
WFMZ69 News By Roberta M. Marcus, consultant
in residence, Pennsylvania School Boards Association; past president, Parkland
School District (retired); accredited school director leader (retired) Nov 20,
2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the
education landscape on its head and put the spotlight on alternative methods to
educate students, including online learning programs. When school district
buildings were unexpectedly forced to close in mid-March because of the
pandemic, they were faced with the unprecedented responsibility of adapting all
in-person instruction to a remote format for every student in a matter of
weeks. At the start of the school year this fall, online learning turned out to
be quite different in our schools. It is important the public understands the
substantial efforts made by school districts to create robust and effective
online learning programs that provide each student with a quality education. For
parents and students who prefer online learning, more than 90% of Pennsylvania
school districts offer an online learning program. These established online
learning programs were available years before the pandemic. District programs
are designed to provide a more seamless and effective learning experience for
the student. In addition, unlike cyber charter schools, school districts are
required to ensure 100% of the teachers in their online programs are state
certified.
"I am at a loss for words if these representatives can't
understand the urgency we are in," he said. "How can you not see that
it costs us $4,000 and instead we are allowing private industries to collect up
to $25,000?"
“Some (Central Susquehanna) Valley schools are paying more than
$1 million a year — Midd-West, Mount Carmel, Selinsgrove, Shamokin and
Shikellamy — to pay for students to attend external cyber schools. That isn't
sitting well with Valley school superintendents worried about the future of
their districts. During an online town hall hosted by The Daily Item on
Wednesday, Valley school leaders stressed one thing: Things have to change or
schools will begin to lose programs and teachers.”
School districts foresee crisis over pandemic cyber shift
Daily Item By Francis Scarcella
fscarcella@dailyitem.com November 21, 2020
Public school officials across Pennsylvania
were already concerned about cyber charter schools pulling funding away from
already cash-strapped school districts before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Now,
with more and more students leaving the public schools for established online
programs they can attend at home, millions more taxpayer dollars are flowing
out of budgets. Valley school leaders see a crisis in the not-too-distant
future. When a student opts for an independent cyber school, the school
district pays the tuition, equal to what the district spends to educate each
student. There are different levels of payments as well — it costs more money
to educate a student with disabilities than other students. The more students
who leave the public schools — including those that offer their own cyber
options — the more money is pulled from the district's coffers. According to
the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), $475 million
dollars allocated to public schools are expected to fund education for students
attending independent online options this year. Hundreds of thousands of
dollars are leaving Valley public schools each year because of a broken funding
formula, school officials say.
“Milton Superintendent Cathy Keegan and Mount Carmel's Pete Cheddar
said their districts try to track down where people are living in order to make
sure their districts aren't paying for students that are no longer in their
districts.”
Valley administrators must track cyber students who move
out of district
Daily Item By Francis Scarcella
fscarcella@dailyitem.com Nov 21, 2020
Valley school districts can find themselves
footing the bill for cyber school for students who no longer reside within
their district's geographic limits, superintendents said. There is no efficient
way to track cyber students and families who move from one town to another
after a school year begins, they said. "We have to really keep track of
where people are living," Shikellamy Superintendent Jason Bendle said.
"If a family moves to the Shikellamy School District and enrolls in
outside cyber schooling, but moves and never tells us, the Shikellamy taxpayers
continue to foot the bill." Bendle said even if a family moves to a
neighboring district and doesn't report it, that district continues to pay.
Pa. budget doesn’t raise taxes or bail out industries hit
by the coronavirus
Inquirer by Ed
Mahon of Spotlight PA and Cynthia Fernandez, Updated: November
20, 2020
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania legislature has
passed a spending plan that avoids tax increases and major cuts, and relies on
about $1.3 billion in coronavirus relief aid to balance the books. The package
approved Friday includes no major surprises — and no bailout for restaurants
and other industries that have lobbied for what they say is a desperately
needed influx of cash. Republican leaders justified using federal aid money for the budget,
rather than for direct assistance, saying it
would pay the salaries of state-employed public health and safety workers on
the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers in May approved a
partial, stopgap budget amid uncertainty about how COVID-19 would impact state
finances. The new plan funds the final seven months of the fiscal year,
bringing the total operating budget through June 2021 to $36.5 billion — a
roughly 4% spending increase compared to the previous year.
Gov. Tom Wolf intends to sign the plan.
Pa. budget plan passes; relies on federal money, no new
taxes
Business would get liability protection over
coronavirus
Sharon Herald By John
Finnerty CNHI State Reporter November 23, 2020
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania General
Assembly has sent the governor an $11 billion plan to fund state operations
through June, along with a measure to temporarily protect hospitals, businesses
and schools from COVID-related lawsuits. Lawmakers tapped $1.3 billion in
unused stimulus funds, another $2 billion in federal Medicaid funds and $500
million from reserve and special accounts to balance the budget without raising
taxes. The budget measure passed the state House 104-97. Seventeen Republicans
in the House voted against the plan while 13 Democrats in the House supported
it. The Democrats who supported the budget measure were almost all those in
leadership positions or retiring lawmakers. The measure was approved in the
Senate by a 31-18 vote. The final House vote took place remotely as House
officials dealt with an outbreak of coronavirus. State Rep. Jim Gregory,
R-Blair County, announced Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19. It
wasn’t immediately clear how many other lawmakers were isolating or
quarantining due to exposure to coronavirus. House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster
County, said that the session was being held remotely to allow for contact
tracing.
Pa. lawmaker claims
Capitol unsafe after fifth member tests positive for COVID-19
Patriot News
by Cynthia
Fernandez of Spotlight PA | Nov. 20, 2020
HARRISBURG —
A state lawmaker has filed a formal complaint against the Pennsylvania House
alleging unsafe working conditions, citing potential exposure risks after
another member tested positive for the coronavirus. Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D.,
Philadelphia) said the move was prompted by another rise in COVID-19 cases and
concerns about Republican lawmakers refusing to wear face masks or social
distance on the floor or during committee meetings. “This drastic step reflects
the high stakes that we face in protecting the health and safety of all staff
and members who step foot in the building, as well as their families and
communities at home,” Fiedler said in a statement.
GOP lawmakers send
governor bill to limit COVID-19 lawsuits
The
Associated Press NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 6:16 PM
(Harrisburg)
— A divided state House on Friday passed a Republican-backed proposal to make
it harder to sue schools, health care providers and others over COVID-19
claims. The 104 to 98 vote sent the bill to the desk of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. All
House Democrats were opposed, joined by five moderate Republicans. It would
make it more difficult to establish liability when someone is exposed to the
coronavirus during a governor-declared disaster emergency. Supporters said
entities providing services to the public during the pandemic should not also
face the prospect of expensive or even ruinous litigation, while opponents said
the bill would remove a valuable protection for the public.
https://www.witf.org/2020/11/20/gop-lawmakers-send-governor-bill-to-limit-covid-19-lawsuits/
Former Philly charter
school official charged with embezzlement
Inquirer by
Kristen A. Graham, Updated: November 20, 2020
A former
employee of a now-closed North Philadelphia charter school has been charged
with embezzling more than $350,000. Darnell Smith, the former chief financial
officer of Khepera
Charter School, misused the funds while earning a
six-figure salary, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Friday. On Smith’s
watch, more than $200,000 was withheld from Khepera teachers’ paychecks for
retirement funds, the attorney general said. But the money was never deposited
into the Public School Employee Retirement System. An additional $370,000 in
employer contributions was also never contributed to the system, Shapiro said. Smith,
who is also known as Darnell Sulaiman, embezzled a further $350,000 on top of
the pension payments, Shapiro said.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/khepera-charter-school-embezzlement-darnell-smith-20201120.html
“When the risk assessment tool was first
unveiled in August, just a few weeks before the start of the school year, only
one county was listed as having a substantial risk. Now, nearly 90% of counties
fall into that category.”
Risk of community
spread of coronavirus now substantial in most Pennsylvania counties
Daily Local By David Mekeel dmekeel@readingeagle.com
@dmekeel on Twitter November
23, 2020
As Berks
County spent its fifth consecutive week on the state's list of counties with a
substantial risk of coronavirus community spread last week, it was joined by
most of the rest of Pennsylvania. According to a report released Monday, 59 of
the state's 67 counties faced a substantial risk of community spread of
COVID-19 for the week ending Friday. The report is part of an online risk
assessment tool created by the state Department of
Education aimed at guiding school districts on how to provide instruction to
students during the ongoing pandemic: in-person, virtually or a mix of the two.
It uses county-level COVID-19 data on incidence rates and the percent
positivity of diagnostic testing to group counties into one of three categories
of risk of community spread: low, moderate or substantial. A county-by-county
list of ratings is released each Monday. In recent weeks those lists have been
populated more and more with counties deemed to have a substantial risk.
Coronavirus cases
surge 34.8% in Pennsylvania
Beaver County
Times by Mike Stucka USA TODAY Network November 23, 2020
New
coronavirus cases leaped in Pennsylvania in the week ending Saturday, rising
34.8% as 42,766 cases were reported. The previous week had 31,729 new cases of
the virus that causes COVID-19. Pennsylvania ranked No. 28 among the states
where coronavirus was spreading the fastest, a USA TODAY Network analysis of
Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week, the United States
added 1,184,520 reported cases of coronavirus, an increase of 16.5% from the
week before. Across the country, 44 states had more cases in the latest week
than they did in the week before. Within Pennsylvania, the worst weekly
outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Mifflin, Cambria and Somerset counties.
Adding the newest cases overall were Philadelphia County, with 6,358 cases;
Allegheny County, with 3,622 cases; and Montgomery County, with 2,162. Weekly
case counts rose in 65 counties from the previous week. The worst increases
from the prior week's pace were in Philadelphia, Allegheny and Lancaster
counties.
Montco judge rejects
lawsuit over remote learning, county schools to go virtual Monday
WHYY By Miles Bryan November 20, 2020
Montgomery
County students are heading for at least two weeks of all-virtual school after
a judge denied a legal challenge to the county’s remote-learning order. The
Montco Board of Health voted last week to suspend in-person instruction at all
K-12 schools in the county starting Monday, Nov. 23. The order is intended to
help slow the spread of the coronavirus. On Wednesday, three county residents
sued over the remote-learning mandate, arguing
the board violated Pennsylvania’s open meetings law by failing to provide sufficient
notice of the vote, by limiting public comment, and by holding a private
meeting the night prior to the public vote. But Montgomery County Common Pleas
Court Judge Richard P. Haaz wasn’t convinced, noting that lawmakers in Harrisburg
passed an April amendment to that law — known as the “Sunshine Act” — loosening
the notice and comment requirements during the pandemic. “Petitioners failed to
satisfy their burden of proof that Respondents violated the Sunshine Act,” Haaz
wrote in his six-page opinion.
Montgomery County
judge denies parents’ effort to stop health board’s order to shut down schools;
another lawsuit filed
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: November 20, 2020
A Montgomery
County judge on Friday rejected a request by parents seeking an order to stop a
county board of health directive that all K-12 schools be shut down for
in-person instruction for two weeks starting Monday. But the battle evidently
is not over. Shortly after Judge Richard Haaz denied the parents’ petition,
which alleged the county violated Pennsylvania’s open public meetings law,
parents filed a second lawsuit in federal court — this one challenging the
merits of the shutdown order and alleging their due process and equal
protection rights were violated. Parents sent “a message to the county that we
are not going to stand by and just accept them shutting down our schools ...
without supporting evidence,” John Niehls, a parent and head of school at
Coventry Christian Schools in Pottstown, said in a Facebook post responding to
Haaz’s ruling. “Certainly, they got that message.”
https://www.inquirer.com/news/schools-closed-montgomery-county-lawsuit-coronavirus-pa-20201120.html
16 Lancaster County
schools to shift online after Thanksgiving to prevent further COVID-19 spread
Lancaster
Online by ALEX GELI | Staff
Writer November 22, 2020
Sixteen
Lancaster County schools are adopting virtual learning the week after
Thanksgiving to help prevent further spread of COVID-19. The moves, which
impact more than 11,000 students from three school districts, come as COVID-19
cases continue to shatter records almost daily, leaving school officials with
critical decisions regarding in-person learning as the number of quarantines
among students and staff members surges across the county. With families
expected to travel and gather for the holiday, despite warnings from health
officials not to do so, some school officials have decided against an immediate
return to in-person instruction after the break. Schools that will
go remote the week students return from the Thanksgiving break include Ephrata
High School, Hempfield School District schools and Manheim Central School
District schools.
More than 500
COVID-19 cases have been reported at Lancaster County schools. Here's where
they are [update]
Lancaster
Online ALEX GELI | Staff
Writer November 22, 2020
More than
500 cases of COVID-19 have been reported at Lancaster County schools so far
into the 2020-21 school year. The cases come from 16 school districts, plus a
brick-and-mortar charter school in Lancaster city and the county's career and
technology center. And that might not be all.
Pocono schools
divided on whether to keep kids on campus, despite 'substantial' transmission
in community
Kathryne
Rubright Maria
Francis Pocono Record November 20, 2020
Half of
Monroe County's four public school districts have made the decision to continue
hybrid models of schooling, despite the county's classification of having
“substantial” community transmission of COVID-19. Stroudsburg and East
Stroudsburg school districts have decided to educate students remotely due to
the level of community transmission in the county. East Stroudsburg Area School
District spans both Monroe and Pike counties. While Monroe is considered to
have a substantial transmission rate, Pike County was reported to have
“moderate” community transmission in the a recent update from Gov. Tom Wolf and
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. Pocono Mountain and Pleasant Valley
school districts have elected to keep up with their current hybrid approaches.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recommends that districts in
“substantial” counties should move to fully remote learning after waiting a
week to see if the county maintains that level of spread, though it also notes
that “a significant and/or widespread outbreak may require moving to a more
remote-based model more quickly.” School districts are not required to follow
the guidance, however. Here is a list of how each school district has responded
to the latest news and recommendations from the DOH.
Easton Area School
District shuts down hybrid program this week, hopes to start again Dec. 1.
By Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com Updated Nov 22, 2020; Posted Nov 22,
2020
Easton Area
School District will shut down its hybrid program and go all remote this week,
according to a message from the district
superintendent. Superintendent David Piperato said COVID-19
cases have occurred in multiple grade levels and buildings. He posted his
message Sunday, Nov. 22, on the district website. The school district’s COVID-19
dashboard lists four new positive cases for Nov.
22. Staff members at Paxinosa Elementary School, Easton Area Middle School and
with district operations have tested positive. A middle school student also
tested positive, according to the dashboard.
In Palmerton, parents
and students protest to keep schools open during pandemic
By LAURIE
MASON SCHROEDER THE MORNING CALL | NOV 21, 2020 AT 6:38
PM
For
Palmerton Area High School senior Kody Kratzer, his school district’s plan to
halt in-person classes and sports due to the pandemic means he could miss out
on a milestone he’s been working toward for years. Kratzer, a 17-year-old
varsity basketball player, was on a roll to hit 1,000 points before COVID-19
threatened to cut the season short. “If we shut down winter sports, I’ll be
stuck at 911 points,” Kratzer said. “I mean, I’ve dreamed of this since I was a
little kid, to just score 1,000 points.” Kratzer was among more than 100
Palmerton residents who gathered in the borough’s municipal park Saturday to
urge the district to reverse its plan to make school virtual beginning Dec. 1. “The
kids need to be in school,” said Stephanie White, a mother of three who helped
organize the rally and march through downtown. “School and sports allow some
kids to escape from their home life, which isn’t so good. Kids rely on schools
to feed them. There’s no reason our kids can’t be in school.” Palmerton Area
School Board, by an 8-1 vote, approved the switch to virtual learning last
week, as Pennsylvania broke daily records for coronavirus infections.
Superintendent Jodi Frankelli made the recommendation to move students online
after Carbon County had its second week with substantial COVID-19 spread. District
officials said they were following the guidance of the Pennsylvania Health and
Education departments, which recommend that schools pivot to remote learning when
there has been a substantial level of transmission, the highest of three levels
gauging community spread.
As COVID-19 cases
soar, Lehigh Valley school districts face conflicting concerns but plow ahead
with in-person learning
By KAYLA
DWYER and MICHELLE
MERLIN THE MORNING CALL | NOV 21, 2020 AT 5:39
PM
The color
red — as outlined in almost every Lehigh Valley school district reopening plan
over the summer — meant closing school buildings and pivoting to remote
instruction. Though the state has since stepped back from the color-coded
shutdown system, which in the spring triggered the order to close all schools,
districts once again find themselves searching for a way forward amid surging
coronavirus cases, conflicting concerns among parents and teachers and a new
classification of “substantial” transmission. As was the case under the state’s
red shutdown phase, the Health Department recommends school districts in
counties with the substantial spread designation shift to remote learning
― and
both Lehigh and Northampton counties entered that category this month. As the statewide caseload continues to
break daily records, schools in several districts have opted instead for
temporary closures, while officially keeping the doors open for in-person
learning.
Montco parents worry
two-week move to virtual learning will harm students’ mental health
WHYY By Ximena Conde November 22, 2020
Montgomery
County parents opposed to a two-week
shutdown of in-person learning, which starts Monday, worry that a repeat of
the spring is coming: a two-week closure will become an extended stint of
virtual learning. The Board of Health made the unanimous decision to order all
schools go virtual mid-November citing a rise in coronavirus cases in the county. School districts
across the county have adopted a mix of in-person and virtual learning since
the start of the school year, with some schools resuming in-person classes up
to five days a week. Parents like Jennifer Singer have been sending their
children to school for the full five days. Singer and around 50 other parents
showed up at a rally outside the home of Montco Commissioners’ Chair Val Arkoosh
to protest the mandate. Singer lives in Montgomery Township and, like many
parents at Arkoosh’s home, she’s had to balance running her business and doing
virtual learning.
Bucks County school
officials grapple with in-school instruction choices amid spiking COVID-19
cases
Chris
English Bucks County Courier Times November 20, 2020
As COVID-19
cases skyrocket around the area, state and country, and schools in Montgomery
County prepare to revert to all-virtual learning for two weeks starting Monday,
school officials in neighboring Bucks County face tough choices about whether
to continue or start in-person instruction. The Pennsbury School Board decided
Thursday night to pause its hybrid model, a mix of online and in-person
learning, and go back to all-virtual learning between Nov. 30 and Dec. 4.
Centennial is moving back to all-virtual instruction starting Monday and running
through Jan. 1 based on high COVID-19 incidence rates, percent of positive
tests and other factors in the district and county. Meanwhile, Neshaminy is
moving forward with plans to start a four-day-a-week classroom option at its
elementary schools Nov. 30, and Council Rock plans to start a full-time,
in-person choice at its elementary schools Dec. 14 and its secondary schools
Jan. 4.
Pottstown School
District prepares for in-person classes in January
Pottstown
Mercury by Evan
Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter November 23, 2020
POTTSTOWN —
As COVID-19 cases rise and the Montgomery County Department of Health has
closed all schools for two weeks, the Pottstown School Board began plotting a
path toward partial reopening. It is not a well-marked path given that the vote
to potentially reopen some classes in January is contingent on a number of
factors. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that after piloting two
different hybrid models at Lincoln and Rupert elementary schools,
Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez said he could not "in good
conscience" recommend either one to the board for adoption.
Outbreaks, staffing
shortages: How are Centre County schools faring with COVID-19?
Centre Daily
Times BY
MARLEY PARISH NOVEMBER 22, 2020 07:00 AM,
It’s been
three months since Centre
County schools reopened and
put their health
and safety plans to the test. Since then, all local
school districts have experienced some COVID-related closure, with concerns
rising about upcoming holidays and breaks. Despite record-setting
daily increases in cases, Pennsylvania Secretary of
Health Dr. Rachel Levine said there are no plans to implement a second
statewide shutdown like the one that closed schools this spring. But during a
press conference Tuesday, she said the state will be watching schools and COVID-19
data “really closely.” “We have very specific guidance for K-12 schools in
terms of whether they should be having classes in the classroom, whether they
should have maybe a hybrid model or if they should be in virtual mode,” she
said.
https://www.centredaily.com/news/rebuild/article247235774.html#storylink=mainstage_card2
The list:
Pittsburgh-area school districts shift back to remote learning as COVID-19
cases surge
PITTSBURGH
POST-GAZETTE NOV 22, 2020 2:30 PM
An
increasing number of schools and districts in southwestern Pennsylvania are
transitioning to remote instruction as the
Pittsburgh region continues to experience a spike in COVID-19 cases.
The
districts said they plan to monitor conditions in Allegheny County and adjust
their instruction schedules accordingly. Here are the districts that have
announced changes (in alphabetical order):
Greenville schools
going online for 3 days
Sharon
Herald by Herald
staff Nov 23,
2020 Updated 6 hrs ago
GREENVILLE –
All students in Greenville Area School District will be taught online instead
of in classrooms for the next three days as a precaution to control the spread
of the coronavirus. In a letter to parents dated Friday, Superintendent Brian
S. Tokar said students in grades six to 12 will join kindergarten through
fifth-graders in remote learning today through Wednesday. The plan is to return
to normal instruction Dec. 1, after the Thanksgiving break. The move results
from “ongoing concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase of
positive cases in our local area,” Tokar wrote. He said the district believes
having students and staff out of the buildings will limit the probability of
virus transmission.
Riverside extends
virtual learning after faculty members test positive
Times
Tribune Nov 22, 2020
The
Riverside School District is extending fully virtual learning after two faculty
members tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Paul Brennan announced
Sunday .The district is working with the state Department of Health to identify
anyone who was in close contract with the two faculty members at Riverside
Elementary West.Riverside moved to virtual instruction Friday after a staff
member at the high school reported a positive test Thursday. Earlier last week,
about 15 students started quarantining after a staff member at Riverside
Elementary West tested positive.
The district
now plans to return to hybrid learning Dec. 7.
Plum closes school
buildings through Dec. 1 because of covid-19 outbreak
TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Sunday, November 22, 2020 8:49 p.m.
Plum School
District is closing its buildings and moving to remote learning to contain a
covid-19 outbreak, district officials announced Sunday. Four employees and
three students notified the district they tested positive for covid-19, the
district said in a news release. One high school employee and two students were
among those diagnosed with covid-19 and four other high school students will
need to quarantine, the district said. Two junior high employees tested
positive and six other junior high employees will need to quarantine, the
district said.
2 Hempfield Area
schools closed as covid-19 cases rise
Trib Live by
MEGAN
TOMASIC | Monday, November 23, 2020 4:52 a.m.
Two schools
in the Hempfield Area School District are closed as covid-19 cases continue to
increase among staff and students. Hempfield Area High School and West Point
Elementary School will be closed Monday and Tuesday, according to
Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. The closure will last through Dec. 1 in
conjunction with the Thanksgiving break. A covid-19 tracker posted on the
district’s website shows that between Nov. 6-20, eight students tested positive
at the high school and one staffer at West Point elementary. In letters to
parents, Wolicki noted that at West Point, several staffers tested positive for
covid-19 over the weekend, which resulted in others being identified as close
contacts, requiring them to quarantine. Last
week, Wolicki reported similar struggles among
staffers at the high school. Those numbers have not yet been updated on the
tracker.
https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/2-hempfield-area-schools-closed-as-covid-19-cases-rise/
A look inside
schools’ reopening decisions
Trib Live by
TEGHAN SIMONTON | Sunday, November 22, 2020 6:01 a.m.
Gary Peiffer
was “cautiously optimistic” at the beginning of this school year. The
superintendent of Greensburg Salem School District felt ready for the
district’s planned hybrid model. Federal CARES Act funds had been used to
purchase laptops, cleaning materials and plastic barriers. Teachers had gone
through training for new remote learning and in-person safety protocols. And
cases in the region were receding after a spike in mid-July. But two months
later, the district is still fighting delays to obtain the rest of those
laptops. Infections are surging in the region, and some
buildings have had to temporarily close. Moving into the second quarter, with the
winter months looming and cases already on the rise, Peiffer said there’s still
a lot for him to worry about.
https://triblive.com/local/regional/a-look-inside-schools-reopening-decisions/
Erie students will
work remotely through December, winter sports are postponed
GoErie by Valerie
Myers Erie Times-News November 20, 2020
All of the
Erie School District's 11,000 students will continue to work online
through December. Winter sports and other in-person activities are postponed
until further notice. Schools Superintendent Brian Polito announced the
decisions Friday due to the continuing rise of COVID-19 cases in Erie County. The
Erie County Department of Health reported 197 new cases of the virus on Friday.
Fairview School
District to transition to remote learning beginning Monday
Erie
Times-News November 19, 2020
The Fairview
School District will transition to remote learning beginning Monday because of
increasing COVID-19 cases in Erie County, Fairview School District
Superintendent Erik Kincade said. The decision to move to remote learning
affects about 1,800 students among Fairview High School, Fairview
Middle School and Fairview Elementary School.
McLane's 4-day pivot
is meant to slow virus spread, Girard also plans some virtual days
GoErie by Valerie
Myers Erie Times-News November 20, 2020
EDINBORO —
Thanksgiving is a big reason why General McLane School District students
will be learning at home Dec. 1-4. Some Girard students also will be learning
remotely on those days. The 2,120-student General McLane School District notified
parents Wednesday evening of the four days of
100% virtual learning meant to help contain what the Pennsylvania Department of
Health now rates as a "significant" spread of COVID-19 in Erie
County. That spread is only likely to get worse after families gather for
Thanksgiving, General McLane schools Superintendent Rick Scaletta told parents
in website and Facebook Live presentations this week.
Lewisburg Area School
District moves to remote instruction through Dec. 4 due to COVID-19 cases
NorthCentralPA.com
by NCPA
Staff November 22, 2020
Lewisburg,
Pa. – Lewisburg Area School District is switching to remote instruction from
Monday, Nov. 23 through Friday, Dec. 4 due to several students testing positive
for COVID-19. In a letter to parents dated Nov. 21, superintendent Jennifer
Polinchock said a middle school student and a high school student tested
positive last week. Two staff cases also were announced at Kelly Elementary
School. “As of today, we have four active cases within three schools. These
cases are unrelated, but it is clear that the community spread of COVID-19 is
spreading into our schools,” Polinchock said. School officials will reassess
the conditions by Dec. 4 to determine if in-person instruction can resume or if
remote instruction will need to continue. Athletics and extracurricular
activities also will be suspended.
Schools are not
spreading covid-19. This new data makes the case.
New York Times Opinion by Emily Oster November 20
Emily Oster,
a professor of economics at Brown University, is the author of “Cribsheet:
A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool.” She is a co-founder of the website Covid-Explained.
As covid-19
surges nationwide, the debate over school reopening has intensified. On one
side are arguments that schools are not major sources of
spread. On the other, we hear of schools with significant rates of infection.
In response, many districts are delaying
plans to bring back their students. On
Wednesday, New
York City announced that the nation’s largest district — one of the first to open for
in-person instruction — would join the ranks of cities closing their public
schools. But as the country grapples with how to educate kids while also
curbing the coronavirus, the emphasis on transmission in
schools may be misplaced. The best available data suggests that
infection rates in schools simply mirror the prevalence of covid-19 in the
surrounding community — and that addressing community spread is where our
efforts should be focused.
“The U.S. recorded more than 196,000 new
coronavirus infections Friday, once again breaking the record for the most new
infections on a single day. The death toll surpassed 250,000 on Thursday,
marking another grim milestone. The pandemic shows little sign of slowing.”
As coronavirus cases rise,
school leaders once again confront tough choices
Washington Post
By Moriah
Balingit November 21, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. EST
As coronavirus rates rise to unprecedented levels in
the United States, school officials are once again struggling with whether to
allow schoolchildren into classrooms or to keep them home, trying to balance
the needs of their most vulnerable charges with the risks a surging pandemic
could pose to students and staff — all with little guidance from the federal
government. This week, New York City, once the epicenter of the pandemic and
home to the nation’s largest school system, announced it would close its school
buildings as positivity rates rose to 3 percent. Several districts in
Iowa, where schools cannot shutter unless positivity rates reach
15 percent, have gone remote. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) this week
ordered all schools to close, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), has
closed all high schools. Dozens of districts, including those in Chicago,
Sacramento and Minneapolis, remain closed and expressed dwindling hope of
reopening anytime soon given the conditions. Seattle last week decided to keep
schools closed until the end of January. Miami Superintendent Alberto Carvalho
said earlier this week he was convening a task force to determine if the
schools should shutter, as the number of new cases begins to rise. On Friday,
Miami-Dade County reported more than 2,000 new cases.
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.
Resolution
for charter funding reform (pdf)
Link
to submit your adopted resolution to PSBA
332 PA school boards have
adopted charter reform resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 300 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.
https://www.psba.org/2020/03/adopted-charter-reform-resolutions/
Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then
Call for Charter Change!
PSBA Charter Change Website:
https://www.pacharterchange.org/
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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