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 Dec. 2, 2020
How cyber schools are
failing PA children | Opinion
Blogger note: As part of the PA House
Fellowship Program, the author Meghan Buchle interned with the Republican
Education Committee in the Spring 2020 semester with Chairman PA State Rep.
Curt Sonney.
How cyber schools are
failing PA children | Opinion
Penn Live By
Meghan Buchle Updated 9:38 AM; Today 9:38 AM
In
their Nov. 19 commentary, members
of the Board of Trustees for Reach Cyber Charter School discussed the benefits
of cyber charter schools and suggested they are a viable alternative to
traditional public schools. However, while the authors make fair points about
some benefits of remote learning - particularly for high-risk demographic
groups - it is important to have the full picture. What the authors of the Nov.
19th commentary leave out is that Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools are
hindered by a severe lack of accountability and have abysmal academic
achievement records. Cyber schools are typically lauded by families with
extenuating circumstances, including those affected by frequent moving,
long-term illness, or severe bullying. Many turn to cybers as a possible escape
from the upheaval and turmoil traditional schooling causes for some students.
However, there is no evidence that cyber schools are any better at reaching
these students than traditional schools are. Under the current PA School Code,
there is nothing stipulating that cyber schools need to keep or report data on
things like attrition or attendance. While the schools themselves often claim
they are serving hard-to-reach students who might otherwise dropout or fail,
there is no public, verifiable data to prove this.
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2020/12/how-cyber-schools-are-failing-pa-children-opinion.html
Bethlehem schools
chief asks parents to brace for sudden individual school closures as COVID-19
cases rise
By Sara K. Satullo | For
lehighvalleylive.com Updated 8:37 PM; December 1, 2020
The Bethlehem Area School District superintendent is asking parents to
brace for the potential of sudden building closures as COVID-19 cases spike in
the community. Superintendent Joseph
Roy released a video update Tuesday afternoon to let the school community know the
district committed to following new safety guidelines the Pennsylvania Department of
Education issued just before Thanksgiving. The new rules require public schools
in counties with at least two weeks of substantial transmission of the virus —
defined as 100 new cases per 100,000 people over seven days — to commit to new
safety measures. Currently, 66 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties have substantial
levels of community transmission. The recommendations trigger automatic
temporary school closures when school buildings, depending on their size, see
set numbers of new COVID-19 cases over a week. Districts had until Monday to
sign an attestation letter committing to the guidelines. Those that did not,
must switch to all online learning with no extracurricular activities as long
as their county remains in a substantial level of transmission. The department
said Tuesday that more than 99% of schools in the state signed the form.
“The hearing organized by Sen. Doug
Mastriano (R., Franklin), one of the chamber’s most conservative members,
appears to have violated policies the chamber adopted in the wake of the
pandemic. The social distancing and mitigation policy, as it’s called, requires
“employees” to wear masks and stay at least six feet from others while at work.
The policy, according to Senate staffers, does not apply to elected officials. But
Chrysan Cronin, director of Muhlenberg College’s public health program, said
public officials should be first in line modeling behaviors they expect from
their employees.”
GOP leadership silent
after Pa. senator tests positive for COVID-19 following maskless election event
by Angela
Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA | Dec.
1, 2020
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan
newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News,
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HARRISBURG —
A hearing organized by a group of Pennsylvania Republican senators last week
drew dozens of spectators, many of them maskless, to a Gettysburg hotel
conference room for nearly four hours of speeches on unfounded claims of widespread
election fraud. Yet Republicans who control the chamber have gone silent since
one of their members — and the lead organizer of the event — tested positive
for COVID-19 mere hours after the event ended. Their silence comes as
coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge, making mitigation efforts like
wearing masks and not gathering in small spaces more important than ever. Despite
repeated requests for comment, Senate GOP leadership has refused to disclose
whether other senators in attendance received a positive test result, or if
there have been efforts to track down the roughly 100 people who attended the
hearing at the Wyndham Gettysburg to let them know that they may have been in
contact with an infected person. Interim Senate President Pro Tempore Jake
Corman (R., Centre) did not respond to a request for an interview Tuesday.
Neither did Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland), a former
respiratory therapist and one of a half dozen senators who attended the meeting
last Wednesday. Their offices also did not respond to written questions about
their handling of the event and its aftermath.
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2020/12/doug-mastriano-senate-gop-leadership-coronavirus-surge/
State warns districts
to enforce mask order or face mandatory move online
The Daily
Item By John Finnerty/CNHI State Reporter December 1, 2020
HARRISBURG —
Almost every school district in the state is now voluntarily operating remotely
or operating under the threat of a state order to go online if officials
determine the schools aren’t strictly following a state mandate requiring face
coverings. Roughly 1-in-10 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the last
week in Pennsylvania were school-aged, new state data shows. According to the
state’s Early Warning Dashboard, 41,424 people in Pennsylvania tested positive
for COVID-19 last week, including 4,212 between the ages of 5-18. Fewer
than 28,000 school-aged children in the state have tested positive for
COVID-19 throughout the entire pandemic, but 13,424 of those cases came in
November, meaning almost half of the COVID-19 cases in school-aged children
came to light in the last month. The revelation comes a week after the state
had ordered that schools in areas of substantial community spread of COVID-19
go fully online or school officials must sign a pledge that they will strictly
enforce the state’s public health order requiring that face coverings be worn.
The attestation form
is Pa.'s newest COVID-19 requirement for public schools. But what is it?
Lancaster Online
by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer December 2, 2020
An important
update to the revised guidance announced last week by the Pennsylvania
departments of Health and Education is the requirement for schools in counties
with high COVID-19 rates to fill out and submit an attestation form. A what? The
form, which was due to the state Education Department by 5 p.m. Monday, is
meant to mitigate the spread of the virus by ensuring schools comply with
health and safety measures, such as wearing masks, social distancing, closing
schools when necessary and conducting contact tracing and sanitizing when cases
arise. Here’s what else you need to know about the new attestation form
requirement.
After White House
test, Pa. senator calls COVID-19 case mild
AP News By
MARK SCOLFORO and MARC LEVY13 minutes ago
HARRISBURG,
Pa. (AP) — A Republican state lawmaker from Pennsylvania revealed Monday that
he has COVID-19, confirming the positive test five days after he went to the
White House to meet with President Donald Trump and went maskless at a packed
public meeting to discuss efforts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s
victory. State Sen. Doug Mastriano first revealed the diagnosis in a Facebook
live video Monday night, one day after The
Associated Press reported that
Mastriano was informed of the positive test while at a West Wing meeting with
Trump. On Tuesday, conservative talk radio host Glenn Beck asked Mastriano
about his diagnosis. “I’m feeling fantastic,” Mastriano said, then changed the
topic. Meanwhile, a Republican lawmaker who attended Wednesday’s public meeting
in Gettysburg with Mastriano, Sen. Judy Ward, revealed that she also has tested
positive. The public meeting was held, despite state Department of Health and
internal Senate pandemic directives limiting gatherings.
Nearly all public
schools commit to doubling down on COVID-19 mitigation strategies to allow for
in-person instruction
By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Dec 01, 2020; Posted Dec 01,
2020
Pennsylvania
will continue to leave it up to local public school officials to decide whether
to offer any type of in-person learning but there’s a catch. To continue doing
that in counties facing substantial community spread of COVID-19, school
officials had to sign a form committing to adhere to the state’s safety
measures to protect students and staff. As of Tuesday, over 750 schools – more
than 99% – had submitted their attestation form to the
state Department of Education. By signing it, the superintendent/chief school
administrator and school board/governing board president affirms they will
comply with the face covering mandate and follow the Department of Health’s
guidance on how
to handle confirmed cases in buildings. The form also must be posted on a school or
district’s website.
Toomey's Senate seat:
Crowded field on both sides as contenders jockey to run in 2022
J.D. Prose,
USA TODAY Network - PA State Capitol Bureau December 1, 2020
Now that the
2020 general election is slowly fading in the rearview mirror, Pennsylvania’s
politically inclined crowd is free to contemplate who might be eyeing the race
for Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s seat in 2022. Toomey, of course, made
headlines a month before the election when he announced that he would not seek
a third six-year term, nor run for Pennsylvania governor, as had been widely
rumored. The surprising announcement two years from the midterms opened up the
2022 speculation floodgates for a rare open U.S. Senate seat. “I got a feeling
there’s going to be a lot of people,” said Christopher Borick, a political
science professor and director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public
Opinion. “It is a wide open field on both sides.”
Philly’s other big
universities stay silent after $100M UPenn donation
WHYY By Ryan Briggs December 2, 2020
Two weeks
after the University of Pennsylvania made a $100 million contribution to the
School District of Philadelphia, it’s unlikely the cash infusion will inspire
copycat donations from major higher education peers in the city. When the Ivy
League school made its announcement, City Councilmember Helen Gym and others
voiced hope that other universities with large landholdings, like Temple or
Drexel, might also pony up. “I certainly hope that some of our strongest civic
institutions can see beyond their individual acts of charity and generosity,”
she wrote in a statement. “When universities and our major nonprofits, who have
long been invested in education and public health, unite on a mission to invest
in our schools, we send a clear message to Harrisburg and to Washington, D.C.
that we are invested in our future.”
‘It’s hurting us’:
Students at one Philadelphia school demand less screen time
Complaints
of stress, depression at Kensington Creative and Performing Arts High School
Chalkbeat
Philly By Johann Calhoun Dec 1, 2020, 2:53pm EST
Royal Hues
couldn’t bear it anymore. The sophomore at Kensington Creative and Performing
Arts High School and her friends decided to sound the alarm over the high
amount of screen time during remote learning. Students start the school day at
8 a.m. and end at 3:04 p.m., spending nearly six hours a day in front of
screens even with small breaks and lunch. “It’s hard for me to keep up,” Hues
said. “I’m stressing a lot and it has this effect where my eyes hurt and get
watery.” The students started an online petition two weeks ago, demanding an alternate
schedule, which would reduce class times to 50 minutes instead of 90 minutes.
They argue the long hours in front of the screens are excessive and unhealthy.
So far, more than 400 students have signed.
Should the Philly
School Board be elected instead of appointed? A parent and city official
debate. | Pro/Con
Inquirer Posted: December
1, 2020 - 9:00 AM
In Early
November, Lee Huang announced his resignation from the Philadelphia School Board,
making him the third board member to vacate a seat this year. Based on
guidelines set forth in Philadelphia’s City Charter, board members are
appointed by the mayor, but with a full third of the School Board in need of replacing,
some educators and activists are wondering if it’s time to reconsider how
members get a seat at the table. The Inquirer tapped an educator and parent to
debate the city’s chief educational officer: Should the Philly School
Board be elected instead of appointed?
3-Year Pact Gives Phoenixville Teachers 2.5% Raises
Digital
Notebook by Evan Brandt Tuesday, December 1, 2020
The
Phoenixville School Board voted 7-1 Monday night to approve an early bird
contract with the teachers union that will provide raises of 2.5 percent in
each of the pact's three years. School Board member Ayisha Sereni cast the only
vote against the contract, but offered no public explanation for her vote. According
to the explanation provided by Sylvia Rockwood, the district's human resources
director, the contract, which was ratified by the union membership earlier in
the day, will go into effect on July 1, 2021, the day the current contract
expires.
http://evan-brandt.blogspot.com/2020/12/3-year-pact-gives-phoenixville-teachers.html
Which Centre County
schools are operating remotely due to COVID-19? Here’s a running list
Centre Daily
Times BY MARLEY PARISH DECEMBER 01, 2020 10:32 AM
Since
reopening in August, Centre County school districts have been forced to make
adjustments to instructional plans as community COVID-19 cases continue to rise
and statewide mitigation efforts aim to slow virus transmission. The
Centre Daily Times is keeping a running list of school closures and planned
reopenings. Because area schools are not required to publicly announce
confirmed cases or building closures, this list may not be comprehensive but
will be updated weekly with any changes or updates to instructional plans. If a
school closure is not listed, or to provide more information, please email
cdtnewstips@centredaily.com.
https://www.centredaily.com/news/rebuild/article247509800.html#storylink=mainstage_card
Riverside to continue
virtual instruction through December
Times
Tribune by SARAH
HOFIUS HALL Dec 1, 2020 Updated 40 min ago
Riverside
students will return to a hybrid schedule on Jan. 4.
Students in
the Riverside School District will learn from home until the new year. Instead
of returning to school as planned next week, the district will remain in remote
instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic. New guidelines, including a 14-day
quarantine for those who traveled out of state, helped the district come to its
decision, according to a letter from Superintendent Paul Brennan. Students will
return to a hybrid schedule on Jan. 4, he wrote. The district joins a growing
number that have opted to move to virtual instruction, including Old Forge and
Dunmore.
Greater Latrobe
switches to remote instruction, cites county’s rising covid cases
Trib Live by
JEFF
HIMLER | Tuesday, December 1,
2020 11:15 p.m.
Greater
Latrobe School Board has voted to switch to full-time remote instruction for
all students from Friday through Jan. 18, as covid-19 cases in Westmoreland
County continue to rise. The district had most recently been offering students
the options of either in-person instruction five days per week or full-time
remote learning, from Nov. 16 through Nov. 25.
Norwin reports 12
more cases of coronavirus; closing in on 100
Trib Live by
JOE
NAPSHA | Tuesday, December 1,
2020 6:01 p.m.
Twelve more
students and staff members at Norwin have tested positive for coronavirus, the
school district said Tuesday, which raises the total number of cases since
school began to 93. The spike in numbers reported since the holiday weekend
occurs as the district is instructing all 5,300 students remotely this week
because of the increase of cases and Westmoreland County being in the
substantial level for community transmission of the virus.
CDC to shorten
guidance for quarantining after COVID-19 exposure to 10 days, 7 with a negative
test
Morning Call
By ZEKE MILLER ASSOCIATED PRESS | DEC 01, 2020 AT 7:01 PM
WASHINGTON —
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to shorten the
recommended length of quarantine after exposure to someone who is positive for
COVID-19, as the virus rages across the nation. According to a senior
administration official, the new guidelines, which are set to be released as
soon as Tuesday evening, will allow people who have come in contact to someone
infected with the virus to resume normal activity after 10 days, or 7 days if they
receive a negative test result. That’s down from the 14-day period recommended
since the onset of the pandemic. The official, who spoke on the condition of
anonymity to preview the announcement, said the policy change has been
discussed for some time, as scientists have studied the incubation period for
the virus. The policy would hasten the return to normal activities by those
deemed to be “close contacts” of those infected with the virus, which has
infected more than 13.5 million Americans and killed at least 270,000. While
the CDC had said the incubation period for the virus was thought to extend to
14 days, most individuals became infectious and developed symptoms between 4
and 5 days after exposure.
Pantyhose and Trash
Bags: How Music Programs Are Surviving in the Pandemic
Concerned
about spreading the virus through instruments or singing, student music groups
are finding innovative ways to perform together.
New York
Times By Aishvarya Kavi Dec. 2, 2020, 3:00 a.m. ET
In 13 years
of playing flute, Gabriella Alvarez never imagined playing with a clear plastic
trash bag around her instrument. Kevin Vigil never foresaw his fellow tuba
players wrapping pantyhose around their instrument bells. And neither expected
to watch their marching band at New Mexico State University play through cloth
face masks, separated by six-foot loops of water pipe, with bags filled with
hand sanitizer and disinfectant strapped around their waists. But this is band
practice in a pandemic. The two students, both seniors, are grateful to have
practice at all. In March, the coronavirus shut down their band along with much
of the country, painfully demonstrating that the pandemic would leave no part
of their education untouched. It would take five months for them to regain the
precious ability to play together again.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/us/coronavirus-music-students-band.html
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 330 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.
