Wednesday, March 18, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for March 18: Senator Dinniman’s Cosponsorship Memo Regarding Cancellation of PSSA and Keystone Exams This Year


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, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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PA Ed Policy Roundup for March 18, 2020


The former Sectional Meetings have been converted to a webinar format. PSBA will be hosting six webinars (starting today), presented by an expert on critical and timely topics related to #Coronavirus (COVID-19).
PSBA: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for Schools: Webinar Series
As PSBA announced in an email on March 12, the former Sectional Meetings have been converted to a webinar format to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. Each of the six upcoming virtual sessions will be offered as a one-hour webinar: a 45-minute presentation by an expert on critical and timely topics; communication practices during the coronavirus pandemic; the business of boards during shutdown; facilities restoration and clean-up, and other essential topics. Each session will include 15 minutes of direct Q&A at the conclusion of the 45-minute content presentation.
Members are welcome to register for any of the six complimentary webinars.
All webinar sessions are 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 Prepare. Don’t Panic. Responding to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Medical Guidance for Schools
Presenter:
 Raghavendra Tirupathi, MD, FACP – Medical Director, Keystone Infectious Diseases; Chair, Infection Prevention, Wellspan Chambersburg & Waynesboro Hospital and member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Legislative Updates
Presenter
John Callahan, PSBA Chief Advocacy Officer
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 Topic 1: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Communication Practices: How to Address Your School Community and the Media
Presenters:
 Annette Stevenson PSBA Chief Communications Officer & Liam Goldrick, Donovan Group
Topic 2: The Business of School Boards: Operations & Meetings During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Shutdown
Presenters: 
Stuart L. Knade, PSBA Senior Director of Legal Services & Heather Masshardt, Director of Policy Services
Thursday, March 26, 2020 An Update from PIAA: Addressing Coronavirus (COVID-19) Concerns
Presenter:
 Dr. Robert A. Lombardi, PIAA Executive Director
Monday, March 30, 2020 Facilities Restoration: Coronavirus Clean-up
Presenter:
 SERVPRO, expert presenter
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Risk Mitigation: Strategy for Operational Continuity and Reducing Adverse Impacts
Presenter:
 CM Regent Insurance, expert presenter

Senator Dinniman’s Cosponsorship Memo Regarding Cancellation of PSSA and Keystone Exams This Year
PA General Assembly Website
Posted: March 11, 2020 05:59 PM
From:    Senator Andrew E. Dinniman
To:        All Senate members
Subject: Coronavirus Disease and Schools: Increasing School Instructional Time
When there is a global health emergency, the old rules and traditional approaches to solving problems give way to a new reality. The truth is that the systems we have in place to deal with meeting school day requirements will be rapidly overwhelmed in the event of any extended school closings that may arise due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) just won’t be able to respond quickly enough on a case-by-case basis. And while all branches of government must work together, I want to remind my colleagues that the legislature has a special state constitutional obligation in terms of education. Unlike most other states, education is under the final authority of the legislature.
With that in mind, I am requesting your co-sponsorship of legislation that I am proposing to cancel the state PSSA and Keystone exams for the remainder of this school year and to require PDE to ask the federal government for a waiver of testing requirements.
I do so for the following reasons:

1. Many of our schools may close for various periods of time. In my area, this has already begun to happen. Because of this, students will be prepared with varying amounts of instructional time, which means that any comparison of school district scores will be at the very least questionable.
2. With school time being limited in many schools as a result of closings, all school time should be devoted to subject instruction, not up to ten days of PSSA and Keystone testing.
3. Keystone results are not required for graduation. They are only used for federal accountability, which most likely would be waived in the event of a national health crisis.
4. The millions of dollars saved in not testing would be put in a fund to assist school districts with any additional costs associated with extended closings.
5. While online instruction is available in the wealthier school districts across the state, with each student receiving a laptop, this is not the case in all school districts. This situation would add greater inequities to an already unfair situation for our poorer school districts and those rural districts without the same level of Internet access.
6. Since all students are required to take these exams, we are not currently prepared to provide an adequate testing situation for special education students, many who are required to have federally mandated accommodations. We are not prepared to do this on an immediate basis.
7. We have a significant number of students with serious health challenges including those who are immuno-compromised. They are at a higher risk than most to COVID-19.
8. School districts will already have enough on their plate with potential extended closings. It is time to immediately remove the PSSA and Keystone exams and allow them to focus on instruction.

Our most important goal here as legislators right now in terms of education is to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our students, teachers, administrators, and staff. Based on the recent news from what’s happening in Italy and New Rochelle, NY, we have a clear view of what may occur here in Pennsylvania.
In the face of this emerging national health emergency, our focus must be on suppressing the spread of COVID-19. We can work to accomplish this by providing our school districts with the tools they need to create solutions to help eliminate the COVID-19 pandemic and to expand their capacity to maximize instructional time.
I respectfully ask you to join me by co-sponsoring this legislation.

Pa. Senate plans to return to Harrisburg to authorize remote voting
PA Capital Sar By  Elizabeth Hardison March 17, 2020
At least half of Pennsylvania’s 50-member Senate is scheduled to convene in Harrisburg on Wednesday to pass temporary rules allowing lawmakers in the Republican-controlled chamber to vote remotely on legislation. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said the lawmakers will use the remote work policy to consider bills governing everything from education to small business administration in the coming weeks, as Pennsylvania weathers a sweeping shutdown intended to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. “We may need legislation to help people recover or maintain [their livelihoods] during this very difficult time,” Corman said Tuesday, when he appeared on a live call-in segment broadcast on Pennsylvania Cable Network. The Senate’s current rules allow some members to vote in absentia if they can’t be in the Capitol on session days.  But the Senate still needs a quorum of at least 26 members in Harrisburg to conduct formal business, Corman said Tuesday. The new remote voting process will allow senators to deliberate and vote on legislation over video or telephone conference, Corman said. The state House passed a similar rules change on Monday.

Republicans claim sweep of three House specials in midst of coronavirus outbreak
PA Capital Star By  Stephen Caruso March 17, 2020
Republicans claimed a sweep in three state House special elections Tuesday, keeping the partisan balance of the lower chamber intact, and dashing Democratic hopes of a strong night. The wins came across the commonwealth, from suburban Philadelphia to old milltowns south of Pittsburgh to a rural district in western Pennsylvania, and left the GOP confident for the rest of 2020 — including up to November’s critical presidential election. Assuming the results hold, and are ultimately certified, the GOP would continue to hold a firm majority of 110 seats in the 203-member House. The results also are a big blow to Democratic hopes to close a nine-seat deficit and flip the chamber in this November’s general election. “All three of these candidates won on the strength of their community ties and message,” Rep. Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland, and chair of the House Republican Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “As the 2020 Election begins to come into form, we in the House Republican Caucus are confident we will not only hold, but expand our majority.” All three seats were formerly held by Republicans. Two looked in play for Democrats, but the party did not draw out enough former Blue Dogs in southwestern Pennsylvania or Trump-skeptical suburbanites outside Philadelphia to flip a district.

“Which party holds onto the 18th district seat is important as the Pennsylvania Legislature currently is controlled by the Republican majority 107-92. The three vacant House seats up for election in Tuesday’s polling were all won by Republicans.”
K.C. Tomlinson heading to Harrisburg
Bucks County Courier Times By Peg Quann @pegquann Posted Mar 17, 2020 at 11:26 PM
Kathleen “KC” Tomlinson has triumphed in a hard-fought race for the 18th legislative district in Bensalem. Powerful unions offered plenty of support but, in the end, old fashioned door-to-door conversations with Bensalem neighbors appear to have won Kathleen “KC” Tomlinson victory in Tuesday’s special election for the 18th legislative district. With all but two precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Bucks County Board of Elections had Tomlinson leading Democrat Harold Hayes by nearly 500 votes. Republican Party officials had her leading by more than 870 votes with all precincts reporting, but that could not immediately be confirmed. Tomlinson is the 31-year-old daughter of state Sen. Tommy Tomlinson, who has held office since 1995. Her victory means the township will be represented by a Tomlinson in both the state House and Senate.

PSBA: Coronavirus Preparedness Guidance
In the last few weeks, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, has become a topic of concern nationwide. Although the virus is not widespread in Pennsylvania at this time, that status could change. Being proactive is key to prevention and mitigation. Below, you will find a list of resources on all aspects of preparedness, including guidance on communication planning, policy, emergency management and disease control. Use these resources to help you make decisions regarding the safety and health of those in your school district.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has provided further clarification as school districts begin to navigate closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
PDE's #coronavirus guidance for staff, students and district operations
PDE COVID-19 Response Efforts Updated March 15, 2020 – 12 p.m.
Pennsylvania’s top priority is keeping students and school communities safe. On March 13, Governor Tom Wolf announced all public schools in Pennsylvania will be closed for the next two weeks. The spread of the COVID-19 has required everyone to work within rapidly changing circumstances. We are incredibly proud of the education leaders who have been navigating this extraordinary situation for weeks – the work that has been done helped inform the Governor’s actions. The following provides greater clarity on COVID-19 response efforts by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

If you know of any other organizations distributing meals for (Philly) students out of school, please reach out to reporter Avi Wolfman-Arent (awolfmanarent@whyy.org). We’ll update this list as we hear about more community efforts.
Below WHYY will maintain a list of all organizations who say they are providing free meals for those in need during the coronavirus outbreak.
Where Philly kids can find free meals during coronavirus school closures
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent March 17, 2020
To create an improvised meal-distribution program that would feed thousands of families across two-dozen sites, the Mastery Charter Schools network needed some help. Administrators asked if three staffers at each of its 24 schools could volunteer time to provide this critical service. The response was “overwhelming,” said Kerry Woodward, Mastery’s Deputy Chief of Institutional Advancement. Between 10 and 15 staffers stepped up at each school, helping the region’s largest charter-school network pull off this considerable undertaking in just three days.
“We are serving our communities by serving meals to anyone in need,” said Woodward.
Mastery started dishing out meals Tuesday and will do so twice a week “for as long as necessary,” Woodward said. And the need is clear. Mastery distributed 400 meals to 300 families within the first hour of opening its site at Shoemaker School in West Philadelphia, according to Woodward. When Philadelphia officials initially resisted calls to close city schools, one of their biggest concerns was food insecurity. Schools provide two free meals a day to thousands of children around the region. And as workers lose paychecks due to mandatory business closures, the need could rise. The School District of Philadelphia has set up thirty sites where families can get meals. But they aren’t the only ones trying to help.

Pittsburgh Public Schools closes 7 lunch sites after workers exposed to covid-19 outside of work
Trib Live by TAWNYA PANIZZI   | Wednesday, March 18, 2020 6:26 a.m.
Pittsburgh Public Schools closed seven grab-and-go lunch sites because of employees who were exposed to a confirmed case of covid-19 outside of work, officials said. The buildings will be sanitized during the closure. They include Arsenal K-5, Arsenal 6-8, Classical Academy, Carmalt PreK-8, Fulton, Linden and Schiller. The district is working to find alternate sites for food distribution. The Central Administration Building in Oakland and the Greenway Professional Development Center in the West End will also be shut down. District officials said two employees who travel daily between district facilities were exposed to covid-19 at a non-work event. Gov. Tom Wolf on March 13 ordered all Pennsylvania K-12 schools to close for at least 10 business days to help thwart the spread of the coronavirus. He said schools are permitted to hand out food to low-income families to help bridge the gap. In Pennsylvania, 885,000 children, or about half of the state’s students, qualified for the National School Lunch Program, according to Kids Count’s data center.

“This follows guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that schools are not required to provide instruction during this time. “Although not required, many schools have plans, or are creating plans, to provide continuity of education,” the PDE guidance says.  The issue is partly logistical – teachers are not with their students, and they have families to take care of. Lewis of the District noted that many Philadelphia households do not have the technology to engage remotely with teachers, unlike in some suburban districts where everybody is online and technology is omnipresent.  But the issue is also partly legal. If districts or schools strive to provide “continuity of education,” they have to make sure that they are meeting the legal obligations to students with special needs and English learners – something much harder to do under these circumstances.”
Philly District distributes packets of schoolwork, but how much teaching and learning will go on?
For the most part, families are on their own when it comes to schoolwork. There are no requirements on teachers.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa March 17 — 6:36 pm, 2020
Around 10:30 Tuesday morning, Jaime Longo arrived at her children’s school, Houston Elementary in Mt. Airy, where they are first and third graders. She didn’t have to touch the door — it was propped open at the bottom and an elbow shove would suffice. At the top of the stairs in front of her, a Houston staffer sat behind a desk covered with piles of learning packets, divided by grade level.  Longo picked up a packet and talked about what her days are like during this unprecedented time.   As a Ph.D. and professor of English at LaSalle, she is better positioned than most to offer her children valuable learning activities. Still, doing this while teaching her LaSalle classes remotely is not easy. “I spent a lot of time this weekend on a schedule and syllabus for both of my kids,” she said. Using educator jargon, she added, “I am trying to build out scaffolding for them.”  Her daily schedule includes building in exercise as well as academic work. Monday it was a 40-minute walk; today, it is yoga. What is important is to create a routine, she said. 

“We are responsible for providing free appropriate public education to all students,” said Jeff Fuller, superintendent of Freedom Area School District. “For our students placed in out of district placements that we don’t provide the day-to-day instruction for, we’re asking how do we go about providing that appropriate instructional activity?”
Most Beaver County public schools won’t require instruction during shutdown
Beaver County Times By Daveen Rae Kurutz @DK_NewsData and @DKreports Posted Mar 16, 2020 at 8:25 PM
Students in 11 of Beaver County’s 14 school districts won’t have any homework responsibilities during Gov. Tom Wolf’s mandated two week closure, superintendents said on Monday. No more homework, no more books — well, at least for two weeks. Students in 11 of Beaver County’s 14 school districts won’t have any homework responsibilities during Gov. Tom Wolf’s mandated two-week closure, superintendents said Monday. “A lot of us had planned on providing continuity of services using an online approach, but we’re pulling back on that for the next two weeks,” said Carrie Rowe, superintendent at the Beaver Area School District. “Things keep continuing to shift, so until we have greater guidance from the state that will help us, we’re not offering instruction.” A big concern for officials was how to provide instruction for students of all abilities, particularly those with special education needs. “We are responsible for providing free appropriate public education to all students,” said Jeff Fuller, superintendent of Freedom Area School District. “For our students placed in out of district placements that we don’t provide the day-to-day instruction for, we’re asking how do we go about providing that appropriate instructional activity?” All districts are working on that issue now. But in the meantime, South Side Area School District intends to offer instruction online to students beginning as early as Wednesday, Superintendent Alan Fritz said.

Hundreds of Scientists Scramble to Find a Coronavirus Treatment
In an ambitious international collaboration, researchers have “mapped” proteins in the coronavirus and identified 50 drugs to test against it.
New York Times By Carl Zimmer March 17, 2020
Working at a breakneck pace, a team of hundreds of scientists has identified 50 drugs that may be effective treatments for people infected with the coronavirus. Many scientists are seeking drugs that attack the virus itself. But the Quantitative Biosciences Institute Coronavirus Research Group, based at the University of California, San Francisco, is testing an unusual new approach. The researchers are looking for drugs that shield proteins in our own cells that the coronavirus depends on to thrive and reproduce. Many of the candidate drugs are already approved to treat diseases, such as cancer, that would seem to have nothing to do with Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Scientists at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and at the Pasteur Institute in Paris have already begun to test the drugs against the coronavirus growing in their labs. The far-flung research group is preparing to release its findings at the end of the week.

New analysis suggests months of social distancing may be needed to stop virus
WHYY/NPR By Nell Greenfieldboyce March 17, 2020
The United States is facing a grim dilemma: either effectively shut down society for months to prevent transmission of the coronavirus, or see health care systems overwhelmed by people needing treatment for severe infections. That’s the conclusion of a influential new analysis by a well-respected group at Imperial College London that does computer simulations of outbreaks.
Its findings put policy makers in a bind as they think about how to move forward in the weeks ahead, when there’s no vaccine or proven treatment. “The take home message of that Imperial College model is that in order to keep from overwhelming the health care system with severe cases, we are going to have to have very tight controls in place on transmission through social distancing. And those controls are going to be so tight that they will be economically and socially very damaging,” says Marc Lipsitch, an expert on infectious disease modeling at Harvard University. “There’s no really good option that doesn’t involve at least one of those two problems,” he added. “And in fact, both could happen if we aren’t very careful about how we manage things.”

Kansas governor addresses coronavirus pandemic by closing K-12 schools for rest of academic year
Penn Live By Tribune News Service Posted Mar 17, 2020
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly ordered K-12 schools closed for the rest of the academic year Tuesday as the state continued to escalate its response to the coronavirus — a decision that will lead to massive upheaval for thousands of students and their families. “The reality of this pandemic is that it cannot be controlled statewide if school buildings return to normal operations or if they respond inconsistently within our local communities,” Kelly said at a late-afternoon news conference. “Unprecedented circumstances threaten the safety of our students and the professionals who work with them every day.” The Democratic governor and top education officials vowed to continue the task of educating the state's children, though they acknowledged they're now in a situation without precedent. A task force of education experts is developing a plan for the months ahead, and will present their recommendations Wednesday, the governor said.

California schools likely to be closed for the rest of the school year, Gov. Newsom says
Post Gazette by HOWARD BLUME Los Angeles Times MAR 17, 2020 10:21 PM
LOS ANGELES — California public schools are likely to be closed for the remainder of the school year in response to the escalating spread of coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday afternoon. “Don’t anticipate schools are going to open up in a week. Please don’t anticipate in a few weeks,” Newsom said during a Sacramento news conference on the state’s coronavirus efforts. “I would plan, and assume, that it’s unlikely that many of these schools — few, if any — will open before the summer break.” Nearly all school districts in the state, 98.8%, are closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Newsom said. The state education department is assembling detailed guidelines on how schools can attempt to continue teaching 6.1 million students out of their classrooms in the weeks and months ahead. The governor later said his comments reflect what he believes will be the challenges across California in the weeks to come, as the coronavirus pandemic changes the daily course of life.

Democrats Unveil $3 Billion Coronavirus Aid Package for Education
Education Week Politics K12 By Andrew Ujifusa on March 17, 2020 12:05 PM
Leading Democrats on congressional education committees have introduced an emergency aid package to help K-12 schools and colleges and universities deal with the spread of the coronavirus, which has triggered a mass closure of schools across the country. The Supporting Students in Response to Coronavirus Act would provide $1.2 billion in mandatory funding to support K-12 and higher education institutions as they do everything from clean facilities and provide meals, to plan for extended school closure and provide mental health resources and support. Early-childhood education programs would also receive $600 million in the legislation for similar purposes. The legislation would also direct money to students impacted by university and college closures, as well as $3 million to aid children and families through the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (which was created by Congress to help researchers and front-line providers help children and families who have experienced trauma). In total, the bill would provide $3 billion in new federal funding.  The coronavirus has upended K-12 education—most states by now have shut down their schools, and educators have rushed to try to ensure online learning opportunities are available where possible. But it's not clear when or if this education-focused coronavirus bill will advance.


Blogger note: support Governor Wolf’s proposed charter reforms:
Reprise: PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb 10, 2020
1. Adopt resolution for charter funding reform
2. Ask your legislators to cosponsor HB2261 or SB1024
3. Register for Advocacy Day on May 11th

Adopt: the 2020 PSBA resolution for charter school funding reform
PSBA Website POSTED ON FEBRUARY 3, 2020 IN PSBA NEWS
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.

Cosponsor: A 120-page charter reform proposal is being introduced as House Bill 2261 by Rep. Joseph Ciresi (D-Montgomery), and Senate Bill 1024, introduced by Senators Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) and James Brewster (D-Allegheny). Ask your legislator to sign on as a cosponsor to House Bill 2261 or Senate Bill 1024.

Register: Five compelling reasons for .@PSBA .@PASA .@PAIU school leaders to come to the Capitol for Advocacy Day on May 11th:
Charter Reform
Cyber Charter Reform
Basic Ed Funding
Special Ed Funding
PLANCON

All school leaders are invited to attend Advocacy Day at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU) and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) are partnering together to strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center around meetings with legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public education. Click here for more information or register at http://www.mypsba.org/
School directors can register online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you need assistance logging in and registering contact Alysha Newingham, Member Data System Administrator at alysha.newingham@psba.org

PSBA Board Presidents Panel April 27, 28 and 29; Multiple Locations
Offered at 10 locations across the state, this annual event supports current and aspiring school board leaders through roundtable conversations with colleagues as well as a facilitated panel of experienced regional and statewide board presidents and superintendents. Board Presidents Panel is designed to equip new and veteran board presidents and vice presidents as well as superintendents and other school directors who may pursue a leadership position in the future.

PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020 in State College
The 2020 PARSS Conference is April 29 through May 1, 2020, at Wyndham Garden Hotel at Mountain View Country Club in State College. Please register as a member or a vendor by accessing the links below.

Register today for the 2020 PASA/PA Principals Association PA Educational Leadership Summit, August 2-4, at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square 
(hosted by the PA Principals Association and the PA Association of School Administrators). Participants can earn up to 80 PIL hours (40 hours for the Summit and - for an additional cost of $50 - 40 hours for EdCamp) for attending the conference and completing program requirements. Register early to reserve your seat! The deadline to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount is April 24, 2020.   
Click here to register today!

Network for Public Education 2020 Conference in Philly Rescheduled to November 21-22
NPE Website March 10, 2020 7:10 pm
We so wanted to see you in March, but we need to wait until November!
Our conference will now take place on November 21 and 22 at the same location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Please read the important information below.
Registration: We will be rolling over our registration information, so there is no reason to register again. You will be automatically registered for the November dates. If you cannot attend in November, we ask that you consider donating your registration to absorb some of the costs associated with rescheduling the conference. If you feel you cannot make such a donation, please contact: dcimarusti@networkforpubliceducation.org


Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization that I may be affiliated with.


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