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PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 22, 2020
We are so proud of
the Pennsylvania school districts creatively developing the best possible
virtual experience for their students in this unprecedented time. Share your
stories using #PASchoolsReady! Strong
together.
When will schools reopen? Not soon, education leaders
say, despite Trump's declarations
USA Today by Erin Richards April 21,
2020
President Donald Trump has released
general guidelines for how to lift coronavirus restrictions and reopen
parts of the U.S. economy – including schools. But most state
education leaders say their buildings will have to remain closed
until at least late summer or fall. As of Tuesday afternoon, 35 states and
Washington, D.C., had ordered or recommended school buildings remain closed through the
rest of the school year to contain the spread of the
coronavirus, according to a tally from Education Week magazine. Schools
in coronavirus hot spots may not even be able to hit a fall deadline for
reopening. But a couple of rural states are holding out hope for opening
some schools in May. The problem, some state leaders say: Neither Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos nor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have
said much on how schools should be planning for the future. Left to figure out
a plan on their own, state and local education leaders are banding together. Others
say America's schools have long been designed to be locally governed – and a
national pandemic doesn't change that.
School Leaders Say It Will Take A Long Time For Students
To Make Up For COVID Closures
WESA By SARAH SCHNEIDER • APR 15, 2020
Almost a month after states began shutting
down schools, virtually every U.S. school building is closed. Seventeen states,
including Pennsylvania, have said they won’t reopen this year. Like
in many areas of the country, Pittsburgh education leaders and advocates say
the closure is exacerbating inequities like the digital divide between wealthy
and poor communities. Families that already had access to the internet and
enough devices for kids were able to transition to learning from home quickly. Others
are waiting for districts to provide those resources and move to remote
learning for the remaining weeks of the academic year. Pittsburgh Public
Schools began training teachers to use online platforms like Microsoft Teams on
March 31. So far it has spent $1.5 million to purchase devices for students in
need. Of the district’s 23,000 students, 69 percent are considered economically
disadvantaged. When schools closed March 16,
Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said it had to make sure the most essential need
was met – feeding students.
Philly students without internet can do remote learning
in parking lots, district says
There’s a plan to distribute WiFi hotspots,
but it hasn’t happened yet.
Billy Penn by Michaela Winberg Yesterday, 10:30 a.m.
Students who don’t have reliable internet
access at home can do their remote learning in parking lots, the School
District of Philadelphia says. “Parking Lot” WiFi is one of the options listed on the district website for
kids whose households aren’t yet connected. Included along with other free or
low-cost alternatives from Comcast, Verizon and T-Mobile, it’s described as
“accessible around the exterior of a building such as a school or library — and
generally reachable from the facility’s parking lot.” Teachers have received
pushback when they bring up this district-suggested option to parents trying to
prepare their children for online instruction, which officially started on Monday. One North
Philly special education teacher, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of
being fired, said parents laughed at her when she suggested it. “You expect me
to have my kid sitting in a parking lot with a laptop?” she recalled one parent
saying. “In a community where there are high rates of community violence, we’re
asking kids to be sitting ducks with pieces of technology that people could steal
from them,” the teacher said, noting that 4 of her 25 students currently lack
internet at home. So far, remote learning in Philly has been mostly
unstructured, but on Monday the district released guidelines for the next
phase. Starting May 4, the district says, students are expected to log on every day, Monday
through Friday, for at least three hours of instruction. Caveat: Attendance
won’t be taken, and students won’t be penalized for missing work.
Thomas Butler | Stepping up to take care of students’
needs
Johnstown Tribune Democrat By Thomas Butler www.iu08.org
Thomas Butler is executive director of
Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8.
Schools in the Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8
region are running like normal – or as close to normal as possible under the
circumstances. As students log in to virtual classrooms or open hard-copy
packets made by (and hand-delivered by) dedicated teachers for families where
internet access isn’t possible, we asked local administrators what makes our
districts persevere. Since Gov. Tom Wolf closed school buildings on March 13,
the 35 districts in the Intermediate Unit 8 (IU8) four-county region (Blair,
Bedford, Cambria and Somerset) have been hard at work making sure students get
their educations. School districts are facing significant challenges, but are
overcoming them to make sure kids get an education. “As the Meyersdale Area
School District strives to provide continuity of education to our students, the
biggest challenge we have faced has not been the hardware or capacity needed to
provide resources to children; however, the inequity in internet access across
the 123 square miles of district and support within our families,” said
district Superintent Tracey Karlie. Students with no internet access are given
paper and pencil packets to complete. Schools have taken unique steps to ensure
that students stay on track for their grade level and are ready to advance this
fall or are ready for graduation and their next steps after high school.
Erie School District ‘very concerned’ about Erie Rise
GoErie By Ed Palattella @etnpalattella Posted
at 12:03 AM
District asks how abrupt ouster of charter
school’s CEO will affect distance learning, other operations during pandemic.
The Erie School District is again asking
questions of the Erie Rise Leadership Academy Charter School. The district
wants to know Erie Rise’s plans following the abrupt firing of the
charter school’s CEO on Thursday. “We are
very concerned with whether Erie Rise is going to be able to deliver quality
education to its students without the services of a Chief Executive Officer or
similar level position, especially during this unprecedented period of global
pandemic,” the Erie School District’s executive director of operations, Neal
Brokman, wrote on Friday to the chairwoman of the Erie Rise Board of Trustees. The
inquiry comes six months after the Erie School Board in November renewed
Erie Rise’s charter, ending a contentious process that included district
requests for how Erie Rise aimed to improve its poor standardized test scores
and fix other issues, such as low attendance. Brokman, who handles
charter-school matters for the Erie School District, also wrote in his letter
that the district was “quite surprised” that the Erie Rise board terminated the
contract of the CEO, Terry Lang, at a board meeting on Thursday. Lang had been
Erie Rise’s CEO since June 2015 and in late October had signed a two-year
contract extension, retroactive to July 1.
Sugar Valley Rural Charter School Board Okays New Charter
with KCSD
Clinton County Record April 21, 2020 Administrator News, School District News
LOGANTON – It appears the decades-old,
contentious charter differences between the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School
and the Keystone Central School District are over. The charter school board of
trustees on Tuesday evening gave unanimous approval to a new 5-year charter
with Keystone Central. The Keystone Central school board is expected to give
its approval at its next voting session in May. Keystone board president Bo
Miller, who was in attendance at the charter board’s virtual meeting, said he
believed the Keystone board will give its approval. Miller, a Sugar Valley
native, echoed earlier positive comments from Sandra Garverick, executive
director of the Sugar Valley trustees. She thanked all those involved in the
renewal process and said she “loved the way we’re working together.” Miller
said the prospective accord was “a long time coming” and said it creates “a
great foundation for the future…maybe just the start of something special.” The
SVRCS board vote Tuesday followed months of dialogue between the two sides,
this after Keystone held up periodic payments due the charter school during the
course of the last year. At a meeting earlier this month, Keystone
superintendent Jacquelyn Martin had said the district anticipates a saving of
$342,000 in its next fiscal year because of a smaller payment to the charter
school.
Keystone Central School District to discuss future of Sugar
Valley Rural Charter School
Public hearings to be held via Zoom
Lock Haven Express FROM STAFF REPORTS APR 16,
2020
MILL HALL — The saga between the Keystone Central School District and Sugar Valley Rural
Charter School may be coming to an end soon. In an advertisement running today
in The Express, it’s announced that there will be a public hearing to “consider
whether to renew the charter of the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School.” The
advertisement, directed to “all residents of the Keystone Central
School District,” reads: “Please take notice that a hearing will be
held on April 28, at 6 p.m., and, if necessary, on April 30, 2020, at 6 p.m.,
for the purpose of reviewing all relevant matters relating to the renewal
request from the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School (“Charter School“) to
extend the term of its Charter for an additional five (5) years. The hearings
will be public hearings of the Board of School Directors of the Keystone
Central School District (‘School Board’) and will be held virtually using
Zoom.” The advertisement continues: “Reports and comments about the
Charter School, including but not limited to, facts with respect to
educational, security, administrative, operational, budgetary, fiscal
management, and student performance matters relating to the charter school will
be evaluated. The charter school’s charter is available for review by
submitting a request to Tracy Long, school board secretary, via the following
email address: tlong@kcsd.us.”
The public hearing is being held pursuant to
the requirements of Act 22 of 1997 of the General Assembly.
Abington Heights completes first week of online classes
Scranton Times-Tribune BY KATHLEEN BOLUS,
STAFF WRITER / PUBLISHED: APRIL 21, 2020
The first week of online learning in the
Abington Heights School District was a lesson in patience. “Everyone is just really trying their hardest
to make it work,” said Marilyn Pryle, 10th grade world literature teacher.
“We’re all on the learning curve.” Abington Heights was the first district in
Lackawanna County to move to online education after Gov. Tom Wolf announced
April 9 that schools across Pennsylvania would close for the academic year to
stop the spread of the coronavirus. Teachers and administrators offered
nonmandatory enrichment and review lessons while they finalized plans to move
online. North Pocono School District students also began online learning this
week, while the other districts will follow in coming weeks. Abington Heights
High School and middle school students began working on new lessons in their
virtual classrooms last week
Bethlehem Area postpones high school graduation
ceremonies
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | APR 21, 2020 | 6:09 PM
The Bethlehem Area School District is
postponing its high school graduation ceremonies to July. In a video message Tuesday afternoon,
Superintendent Joseph Roy say both Freedom and Liberty high school’s graduation
ceremonies will be pushed back to the third week in July at the district’s
stadium at Liberty High School. “We’re not sure we’ll be able to do that in
July," Roy said in the message. "It depends on where things are
health-wise, but that’s going to be our plan.” In his message, Roy acknowledged
that seniors have missed out on a number of milestones because the coronavirus
has shut schools down since March 16. Schools will remain closed for the
remainder of the academic year. “You’ve lost a lot,” Roy told seniors. He said
more information will be available to seniors this week.
A rainy day at District headquarters: some get laptops;
others get frustrated
Hundreds successfully get district
Chromebooks, but others are told to come back tomorrow.
The notebook by Bill
Hangley Jr. April 21 — 8:23 pm, 2020
Long lines, pelting rain and an early cutoff
meant frustration for students and families seeking laptops at Philadelphia
School District headquarters on Tuesday. “You told us it was open until four
o’clock, and I got here at two, and you won’t let me in? It doesn’t make
sense,” said Aminata Welcome, mother of three District students. “I’m tired of
this,” said Shareeda Riggins, a parent who also arrived around 2 p.m. with a
laptop needing repairs, only to be turned away. “It’s horrible.” After handing
out thousands of Chromebooks at individual schools last week, District
officials relocated their laptop distribution program to two
central locations this week, including the central office at 440 North Broad
St., and at Fitzpatrick Elementary in Northeast Philadelphia. The number of
students that still need laptops is unknown, but the District’s goal is for all
to take part in its newly launched online learning programs. Officially, this
week’s laptop distribution is to last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekday at
both locations. But on Tuesday, for the second day in a row, parents who
arrived at District headquarters by mid-afternoon were told to come back the
following day.
Rejoice, ‘Hamilton’ fans: Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his
student program free online
Inquirer by Peter Marks, Washington Post, Updated: April
21, 2020- 3:02 PM
Now, students from coast to coast can
proclaim that "Hamilton" is in the house. Their house. Not the film
version of the megahit Broadway musical; that is planned for release in October
2021. What's on screen today is the popular companion in-school program known
as EduHam, which is being made available digitally through August, free of
charge, to teachers, parents and pupils everywhere. The launch of EduHam at
Home was announced Tuesday by "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda
and his partners in the venture: producer Jeffrey Seller, the Rockefeller
Foundation and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, which
developed the curriculum. The program uses a love of the musical to spark
students' interests in creative pursuits and tie them to historical research. EduHam
was born as an offshoot of "Hamilton" itself, and Miranda says the
project - in which 250,000 students nationwide have participated - has proved
to be a hit as much with cast members as younger people.
Imagine Online School in a Language You Don’t Understand
The parents of millions of American
schoolchildren are not fluent in English, presenting an extra challenge to
learning at home.
New York Times By Rikha Sharma Rani April
22, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
OAKLAND, Calif. — Like many parents, Zainab
Alomari has spent the last month trying to help her children learn at home. But
unlike most, she has been talking to teachers and working through lessons in a
language she barely understands. Ms. Alomari came to the United States in 2006
from Yemen, where she spoke Arabic. She knows only a few basic English words
and phrases. Four of her six children attend Oakland public schools. When
teachers call, Ms. Alomari makes sure her daughter Maysa, 15, is around to
serve as an interpreter, handing her the phone mid-conversation. When one of
her children has a question about the instructions on an assignment, Ms.
Alomari relies on Google Translate. Her husband is gone most days to run the
family’s grocery business, leaving Ms. Alomari, 39, alone to help the children.
“I’m doing my best,” she said through an interpreter. “But I don’t know if this
is going to affect their learning.” Remote schooling poses a special challenge
for families who are not fluent in English. About five million American
schoolchildren are classified as English-language learners, meaning they lack
fluency, and even more come from homes where their parents speak a different
language.
Two senators — a Democrat and a Republican — urge Betsy
DeVos not to gut special-education law but provide ‘narrow’ flexibility to
school districts
Washington Post By Valerie Strauss April
21, 2020 at 7:10 p.m. EDT
Two senators — one Republican and one
Democrat — are urging Education Secretary Betsy DeVos not to gut the federal
special-education law during the coronavirus crisis
but instead to grant “narrow and targeted” flexibility to school districts that
are operating remotely. Congress, in its recent $2 trillion economic stimulus
package known as the Cares Act, included a requirement that DeVos report back
by late April on whether she needs congressional approval to provide school
districts with waivers to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
during the pandemic. DeVos has not said publicly whether she will ask Congress
for new authority to provide waivers from IDEA to school districts. Some
advocates for students with disabilities have written to DeVos, opposing
providing any flexibility to IDEA, which requires that schools provide a fair
and appropriate education for every student. They say it would be an
unacceptable weakening of the law. But special-education administrators have
asked Congress to allow some waivers because, they say, it is impossible to
meet all requirements when school buildings are not open. Some districts have
chosen not to provide remote education to any students, because they fear they
will violate IDEA. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) sent
to DeVos a set of five principles that they argue should govern any decisions
DeVos makes in terms of IDEA flexibility. They also said they would push for
billions of dollars in targeted funding for special-education students in
Congress’s next coronavirus relief measure.
Should Teachers Be Evaluated During Coronavirus School
Shutdowns?
Education Week By Madeline Will April 20,
2020
One of the many questions facing districts
and states during the coronavirus school shutdowns: How can schools grade their
teachers during a disrupted school year? According to an analysis by the
Education Commission of the States, at least
seven states have waived all state requirements for teacher evaluations. At
least six have waived certain requirements, like the use of student-growth data
in evaluations. And a minimum of eight states have issued flexibility or
guidance for school districts. (ECS did not do a full 50-state analysis.) “Everybody
is trying to make decisions quickly and is aware of the challenges” of
conducting evaluations during school shutdowns, said Tiffany McDole, a senior
policy analyst for the commission. Thirty-four states typically require
student-growth measures on teacher evaluations, according to the National
Council on Teacher Quality, and of those, 26 require that the state
standardized test be the source of the data. However, all states have won
waivers to skip federally mandated standardized tests this year, and many other
local or statewide assessments have been canceled, too. Classroom observations
are another key component of an evaluation. But those look different now—teachers
are trying to adapt to a new world of distance learning, and there are
persistent inequities with student access.
For-profit online education corporation K12 Inc. cozies
up to Trump administration
By In the Public Interest4/21/2020
Welcome to Cashing in on Kids, a
newsletter for people who think public education should be truly
public—produced by In the Public Interest.
Not a subscriber? Sign up. Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Not a subscriber? Sign up. Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
For-profit online education corporation K12
Inc. cozies up to Trump administration. Kevin
P. Chavous, president of academics, policy and schools at the for-profit online
education corporation K12 Inc., has taken up a position on the
Heritage Foundation’s “National Coronavirus Recovery Commission.” The Heritage
Foundation has close ties with the Trump administration and is
pushing for slashing regulations to “boost the economy.” While
Chavous was a board member of the American Federation of Children, he pushed for the post-Katrina privatization of New
Orleans schools.
Testing Resistance & Reform News: April 15 - 21, 2020
Submitted by fairtest on April 21, 2020 -
2:18pm
With this Spring's federal and state
testing mandates suspended, now is the time for local activists, educators and
community leaders to begin developing campaigns to roll back standardized exam
requirements for the 2020-2021 school year and beyond. Already, many
colleges and universities have announced that they will implement
ACT/SAT-optional policies for fall 2021 applicants and, often, future
classes. K-12 policymakers should be pressured to follow suit.
PSBA Board Presidents Panels (Zoom) April 27, 28, 29 and
30 (depending upon the size of your district)
This annual event supports current and
aspiring school board leaders through facilitated discussion with colleagues in
leadership. 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.
Due to current social distancing
requirements, this annual program will shift from a series of in-person
regional events to a digital platform using Zoom Meetings. Participants of each
of the four sessions will meet in small groups using virtual breakout rooms.
Experienced facilitators will guide discussions on attendees’ unique
challenges, solutions and experiences related to board leadership during the
COVID-19 school closures.
This year’s program will be organized to
group together leaders from schools of similar enrollment sizes for relevant
conversation. Members may register for one or two nights to participate in all
of the topics offered. If your district's average enrollment is above 3,500,
you are invited to join the sessions on Tuesday, April 28 and/or Thursday,
April 30. If your district's average enrollment is below 3,500, opt to join the
sessions on Monday, April 27 and/or Wednesday, April 29.
Request@PSBA.org: PSBA establishes
channel to answer COVID-19 questions
POSTED ON MARCH 19, 2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
In light of statewide school closings and as
the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve, PSBA is here to provide support to members
and answer questions regarding how schools will operate, meet instructional
requirements and provide services both now and in the future. Please send your
questions to request@psba.org with
your name, district and contact information. A member of PSBA staff will
respond directly or will funnel your inquires to the Pennsylvania Department of
Education. PSBA will act as your voice and ensure you receive the answers and
information you need to make decisions at this crucial time.
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.
Blogger note: we’re waiting for details on this event becoming
virtual.
Rescheduled: Join us for Advocacy Day in Harrisburg to support public
education Monday May 11, 2020! (subject to change)
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
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.
