News

State House Hearing Examines School Mental Health Needs

The ability of Pennsylvania schools to deliver what experts call an increased demand for mental health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic was examined during a recent joint state House… Read More

Schools Can Use COVID-19 Relief Money for Vaccinations and Teacher Bonuses, Feds Say

School districts can use money from the American Rescue Plan and other COVID-19 aid packages to provide “premium pay” to educators — provided that it’s “reasonable” and consistent with federal… Read More

Ed Department details limits, flexibilities of ESSER funds

A state education agency or state legislature may not limit a school district’s use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief formula funds or limit districts’ access or spending of the… Read More

Bill to give students COVID do-over year moving in state House

A bill that would allow parents to give their kids a do-over extra year of school to make up for the 2020-21 year disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic closings and operating… Read More

Pennsylvania Falls to 45th in the Nation In State Funding for Public Education

The U.S. Census Bureau this week released the 2019 Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data that shows Pennsylvania falling further behind in meeting the needs of Pennsylvania’s students. The data tracks, among other… Read More

Tens of thousands of students may have to repeat a grade. Should they?

After more than a year waging uphill battles to connect with their schooling, tens of thousands of students now face having to repeat a grade in 2021-22. It’s a choice… Read More

Children’s risk of serious illness from COVID-19 is as low as it is for the flu

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a strong statement about the effectiveness of vaccines when it decided that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks in most circumstances. But… Read More

Bill would bar PA school districts from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations

A bill to ban government authorities from requiring people to show their vaccination status passed the state senate’s Health and Human Services committee Monday. Republican state Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill of York County… Read More

Schools are dropping mask requirements, but a new CDC study suggests they shouldn’t

New research released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reinforces an old message: COVID-19 spreads less in schools where teachers and staff wear masks. Yet the study… Read More

What will PA schools look like next fall? Education officials answer questions about vaccines, masks and more

Acting Education Secretary Noe Ortega spoke with PennLive last week about what this year has taught them and the next school year, including topics such as COVID-19 vaccines, face-to-face education… Read More