Schools may get relief from requirements
Lawmakers unsure how long schools will remain closed
WEST CHESTER » For the last two weeks, the governor’s order for the closure of all commonwealth schools remained intact.
And it’s not just schools. Nearly everything is closed.
On March 13, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf mandated all schools cancel onsite classes in wake of the coronavirus crisis, stemming from a wet-market derived respiratory illness rippling its way across North America.
On Wednesday, during its first remote session ever, the state Senate voted to pass several response measures to benefit Pennsylvania citizens, including first responders and teachers, and small businesses.
As of press time, 10,000 deaths had been reported worldwide from the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of senior citizens are dead in Europe; the death toll from COVID-19 is higher in Italy and Spain than China. To protect individuals 60 and older, a new normal of ‘social’ distancing has occurred.
People are staying at home of all ages, worried about the threat of the unknown — not to mention the governor’s stay-in-place order.
When will it end? Many wonder.
During this moment of complete uncertainty, in which lawmakers confirm things are changing hourby-hour, what remains is the need for every child to receive an equal education in Pennsylvania. By law.
According to the Pennsylvania Senate Republican office, legislation passed Wednesday related to the
COVID-19 public health emergency. Lawmakers convened remotely March
25 to pass several bills to advance the well-being of the commonwealth. Measures ranged from supporting health care workers to funding teacher salaries for the rest of the academic school year.
Specifically, state Senate Bill 751, sent to Wolf on Wednesday, updates Pennsylvania’s School Code to waive several mandates on schools that cannot be fulfilled under the current circumstances.
Upon the governor’s signature, it would waive the requirement that all public schools must be open at least 180 days per school year. The bill also grants the Secretary of Education authority to waive similar restrictions for career and technical schools and prekindergarten institutions.
The measure also grants the Secretary of Education authorization to increase the number of flexible instructional days that may be used by a school district and waive other requirements for educator preparation programs and assessment exams for career and technical students. It guarantees that teachers shall receive the same compensation they would have received if the coronavirus pandemic had not occurred.
Yet, the bill has shortcomings, according to state Sen. Andy Dinniman, minority chair of the Senate Education Committee.
Dinniman, D-19th, of West Whiteland, made the following statement March 25 on Senate Bill 751, known as the School Code bill: “While all of us unite in support of the School Code bill in this time of crisis, we need to be honest and clearly say that while the bill calls for continuity of education during this period of school closure, many of our school districts, as well as the commonwealth as a whole, are not prepared to deliver such continuity.
“We are telling our schools to go to online learning, but more than half of students in Philadelphia, our largest school district, do not have access to computers. In many rural areas, there is no bandwidth for online learning. You cannot just give a student a computer and assume they are prepared for online learning.
“The legislature needs to provide our schools with the means to provide a variety of alternate education approaches and funding is available. For instance, the budget currently includes $100 million for assessment testing, which has been canceled as a result of COVID-19.”
Dinniman said, “We do not know how long schools will be closed.”
He said one way to help might be a one-to-one phone call between a current or past educator and a student to assist their learning.
Dinniman added, “The legislature must be prepared to actively assist this alternate learning format with a total commitment to making sure that each and every child has the opportunity to learn.”
Senate Bill 751 passed March 25 and was sent for ratification with amendments to the House from which it advanced to the governor’s desk. The legislation is still pending the governor’s signature, as of press time.
“COVD-19 is an unparalleled crisis affecting every aspect of our lives,” said state Sen. Thomas Killion,
R-9th, of Middletown. “Passage of Senate Bill 751 is an important immediate response to the emergency’s impact on schools and children.”
Killion said he is in regular communication with educators
our in his district and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
“The situation is very fluid,” he said. “The Senate is prepared to act quickly should there be a need for additional legislation.”
Said Killion, “I have every confidence in the teachers, staff and administrators of the schools in our region to deliver online instruction to the best of their ability. Wide latitude should be given to institutions and entities in deference to government’s primary responsibility to protect the health and welfare of its citizens.”
Dinniman told the Daily Local News on Wednesday that the quest for continuity of learning continues.
In the days, weeks and months ahead, Dinniman plans to continue to fight for the equity now, albeit virtually or not, for all Pennsylvanian students.
“We still have to work harder and do more work,” he said of the state Senate’s efforts regarding revamping the 2020 Education Code and providing equity for all students in 2020 and beyond.
Dinniman said there’s also a chance schools may reopen as early as May or the end of April. “We just don’t know.”
Dinniman added, “Making sure that students have an opportunity to learn is more important than ever.”
Primary postponed
In other news, Senate Bill 422, which postpones Pennsylvania’s primary election to June 2 from April 28, also passed on March 25.
Senate Bill 422 moves back the primary election date to help the state limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to the state Senate Republican office in Pennsylvania. The bill proposed grants county election officials authority to close, move or merge polling places due to the potential shortage of volunteers and venues. Volunteers could also be drawn from anywhere in the county; previous law mandated that volunteers had to be from the same election district. All registered voters in Pennsylvania now have the option to
request a “no-excuse absentee ballot” to vote by mail, thanks to a new voting law that was passed last year.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
“Regarding the length of school closures, our main consideration is the health and safety of students and their families,” said Eric Levis, press secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), on Thursday. “The closures may be extended. We don’t know at this time.”
He said the state education authority has been encouraging schools to focus on developing and implementing continuity of education plans that meet the needs of all students and communicating those plans with students and families.
Levis said the agency has been providing guidance to schools from the beginning regarding COVID-19. He said the department released guidance on continuity of education to schools on Tuesday.
“We continue to provide that guidance as it is developed,” Levis said.