News

Colleague,   It has been roughly four weeks since the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented change to our school communities, including building closures, transitions to distance learning, and the cancellation of traditional year-end activities. Over that time, I’ve been moved by the tireless efforts of school leaders across the state to [Read More...]

 Colleague,  In an effort to help you navigate our commonwealth’s extended school closure, PDE is committed to providing you with ongoing information related your LEA’s operations. Today, we’ve made several updates to the guidance on our COVID-19 website related to:  Professional employee evaluations for the 2019-2020 academic year Federal programs [Read More...]

Colleague, This morning, I issued an order under Act 13 of 2020 to close all public schools through the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, as defined by the local school calendar. Additionally, Governor Wolf is ordering all K-12 schools and programs, public and private, to be closed through the end of [Read More...]

The following are links for updated Frequently Asked Questions from the P-GROUP related to school closure: COVID-19 School Closure FAQs ACT 13 FAQs 4-2-20. If you have any question please do not hesitate to contact Jackie at jackie@pacareertech.org or John at john@pacareertech.org . Stay safe and strong!

March 31, 2020   Dear Colleague,   Yesterday, Governor Wolf announced that all schools will remain closed until further notice as we work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of all Pennsylvanians.   We, at PDE, want to thank you for your patience, continued leadership and steadfast [Read More...]

March 27, 2020 Watch a video message from Secretary RiveraOpens In A New Window Colleague, The past few weeks have presented school communities with circumstances beyond imagination. With no precedent from our lifetimes to work from, you’ve overcome so much while continuing to serve students, staff, and families. Thank you [Read More...]

Dear Colleague, This afternoon (March 23, 2020), Governor Wolf will issue a stay-at-home order for seven counties in Pennsylvania (Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Monroe, Montgomery, and Philadelphia). Under Governor Wolf’s order, personnel at our educational entities in all 67 counties who are providing life-sustaining services, including, but not limited to: [Read More...]

Good afternoon, We just updated our School Closure Guidance page to include more information on a variety of important topics. School Closure Guidance and additional resources are available on our website: education.pa.gov/COVID19. Additionally, the following statement was issued last evening (March 19, 2020) to provide clarification regarding essential staff involved in meal preparation [Read More...]

March 19, 2020   Dear Colleague,   Later today, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) will be announcing a cancellation of statewide assessments for the 2019-2020 school year. This cancellation includes the PSSA, PASA, and Keystone Exams.   We understand that during these unprecedented circumstances, school communities across the state are [Read More...]

The updated PACTA 2019-2020 Calendar is available CLICK HERE to download your copy. Note: The following dates have been added to the calendar:               Date and Location of Spring PIL sessions              Date for Spring State Policy Seminar and Legislative Visits, [Read More...]

March 16, 2020 Good afternoon,  The most recent COVID-19 School Closure Guidance and additional resources are available on our website: education.pa.gov/COVID19.  Our school guidance page includes information previously released on March 14 and March 15, as well as information on new topics.  The next update will be released on Wednesday, March 18.  Thank [Read More...]

March 6, 2020 Message from the Secretary of Education, It has certainly been an eventful few day across the commonwealth and nation as we all prepare and contemplate the potential impacts of the coronavirus in our personal and professional spaces. I know this has not been an easy time to [Read More...]