HARRISBURG, Pa. — "There's no way schools would be prepared to accept students through this academic year," Department of Education secretary Pedro Rivera said.
To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as the pandemic continues, Governor Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Education decided to close all Pennsylvania schools for the rest of the academic year.
Graduation ceremonies will be handled on a district-by-district basis, concurrent with proper social distancing guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, according to Secretary Rivera. The pandemic will not impede students receiving their diploma.
For the rest of the school year, many questions were answered by the department in a conference call Thursday. The overarching theme was clear.
"The department's expectation is that they [school districts] provide ongoing instruction," Secretary Rivera said.
School districts are being provided resources including access to free intermediate units and the opportunity to apply for state funding for issues including internet connectivity problems, pencil-and-paper resources and more. The grant program for the commonwealth totals $5 million.
"Free online subscriptions, reaching through the intermediate units, providing paper/print and partnering with PBS for television to provide opportunities for school districts to have every resource they need to be successful."
Furthermore, Secretary Rivera noted this crisis is an opportunity for parents to learn how difficult a teachers' job is.
"It's not only an opportunity for educators, but it's an opportunity for parents to see firsthand all that goes into supporting their learning," Rivera said.
And as recent legislation introduced in the state senate to increase flexibility in local school property tax deadlines, the Pennsylvania Department of Education wants you to know that the pandemic is not an excuse for students and teachers to take a day off. They're still working.
"School districts and school personnel are still working hard and putting in more hours than they traditionally do," Rivera said. "We still have school district personnel working to educate, to feed, to provide mental health support, to provide parent support and most are stepping up well beyond their day and duties."
Secretary Rivera admitted that he and the department do not have the legal authority to mandate schools to comply with their guidance. They have the ability to decide where funding will go and simply to set standards for learning that parents can expect for their children.
Schools are required to file reports on what their district is doing for continuing education at home during the crisis. These reports are public. It is then the parents job to hold their respective school district responsible.
"School districts are and should be in continued connection with families in the process. If it's not being done, parents should be continuing conversation," Rivera said.
Only after the crisis ends and school districts are examined for how their students learned during the crisis will the districts be held accountable for their actions, which would require legislative action Secretary Rivera said.
Additional funding will be coming from the federal government, but they have not given the commonwealth any guidance or timeline as of April 9th according to Secretary Rivera.
And as unemployment rises in the commonwealth, school district employees can rest easy knowing, via legislative mandate, their jobs are protected during the COVID-19 crisis.
"By law, there should be no job loss in school district as a result of COVID-19. That is by legislative mandate," Rivera said. "That would not impact decisions at local level for a myriad of other issues, but there should be no job loss as a result of COVID-19.
For ongoing updates, a list of resources both for parents and schools and more information during the COVID-19 crisis impacting education, you can visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education website.