Pennsylvania State Education Association

Week of 8-24-2020

Inside this issue

• PDE updates key school reopening guidance
• Weekly Update – County designations for school reopening
• Help your colleagues navigate the new normal
• Remote instruction webinars available online
• Center for Professional Learning: Upcoming book discussions and webinars

PDE updates key school reopening guidance

The PA Department of Education has released important new guidance about school reopening plans. PSEA has been pushing the Department to update and clarify key guidance, and state officials are listening.

On August 13, the Department released clear rules for how schools should respond if a student or staff member contracts COVID-19. It sets forth clear rules about how long a school or areas of a school should close based on the number of cases a school has identified.

And, on August 17, the Department clarified its guidance on wearing face coverings in school buildings and on school grounds. The guidance says that students and staff must wear face coverings in school buildings and on school grounds, with very limited exceptions.

These are important updates and they respond to concerns that we’ve shared repeatedly with state government. Stay tuned for more on this in the coming days and be sure to check out www.psea.org/covid19.

Weekly Update – County designations for school reopening

On August 10, Gov. Wolf outlined new statewide guidance aimed at helping schools decide whether it is safe to reopen for in-person instruction.

The guidance places each Pennsylvania county in one of three tiers, based on the county’s COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population or its infection rate percentage. Depending on what tier a county is in, the guidance provides recommendations about whether public schools should open for in-person instruction, adopt hybrid plans, or offer remote-only learning.

These designations are updated weekly. The county designations as of today are shown in this map.

PSEA cares about you and your well-being. 

That’s why PSEA and the PSEA Education Foundation are offering a new online professional development opportunity for EA and ESP members: “Building Community and Navigating the New Normal.” It will prepare you to lead sessions with your colleagues and improve their well-being through mindfulness practices.

We have limited openings, so please fill out the application as soon as possible. Applications are due on Sept. 7. Members will be selected to ensure a diverse learning community and encourage multiple perspectives. 

Remote instruction webinars available online

Did you miss the terrific webinars we offered through PSEA’s Summer Learning Series?

If you did, you can still check them out. We recorded all our remote instruction webinars, and you can view them at your convenience and receive Act 48 or Chapter 14 credit at the link below.

Center for Professional Learning: Upcoming book discussions and webinars

Book Discussions:

• “Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice” - Bryan Stevenson 
• Sept. 30, 5-6 p.m. 
• “Genesis Begins Again” - Alicia D. Williams 
• Oct. 26, 5-6 p.m.

Webinars: 

• SEL in a Virtual Space
• Sept. 8, 6-7:30 p.m. 
• EdTech Pedagogy in Early Childhood
• Sept. 10, 6-7:30 p.m. 
• Schoology in Practice: The Essentials for Beginners
• Sept. 15, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Effective Remote Instruction and Distance Learning
• Sept. 16, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Taking Seesaw to the Next Level
• Sept. 17, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Taking Google Classroom to the Next Level
• Sept. 22, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Using Pear Deck to Engage Learners at a Distance
• Sept. 24, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Building Routines for Student Success in a Virtual Space
• Sept. 29, 6-7:30 p.m.