Family Resource Group
Special Edition July 2022
From the Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education
On July 8, Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 55 of 2022 (Act 55) into law. Act 55 permits a student with a disability who was enrolled during the 2021-22 school year and turned age 21 during the 2021-22 school year, or between the end of the 2021-22 and the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, to attend a school entity during the 2022-23 school year and receive services as outlined on their most recent Individualized Education Program (IEP) with all the protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
As required by Act 55, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) developed and posted online a standard form for parents/guardians and students to notify school entities of their plan for the student to attend the school entity for the 2022-23 school year. School entities are encouraged to post the Act 55 Student Enrollment Notification Form on the school entity’s publicly accessible website along with instructions and an email address for parents/guardians and students to submit the form to the school entity.
To qualify for an additional year, a student had to be enrolled in one of the following school entities in Pennsylvania during the 2021-22 school year: a school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school, cyber charter school, regional charter school, approved private school, or chartered school for the education of the deaf and blind.
Parents/guardians and students interested in the above option for the 2022-23 school year must submit this Act 55 of 2022 Student Enrollment Notification Form to the school entity that the student will attend in the 2022-23 school year on or before August 1, 2022. Do not submit the form to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).
Instructions:
- Complete Act 55 of 2022 Enrollment Notification Form for the 2022-23 school year.
- Contact the school entity that the student will attend during the 2022-23 school year for an email address to submit the form.
- Submit the completed form to the child’s school entity on or before August 1, 2022.
- Both the parent/guardian and the student must complete this form if a student with a disability was enrolled during the 2021-22 school year, turned 21 during the time periods listed above, and intends to return to school for the 2022-23 school year.
Act 55 Student Grade Level Retainment Notification Form - Fillable
PEAL Summer Institute: Virtual Training Sessions
Sharpen your advocacy skills and add to your toolbox this summer! All one-hour trainings offered at 12:00 PM.
July 22: 504 Basics
Aug 12: IEP Essentials
Aug 16: Making Inclusion a Reality
This summer, the PEAL Center will bring you your most requested topics and deliver them to you live from the comfort and safety of your home or office. We have developed these live one-hour online sessions with the most essential nuggets of information. Whether you want to refresh your knowledge or add new tools to your advocacy skills, we invite you to register to one, two or all the online sessions.
August 1-4, 2022
The Autism conference provides comprehensive, evidence-based information to assist educators, other professionals, and families in developing effective educational programming for all students with autism spectrum disorders.
August 10-11, 2022
The primary purpose of this two-day conference, Mission Possible - Transitioning to the Future, is to expand the capacity of youth, family members, schools, and community partners regarding specific issues related to:
- Effective employment and post-secondary educational practices.
- Development of healthy life-styles.
- Utility of assistive technology, resources, supports, and services available to youth and families.
JUNE 14, 2022
Today, the U.S. Department of Education launched the National Parents and Families Engagement Council (the Council) to facilitate strong and effective relationships between schools and parents, families and caregivers. Families’ voices play a critical role in how the nation’s children are recovering from the pandemic.
“Parents are a child’s first teachers, and there’s no one better equipped to work with schools and educators to identify what students need to recover,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The National Parents and Families Engagement Council will serve as an important link between families and caregivers, education advocates and their school communities. The Council will help foster a collaborative environment where we can work together to serve the best interest of students and ensure they have the academic and mental health support they need to recover from the pandemic and thrive in the future.”
The Council consists of parent, family, or caregiver representatives from national organizations that will work with the Department to identify constructive ways to help families engage at the local level. Organization representatives will reflect the diversity of the education system, including, but not limited to, families of students in public schools, charters, private schools, and homeschool. The Council will be a channel for parents and families to constructively participate in their children’s education by helping them understand the rights they have, create a feedback loop with schools to shape how American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds are deployed to meet students’ needs, and identify summer learning and enrichment opportunities for children in their communities.
“Parents provide critical perspective, and they should always have a seat at the table whenever decisions are made that impact their children. And this is more important than ever in the effort to help students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Anna King, president of National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). “National PTA applauds the Department of Education for launching the National Parents and Families Engagement Council and providing a channel for parents’ voices to be heard and considered. This is essential to help make sure the needs of students are met coming out of the pandemic and ensure every child has everything they need to make their potential a reality.”
U.S. Department of Education Announces Intent to Strengthen and Protect Rights for Students with Disabilities by Amending Regulations Implementing Section 504
Forty-five years after publication of the regulations implementing Section 504 of the landmark Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the US Department of Education has announced plans to gather public input on possible amendments to those regulations to protect and strengthen the rights of students with disabilities.
Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public and private programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, including K–12 schools and postsecondary institutions.