Pa. Schools Now Closed Until At Least April 6th

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced Monday that all schools in the commonwealth will remain closed through at least April 6th as a result of the COVID-19 response efforts. The closure order could be extended beyond that time if necessary to save lives and stop the spread of the virus.  When it’s determined that students can return to school, administrators, teachers and other staff will be given two days to prepare classrooms, set up cafeterias, schedule transportation and arrange other business operations. Students would return on the third day.Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera said his decision to close all schools for the additional period aligns with the governor’s stay-at-home directive for seven counties – Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Monroe, Montgomery and Philadelphia.  Monday’s additional school closure will be for 14 days, beginning Tuesday, March 24th.  Secretary Rivera also cancelled standardized testing for students in career and technical education (CTE) programs for the 2019-20 school year. These include exams from the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) and National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS).  Last Thursday the department cancelled all PSSA testing and Keystone exams for the 2019-20 school year, as well as the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA).