May 4, 2021
Hello Jersey Shore Community,
Today, a joint letter was released by the PA Department of Education and PA Department of Health. In that letter (text below), schools were informed that multiple mitigation orders will be lifted on May 31, 2021. In addition, the State issued a press release that can be read by clicking the link below.
What does that mean for us?
- I am no longer required to attest that I will follow all Health and Safety protocols as of June 1, 2021, which will impact the coming school year.
- Schools will not be required to close due to a certain number of cases by building.
- Event and gathering restrictions will be lifted – This will impact Graduation and Senior Awards in a positive way.
- The masking order is STILL IN EFFECT. We will still require students, staff, and visitors to wear masks per the Governor’s Order. According to the press release, this will remain in effect until the state population reaches 70% vaccination.
- We still have a lot of questions and as the letter indicates, the Department of Education will continue to take questions and create an FAQ page.
- I will continue to communicate updates as I receive them.
We are almost through this incredible school year! Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigated changing regulations and policies.
Thank you,
Dr. Ulmer
PDE/DOH Letter
Dear colleague,
The Wolf Administration, in coordination with the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force, just announced that several mitigation orders will be lifted in Pennsylvania on Monday, May 31, 2021. It’s important to note that the order that requires universal face coverings will not be lifted until 70% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated. In addition, today’s announcement will not impact municipalities with stricter mitigation efforts.
What does this mean for your school community?
The Attestation Process for public schools will expire on May 31, 2021 as the Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Directing Public School Entities in Counties with Substantial Community Transmission to Attest to Health and Safety Protocols, which mandated the Attestation Process, will be lifted. As a result, the requirement that schools in counties with two consecutive weeks of substantial level of community transmission had to comply with our Recommendations for Pre-K to 12 Schools Following Identification of a Case(s) of COVID-19 will return to a recommendation only as of May 31, 2021.
In addition, event and gathering limitations will be lifted, which may impact graduation ceremonies and other activities your community is planning to hold on or after May 31, 2021. As you consider the impacts on your school events with the lifting of these orders, we encourage you to remain vigilant and maintain other mitigation strategies.
Approximately one year ago, all school buildings were closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year. Today’s announcement signals the significant progress we have made in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19. To continue on this path, please continue to take critical steps and make decisions that protect the health and safety of your school community.
In the days ahead, we will be posting answers to Frequently Asked Questions concerning the impacts of today’s announcement. We appreciate everything you have done and continue to do during this pandemic.
Sincerely,
Alison Beam, Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health
Noe Ortega, Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education