TriCounty Area Chamber Of Commerce: Parents Must Decide By July 15 Whether To Pursue Optional Year Of Education Due To COVID-19

Press release from TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce:

July 06, 2021

HARRISBURG – A new state law empowers parents to decide whether their children should advance to the next grade level or be held back a year due to learning disruptions created during COVID-19, according to Senator Bob Mensch (R-24).

Parents who wish to pursue the additional optional year of education for their children must complete and return a standardized form to their school district no later than July 15. The deadline allows school districts enough time to plan for changes in class sizes for the upcoming school year.

The form is available on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website at www.education.pa.gov. The Department of Education also developed a Frequently Asked Questions page about the new law and encouraged all school districts to make the form available on their websites as well.

The additional optional year of education was provided in Act 66 of 2021, which was signed into law on Wednesday. The option would only apply to the 2021-22 school year to help manage learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information on Senator Mensch’s legislation, visit www.senatormensch.com.  State updates can also be found on Senator Mensch’s Facebook at facebook.com/PASenatorBobMensch/ or Twitter @SenatorMensch.

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This press release was produced by TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.