May 4th, 2021
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
Noe Ortega | Acting Secretary of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education | Executive Office
333 Market Street | Harrisburg, PA 17126
717.783.9780 | www.education.pa.gov
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