State Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said yesterday that the academic school year will end June 30th, no matter how long the Covid-19 crisis lasts.
In a media conference call, Rivera said extending beyond the end of the fiscal year is out of the question, even if it means students won’t get 180 days of instructional time. The state legislature has already advanced legislation to suspend the 180-day requirement.
As to online or other means of education should the schools remain closed, Rivera said there are still a lot of unanswered questions. There is a task force at work to find solutions, especially for educating students who have limited or no online resources. Asked about the state’s graduation requirements for seniors, Rivera said finding the answers to those questions are a priority.
The state’s schools have been closed since March 16th. The current plan is for them to reopen on April 9th, but that is very unlikely to happen as Covid-19 infections continue to expand across Pennsylvania.
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