(WKBN) — The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has retracted its mandate that certified teachers be trained in cultural relevancy and inclusivity as part of a settlement reached last month.
The settlement agreement requires PDE to contact all school entities to announce there is no legal obligation to implement and adhere to the Culturally- Relevant and Sustaining Education Guidelines, which were implemented in April of 2022 under Governor Tom Wolf.
The guidelines were designed to encourage educators to “acknowledge that biases exist in the educational system,” recognize schools’ history of inequities, “believe and acknowledge that microaggressions are real,” design culturally relevant learning experiences and be respectful of the experiences of people of color.
Schools that did not follow the guidelines were at risk of their state funding being withheld.
A lawsuit against the order was filed in April 2023 on behalf of PENNCREST, Laurel and Mars Area school districts in western Pennsylvania. Individual parents, teachers, school administrators and elected school board officials from Knoch School District were also plaintiffs in the case.
As a result of the settlement, another set of guidelines is recommended but not required by the PDE called “Common Ground Framework Program Guidelines.”
The guidelines target three target groups: cultural and trauma awareness, mental health and wellness, and technological and virtual engagement.
The purpose of the new guidelines remains relatively the same and is to help educators handle issues related to mental wellness, use trauma-informed approaches to instruction and create an inclusive learning environment for all students.
More information on the new guidelines is forthcoming, and a draft can be read below:
