Pennsylvania Department of Education

At least four Pennsylvania agencies have told state lawmakers they need more funding to address one of the biggest woes each of them has faced during the pandemic: not being able to hire or keep enough staff.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: Testimony from the defense has concluded in the trial over how Pennsylvania funds its education system; we speak to a researcher about the potential for more people to experience prolonged grief after losing loved ones to COVID-19; and a look at Mehmet Oz’s outsider campaign to become Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate primary.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: The state’s Independent Fiscal Office wrote in a report about public education funding stating that there is “little or no correlation” between between funding and student test scores over the course of a single year, but some lawmakers are pushing back against that conclusion; a Pitt researcher asked local kin and foster parents about how the pandemic is affecting their children’s education; and as part of our Good Question Kid! series, we ask, why and how do hyenas eat bones?

On today’s episode of The Confluence: WHYY’s Mallory Falk updates us on a lawsuit alleging the state does not fund school districts fairly, in violation of the state constitution; Pittsburgh Magazine’s Hal B. Klein takes stock of the city’s restaurant scene, and what he anticipates in 2022; and local troupe CorningWorks resumes performances of an interactive show, ‘The Tipping Point.’

A group of western Pennsylvania parents is suing UPMC and members of the Wolf administration. They claim the state’s school mask mandate violates the children’s constitutional rights and federal disability law.

On today’s program: State Education Secretary Noe Ortega says the department can’t mandate masks, but is urging schools to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the spread of COVID-19; a look at one family’s struggle to care for their son’s medical needs when there’s a shortage of in-home nursing care; and WESA’s arts and culture reporter Bill O’Driscoll gives an update on how performance are phasing in COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

On today's program: A virologist and epidemiologist explains why a pause in administering Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines is reasonable as we learn more about the side effects; the Pennsylvania Department of Education will use a near-million dollar grant to research how the pandemic is affecting student outcomes; and how the Biden administration’s climate-friendly infrastructure plan could impact fossil-fuel workers, and what a worker transition would look like.

The state Department of Education told state legislators at a budget hearing Monday that it is working to help school districts address their…

On today's program: The Pennsylvania State Education Association says it’s disappointed the U.S. Department of Education is not waiving annual assessments…

Pennsylvania nudged school districts to reopen elementary schools Thursday by changing its official guidance.Prior to Thursday, the Department of…