Posted: | May 24, 2023 04:30 PM |
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From: | Representative Barbara Gleim and Rep. Robert W. Mercuri |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Abrogation of Chapter 49 Regulations Related to Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education (“CR-SE”). |
On April 23, 2022, the final form amendments to Chapter 49 regulations, which provide for certification of teachers and other professional personnel, were approved and became effective. The regulations included a new term not in the Public School Code of 1949, "culturally relevant and sustaining education,” which is defined as: Education that ensures equity for all students and seeks to eliminate systemic institutional racial and cultural barriers that inhibit the success of all students in this Commonwealth—particularly those who have been historically underrepresented. Culturally relevant and sustaining education encompasses skills for educators including, but not limited to, approaches to mental wellness, trauma-informed approaches to instruction, technological and virtual engagement, cultural awareness and emerging factors that inhibit equitable access for all students in this Commonwealth. In November 2022, the Department of Education released program framework guidelines outside the regulatory process which developed CR-SE into new standards to be integrated into educator training. For example, guidelines include requirements that require professional educators to:
Reasonable people differ about the role structural racism plays in schools—but these guidelines will prevent critical conversations about race. Time is of the essence. Continuing professional development programs are required to integrate the CR-SE competencies no later than the 2023-24 academic year. Educator preparation and induction programs must integrate CR-SE competencies no later than the 2024-25 academic year. Please join us in abrogating the Chapter 49 regulations insofar as they relate to CR-SE. |
Introduced as HB1269