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pennsylvania
- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 1iil DEPARTMENT
OF
EDUCATION
Attestation Ensuring Implementation of Mitigation Efforts
Whereas, the commonwealth is experiencing its highest daily case counts since the beginning of the
2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, resulting in increased hospitalizations, nearly 10,000 deaths,
and heightened risk to the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians;
Whereas, the Wolf Administration has identified new mitigation efforts, including an attestation process
for public school entities that elect to continue in-person instruction for students in counties designated as
exhibiting “Substantial” transmission of COVID-19 for two or more consecutive weeks based on a disease
incidence rate of 100 or more cases per 100,000 residents and/or a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) percent
positivity rate of 10 percent or greater;
Whereas, as of November 23, 2020, 59 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties met one or both of these
standards;
Whereas, Pennsylvania
recommends that school entities in counties with Substantial disease
transmission transition to remote-only instructional models;
Whereas, as of November 20, 2020, many public school entities have exercised their local discretion to
continue in-person instruction for all or some students;
Whereas, the resurgence of COVID-19 across the nation, region, and commonwealth requires more
consistent and intensive implementation of disease mitigation efforts;
Whereas, these mitigation efforts include an attestation process for any public school entity (a “public
school entity” is defined as a school district, intermediate unit, charter school, cyber charter school, or a career
and technical education center) that elects to continue in-person instruction as of November 30, 2020 while the
county in which it is located is under a Substantial disease transmission designation for at least two
consecutive weeks; and
Whereas, this attestation process supplements and does not supplant existing public health guidance
issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Education;
AND NOW, THEREFORE, the president/chair of the school entity’s governing board and chief school
administrator, in accordance with the Order of the Secretary of Health dated November 24, 2020, entitled
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, attest to one of the
following (SELECT ONE OPTION):
Al
l or some of the students within the public school entity are currently receiving in-person instruction
and:
1. We have read the Updated Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health
Requiring Universal Face Coverings, effective November 18, 2020, including necessary
exceptions and associated guidance, and affirm the public school entity is complying and will
continue to comply with and enforce the Updated Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania
