Announcements

Required Notice for Three-Day Truancy Letters – Effective October 10, 2026

Dear Colleague,

This email is being sent to School District Superintendents, Charter School Chief Administrators, and Career and Technical Education Directors.

On August 8, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) sent school leaders a Dear Colleague letter detailing new statutory provisions related to truancy procedures and the written notice that a school must provide to parents and guardians of a truant student.

When a child becomes truant, a school must notify, in writing, the person in parental relation to the child within 10 school days of the child's third unexcused absence. This notice must contain a description of the consequences that will follow if the child becomes habitually truant, must be in the parent's preferred language, and may include the offer of a School Attendance Improvement Conference (SAIC). (24 P.S. § 13-1333)

Beginning October 10, 2026, schools also must include the Notice of Right to Request Educational Best Interest Hearing below as part of this notice. The required Notice of Right to Request Educational Best Interest Hearing is posted on the PDE website.

Before distributing the notice, schools must customize the Notice of Right to Request Educational Best Interest Hearing by inserting the following:

The name, contact information, and location of the Magisterial District Judge or Municipal Court where requests should be filed; and
The name and contact information of the school personnel who should receive a copy of the request.

Schools may begin including this notice immediately in advance of the effective date.

As a reminder, section 1333 of the School Code prohibits a student who is habitually truant from transferring during the school year to a cyber charter school unless a judge determines it is in the educational best interest of the student. (24 P.S. § 13-1333(c.1)) If a citation has not been filed, a person in parental relation or a student aged 15 or older may request an educational best interest hearing using the process outlined in the Notice of Right to Request Educational Best Interest Hearing from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

NOTICE OF RIGHT TO REQUEST EDUCATIONAL BEST INTEREST HEARING

When a child becomes habitually truant (has six or more unexcused absences), the child may not transfer during the school year to a cyber charter school unless a judge determines the transfer to be in the educational best interest of the child. A person in parental relation to a child (a biological or adoptive parent, guardian, or person with whom the child lives and who is acting in a parental role of a child) who resides in the same household as the child, or a child who is 15 years or older, may file a request for an educational best interest hearing.

To make this Request, you must file the form found at PaCourts.us/forms/for-the-public. This Request must be filed at the Magisterial District Court or Municipal Court based upon the location of the school where the child is currently enrolled or where the child resides if they attend a cyber charter school. You would file a request for such a hearing at [school to insert name of judge, location, and contact information] and provide a copy of the request to [school to insert name and contact information for school personnel who should receive a copy]. By filing a request for a hearing, you are asking the court to determine whether it is in the child’s educational best interest to transfer to a cyber charter school during the school year.

For additional information regarding this Request, you may wish to review 24 P.S. 13-1333.

Questions related to truancy may be directed to PDE at ra-edsafeschoolsrep@pa.gov. Questions regarding court procedures or hearing forms should be directed to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts at AOPCLegalCC@pacourts.us.

Thank you for your attention to this important update.

October 1, 2026

Welcome to October! 👻 Here to haunt your inbox are this month's top 2 things you need to know for AEDY:

Restraint Logs in IMS 🗃️

Every 45 school days, the AEDY program is now required to log any restraints which occurred for each student in placement. The new button is found on the Placement page (where FPRs are uploaded). Programs may select to record restraints or confirm no restraints occured during that time period.

Please note, any restraint data will be prepopulated on your End of Year report for both Sending LEAs and Programs. *Logging a restraint in IMS does NOT constitute a RISC report.*

For step-by-step guidance, please see the one-pager found here. The website has also been updated to reflect the changes.

2. Upcoming Trainings in October 📅

Please note that all AEDY team sessions and webinars are now hosted through PaTTAN Events. Technical questions can be emailed to events@pattan.net and a step-by-step guide for using Events can be found here.

(Lunch & Learn for AEDY Programs | Oct. 14, 11am - 11:30am) Join the AEDY Team as we highlight and review important AEDY information and review tricky scenarios together. Each session will be a collaborative opportunity to speak with other AEDY Programs and ask questions.

(AEDY Lunch Bunch for Sending LEAs | Oct. 15, 11am - 11:30am) Join the AEDY Team as we highlight and review important AEDY information and review LEA tricky scenarios together. Each session will be a collaborative opportunity to speak with other Sending LEAs and ask questions.

(AEDY Goals Training: Aligning Goals to Interventions and Supports | Oct. 22, 10am - 11am) Effective AEDY programs do more than respond to challenging behavior - they intentionally teach the skills students need to succeed. In this session, participants will learn how to select interventions that directly support behavior goals, embed skill instruction into everyday routines, and ensure goals focus on student growth rather than staff actions. Through real-world examples and interactive activities, attendees will explore how to build flexible intervention systems, strengthen staff capacity, and effectively document interventions in the Formal Periodic Review to support both student progress and successful transitions back to the Sending LEA. *Act 48 Credit Available*

(AEDY Community of Practice | Oct. 28, 10am - 11am) A community of practice (CoP) is a discussion group based around a common topic. In these groups, participants talk about new learnings and ideas and share them with one another. This year, our AEDY Communities of Practice will focus on scenarios and challenges faced by AEDY Programs and Sending LEAs around interventions.

Find more information on these trainings as well as offerings from other teams here on the AEDY Calendar!

September 14, 2026

Hello, AEDY field!

We are sharing an important update with you today - the student referral has a new component.

Restraint Reporting

At the end of every 45 days, the program will have to note whether a restraint occurred for every student. The new button will exist on the placement page of the referral requiring an answer before determination of the student status in AEDY. If a restraint did occur, the screens will prompt you for more information.

Please note, any restraint data will be prepopulated on your End of Year report for both Sending LEAs and Programs.

For step-by-step guidance, please see the one-pager found here. The website has been updated to reflect the changes and this new information will be reviewed as part of the upcoming referrals trainings.

***The first fifteen minutes of the training will walk through this new feature - Please sign up below:

- - AEDY Referrals for Sending LEAs - Sept. 16, 10am - 12pm
  - AEDY Referrals & Intake Procedures for AEDY Programs - Sept. 17, 10am - 12pm

September 1, 2026

Welcome back! As we start the 2026-2027 school year, there are several important announcements for AEDY Programs and Sending LEAs. This information was also sent at the start of August - please be sure to review all information and contact the team with any questions!

*Please read this announcement closely as new guidance has been issued and screens have changed.*

1. New Guidance Letter from PDE 📢

A new letter has been issued by PDE with guidance for AEDY Programs and Sending LEAs. The letter focuses on the temporary nature of AEDY placements. Questions may be addressed to Scott Kuren at the Department of School Climate and Well-Being - contact information is provided at the bottom of the letter.

2. Upcoming Trainings in September 📅

The AEDY Training calendar is now available with dates and times for sessions throughout the school year! Registration links are forthcoming and many sessions will offer Act 48 hours. Check out the webpage here for a list of sessions and a guide on who should attend what!

Please note that all AEDY team sessions and webinars are now hosted through PaTTAN Events. Your existing PaTTAN.net login will work for this website and registration for all 2026-2027 AEDY webinars and trainings is available on the Home page. Use the Topic dropdown filter to select "AEDY" and find all events at once! Technical questions can be emailed to events@pattan.net. A step-by-step guide for using Events can be found here.

(AEDY Goals Training: Goal Writing Essentials (Part 1) | Sept. 2, 10am - 12pm) Come with your goal writing team and continue developing your skills for writing student goals! This training will walk your team through guiding questions, tips, and considerations for writing behavioral goals for students seated in AEDY. *Act 48 Credit available.*

(AEDY Goals Training: Progress Monitoring (Part 2) | Sept. 9, 10am - 11am) Behavior goals are only as effective as the data used to measure them. This session will provide practical strategies for selecting the right progress monitoring methods, matching them to behavior goals, and using data to tell the story of a student's growth. *Act 48 Credit available.*

(AEDY Referrals for Sending LEAs | Sept. 16, 10am - 12pm) A full review of the AEDY Referrals system in Leader Services/IMS from the lens of the Sending LEA! This training will use fictitious student referrals to walk through every step of the process when referred to AEDY, including creating the referral, placement in the program, the transition back to LEA, and special cases. *Act 48 Credit available.*

(AEDY Referrals and Intake Procedures for AEDY Programs | Sept. 17, 10am - 12pm) This training will use fictitious student referrals to walk through every step of the process when referred to AEDY, including accepting and maintaining the referral while in placement, the transition back to LEA, and special cases. We will also discuss common questions and review requirements and recommendations for intake procedures. *Act 48 Credit available.*

(Formal Periodic Reviews: From Initial to Exit | Sept. 24, 10am - 12pm) A full review of the Formal Periodic Review process, from the time a student is seated in AEDY to when they return to the LEA. This training will cover each lens of the FPR, including an overview of requirements for documentation, goal writing, progress monitoring, and exit/transition planning. *Act 48 Credit available.*

Find more information on these trainings as well as offerings from other teams here on the AEDY Calendar!

3. Summer Rollover☀️

AEDY programs must complete the Summer Rollover! Add the start and end dates for the 2026-2027 school year, then use the orange "PED has an error that needs your attention" button on *each* student's Placement page to make the corrections. This must be completed for every student In Placement with a Presumptive Exit Date that occurs over the summer holiday.

If no students are currently seated in the AEDY program, the program must still enter the start and end dates for the school year.

4. Reminder: Update Points of Contact and Staffing ☎️

If any staff have changed at your Sending LEA or AEDY Program, now is the time to make updates in the application! Verify the Contact Information page (LEAs and Programs) and all Staffing sections (Programs only) are accurate and make any changes needed. Step-by-step instructions are included in the links. *When adding new staff, be sure to include all clearance and training dates!*

5. Website Updates 🌐

If you've been to the AEDY Website recently, you may have noticed some changes! The navigation panel on the left has been simplified - modules previously filed under AEDY Essentials have been pulled into the main menu for easier navigation. Old webinars and conference pages have been archived and are still available in the Archives under Additional Resources. *Please note this means that older direct links may result in a 404 error. Use the navigation menu or the search feature to find what you're looking for.*

6. IMS Dashboard Change 🔎

AEDY is now located on the top right under "School Climate and Well-Being Office." See the screenshot below for reference. All IMS users should have received an email alert with this update.

Screenshot of the updated IMS dashboard.

7. NEW for AEDY Programs: End of Year Reporting 🗃️

The end of the 2026-2027 school year will see the return of EOY Reporting for AEDY Programs, previously submitted annually to the Office of Safe Schools (now the Office for School Climate and Well-being). The same fields which were collected previously will be collected moving forward. These reports will additionally be appropriate to complete the Program Evaluation Data page of the AEDY Program Application.

Some fields will be automatically filled out based on referrals in IMS while others will need to be manually entered by the AEDY Program. A preview of a sample report is available here for your reference. **The list below will need to be tracked by your AEDY Program, *by grade level,* throughout the school year:**

Number of students who were restrained while seated in the AEDY program
Average daily attendance for AEDY student populations (as a percentage)
Number of students who met established behavioral goals on their FPR while in this program
Number of students promoted to 8th - 11th grade of graduated from 12th grade
Number of total suspensions from your program by grade level this school year
Number of total expulsions from your program by grade level this school year
Number of times police intervention, of any time, was required for students by grade level this school year
Number of students who passed/received credit in at least 4 subjects required by the AEDY BEC (English, math, science, social studies, health or life skills, and one elective) this school year
Number of students who participated in career curriculum
Number of students who are on track towards graduation within their cohort year (collaborate with Sending LEAs to determine "on track")

August 4, 2026

Welcome back! As we start the 2026-2027 school year, there are several important announcements for AEDY Programs and Sending LEAs.

*Please read this announcement closely as new guidance has been issued and screens have changed.*

1. New Guidance Letter from PDE 📢

A new letter has been issued by PDE with guidance for AEDY Programs and Sending LEAs. The letter focuses on the temporary nature of AEDY placements. Questions may be addressed to Scott Kuren at the Department of School Climate and Well-Being - contact information is provided at the bottom of the letter.

2. Summer Rollover☀️

AEDY programs are now able to complete the Summer Rollover! Add the start and end dates for the 2026-2027 school year, then use the orange "PED has an error that needs your attention" button on *each* student's Placement page to make the corrections. This must be completed for every student In Placement with a Presumptive Exit Date that occurs over the summer holiday.

3. Upcoming Trainings in September 📅