Pennsylvania state lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow students to repeat a school year to make up for learning disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.Senate Bill 664 would give parents the power to decide if their child should advance to the next grade level. Right now, the decision on whether to hold a student back is made by the child s school and teacher.The bill would also give parents the option to extend enrollment in special education programs. In many cases, students were being taught by their parents at home. And I don t know who would have a better understanding of what the educational loss would be more than the parents, said Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-34), who authored the bill.The legislation would only apply to the 2021-22 school year, and parents would have until July 15 to make a decision.The bill was approved Wednesday by the Senate. It needs to be reviewed by the House Appropriations Committee but could get a final vote a
WGAL promotes weekend anchor to new breaking-news job
Updated May 07, 9:41 AM;
Posted May 07, 9:41 AM
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WGAL News 8 announced they have promoted weekend anchor Katelyn Smith to the newly created position of Breaking News Anchor.
Viewers will be able to see Smith in her new role weekday mornings from 4:30-7 a.m. on starting May 10, where she will be joined by the regular morning team of Jere Gish, Lori Burkholder and Christine Ferreira.
“Katelyn’s connection to the community and understanding of what is important to our viewers make her an outstanding journalist and an excellent fit to lead our local breaking news coverage,” Justin Antoniotti, WGAL 8 President and General Manager, said via press release. “This new anchor role will further solidify WGAL News 8′s position as the Susquehanna Valley’s most trusted source for local breaking news.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is being sued over allegations that it exposed residents health information in a breach of its contact-tracing data.The breach compromised 72,000 Pennsylvanians. The lawsuit alleges that the following private information was accessible to the public through a Google search:Phone numbersAddressesGenderAgeCOVID-19 diagnosisThe 27-page lawsuit names both the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Insight Global, the company that was hired by DOH.The lawsuit alleges that Pennsylvania health officials knew about the breach as early as February 2021, but didn’t take action until late April, nearly three months later. It also alleges they did not put in safety protocols to protect private health information.The Department of Health has previously said it was not aware of the breach in February. WGAL News 8 reached out to the Department of Health, but they declined to comment on the recent developments.Insight Global has posted a statement about t
The School District of Lancaster will soon decide on what to rename the former Edward Hand Middle School, which was named after a slave owner.There are three finalists for the new name, including Hazel Jackson, who was the first Black woman to teach in Lancaster.Born in South Carolina, Jackson taught in the segregated south before moving north, where she hoped to find greater opportunities. After nine years of rejection, she took a bold step. She just sat in the superintendent’s office every Friday. After waiting several years, and finally said, ‘I m just going to sit here.’ And she sat there until they finally gave her a break when there was an opening, said Jackson’s granddaughter, Amber Holland.After teaching in the School district of Lancaster Jackson went on to become the first Black professor at Millersville University, where she taught English literature until her retirement in 1994.