Aug. 18, 2020
HARRISBURG – In its response to a Right-to-Know (RTK) request submitted by Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover), the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) said it has no public health data or models to substantiate an update to Gov. Tom Wolf’s guidance that high school and recreational sports should be canceled until 2021.
The response by PDE comes on the heels of the Department of Health sending Grove an identical response to an RTK seeking the same information.
“These two responses appear to confirm what so many people feared: the governor’s comment at the tail-end of a press briefing to recommend sports be canceled this year was made in the same haphazard way in which it was delivered,” Grove said.
Using
Act 77 of 2020, which Wolf sought to veto, Grove filed the RTK requests with the departments on Aug. 6, the same day Wolf made the recommendation. The Department of Health issued its response on Aug. 13 and PDE responded on Aug. 17.
“The two responses highlight the need for Act 77, which requires the administration and its agencies to answer RTKs during a state of emergency, and likely explains why the governor was in such strong opposition to it becoming law,” Grove said. “Thankfully, members of the General Assembly, and organizations and residents across the state, raised a collective voice in support of transparency.”
Editor’s Note:
The Department of Education’s Right-to-Know response is here.
Representative Seth Grove
196th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com
RepGrove.com /
Facebook.com/RepSethGrove