Under the new testing mandate, milk samples will be taken from tanker trucks that collect and transport milk from local dairy farms to larger processing plants for pasteurization.

The milk samples will then be sent to the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System.

If samples test positive for the virus, “it will trigger further investigation to identify the source” and “special quarantine measures will be established to contain and eliminate the virus at the source,” state officials said in a press release.

“We’ve seen in other states that the virus shows up in milk before cows show clinical signs of illness,” State Veterinarian Alex Hamberg said in a statement. “Rigorous biosecurity, including disinfecting [farmworkers’] boots, equipment, vehicles and using footbaths at barn entryways is critical.”

Most of the testing responsibilities will be carried out by tank shippers or processing plant companies. What individual dairy farmers can do, Sebright said, is to have a plan in place should their milk ever test positive for avian flu.

“They would have to demonstrate that they have a strong biosecurity plan in place to show how they are going to limit the spread,” Sebright said. “And they would have to have that to get a permit to continue to move milk [to production].”

Milk that comes from infected cattle is safe to drink and consume after it’s been pasteurized, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In efforts to prevent avian flu from infecting Pennsylvania cattle, the state also issued a quarantine order in April that requires dairy cattle to be tested when entering the state from elsewhere, especially areas with confirmed cases.

The state’s Department of Education will have a new secretary starting in early December. Khalid Mumin gave his two weeks’ notice Friday afternoon. 

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Education,” Mumin said in a statement. “I began my career as a teacher in a classroom, and those early experiences watching students get excited about learning inspired me to become a principal, a superintendent, and ultimately Secretary of Education, so I could continue to fight for those students to get more support and more opportunities.”

Mumin visited Pittsburgh this spring to announce that Penn Hills School District had navigated its way out of financial hardship. And in September, Mumin’s department awarded Allegheny County schools just shy of $11 million for environmental repairs.

A Philadelphia native, Mumin has led the Education Department since June 2023. He’d previously been a superintendent of two southeastern Pennsylvania districts — Reading and Lower Merion.

In a statement, Gov. Josh Shapiro thanked Mumin for delivering on the universal free breakfast program for more than 1 million students and investing in career and technical education. He led the department with “passion and integrity,” Shapiro added. The governor did not say where Mumin would work next. The Department of Education would also not share further details Friday.

In Mumin’s place will be department Secretary Angela Fitterer, a former deputy chief of staff for Gov. Tom Wolf and policy advisor for the state House. Mumin’s final day as Secretary will be Dec. 6.

Democratic Senate Education Committee leader Lindsey Williams of Allegheny County said she’s grateful Mumin increased support for student mental health. Williams added Mumin’s successor “must be prepared to defend Pennsylvania students’ constitutional right to a high-quality inclusive public education” given the incoming administration of Donald Trump.

“It’s hard to last an entire term in a cabinet position that’s as high-impact as secretary of education,” said Republican House Education Committee leader Rep. Jesse Topper of Bedford County. “Overall I think he gave a good effort.”

Topper, who Republican House members recently named as their next leader, said he worked alongside interim Secretary Fitterer on the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission: “She’s very capable to fill in this spot right now.”

Pittsburgh state Rep. Aerion Abney, member of the state House education committee and Allegheny County chair, said his time in Harrisburg intersected with Mumin’s over the past two years: “I’ve come to know the secretary well.”

“[Mumin’s] commitment to connecting future generations with the tools and resources needed to apply themselves to their fullest potential inside and outside of the classroom is second to none,” Abney said in a statement to WESA. “Good luck to him in all his future endeavors.”

Abney said he’s confident Fitterer will “[continue] the mission to keep the playing field level for young Pennsylvanians and help prepare them for the next stage of their lives.”