PRINTER'S NO. 1008

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

164

Session of

2017

INTRODUCED BY TOOHIL, BOBACK, V. BROWN, D. COSTA, DAVIDSON,

DAVIS, FREEMAN, HELM, MURT, PASHINSKI, PICKETT, ROEBUCK,

SCHLOSSBERG, SOLOMON, WARD, WHEELAND AND ZIMMERMAN,

conduct a study on the education being provided to children,

dependent children and youth 6 through 21 years of age in

juvenile and adult correctional facilities throughout this

Commonwealth.

WHEREAS, Youth in the juvenile justice system need a quality

education so that they can develop the skills they need to

become successful adults; and

WHEREAS, Research suggests that many young people enter the

juvenile justice system well behind grade level; and

WHEREAS, Studies demonstrate that system-involved youth are

WHEREAS, There are serious questions about quality of

curricula used in juvenile and adult correctional facilities and

whether the curricula is aligned to Pennsylvania Core Standards;

and

WHEREAS, Continuity of instruction is often compromised by

disruptions due to institutional activities and routines within

the correctional facility; and

WHEREAS, Placement in a juvenile justice facility is a

turning point for many youth and without appropriate programming

and coordination, too many youths fall behind while in custody;

WHEREAS, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Public Law

114-95, 129 Stat. 1802) establishes broad goals related to

delinquent youth, including improving education services to

provide the opportunity to meet state academic standards,

improving youth transition from institutionalization to further

schooling or employment, preventing dropout of youth and

providing young people returning from correctional facilities or

institutions for neglected and delinquent children and youth

with reentry support; and

WHEREAS, Education services can take many different forms,

WHEREAS, The oversight and monitoring of programs varies

widely depending on type of facility and type of program;

therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the

Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime

and Delinquency, the Department of Human Services and the

Department of Corrections to collaborate and conduct a study on

the education being provided to delinquent or dependent children

and youth, 6 through 21 years of age, in juvenile and adult

correctional or congregate care facilities throughout this

Standards; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the study evaluate how the needs of children

and youth with an individualized education plan (IEP) or

qualified 504 plan are met while the children and youth are

placed in facilities that provide the necessary support to meet

the preplacement-identified educational needs and the role of

the original resident school district and educational guardians

in the IEP or 504 plan monitoring or IEP or 504 plan monitoring

development; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the study include an assessment on the support

with or seek opportunities to exceed Federal standards for

incarcerated youth established by ESSA; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Education, the Pennsylvania

Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Department of Human

Services and the Department of Corrections review the

recommendations of the United States Department of Education on

correctional and reentry education for children and youth 6

through 12 years of age and report on how Pennsylvania performs

in regard to the recommendations established in that report; and

be it further