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03/29/2024 06:27 AM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20210&cosponId=34593
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House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: February 8, 2021 02:47 PM
From: Representative P. Michael Sturla
To: All House members
Subject: Including Trauma as a Factor in the School Funding Formula
 
Research has shown that students who are chronically absent, homeless, and living within the foster care system have experienced more trauma than the average child and should be prioritized for support services. Therefore, I am introducing legislation to include chronic absenteeism, homelessness, and students living in foster care, definitive proxies of trauma that school districts are already mandated to measure, in the school funding formula based on the recommendations of the 2015 Basic Education Funding Commission Report.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and childhood trauma have manifested into a true epidemic throughout the Commonwealth and the nation, impacting all demographics regardless of zip code, race, gender, and wealth. Our children battle the front lines of the ongoing opioid crisis, rising incarceration rates, domestic and community violence, and so much more. As we discuss and analyze school safety initiatives throughout Pennsylvania, it is imperative that we are not only supporting the physical hardware (metal detectors, cameras, automatic locks, etc.), but also the overall health and well-being of our students and teachers.

Helping our students overcome adversity and removing significant barriers to learning should be a top priority. I ask you to join me in making sure these factors are considered when allocating funding to schools.



Introduced as HB816