PRINTER'S NO. 804

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

No.

662

Session of

2019

INTRODUCED BY BROWNE, AUMENT, BARTOLOTTA, FONTANA, SCHWANK,

LEACH, BREWSTER, COSTA, MUTH, ARGALL, BLAKE, KILLION,

SANTARSIERO, K. WARD, TARTAGLIONE, HUGHES AND J. WARD,

schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the

laws relating thereto," in pupils and attendance, providing

for ensuring equal access and timely graduation.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known

as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a

section to read:

Section 1331.1. Ensuring Equal Access and Timely

Graduation.--(a) Each student experiencing an education

(iv) A foster care point of contact.

(v) A local education liaison under the McKinney-Vento

Homeless Assistance Act (Public Law 100-77, 42 U.S.C. § 11301 et

seq.).

(vi) A teacher.

(vii) A school administrator.

(viii) Other appropriate school staff.

(2) The name of the person serving as a point of contact

shall be noted in the student's school record.

(3) Notice regarding the student's point of contact shall be

including participating in extracurricular activities,

remediation or tutoring services for the student if needed,

career and technical training and other programs.

(ii) Work with the student in grades nine through twelve and

the student's parent, guardian, foster parent or other education

decision maker and the county children and youth agency to

create a graduation plan for the student that documents partial

and full credits which the student has earned, and the credits

that are needed to graduate, and details a plan to support the

student in graduating, including remediation or tutoring

secondary goals.

(b) A student experiencing an education disruption shall not

be penalized for a school uniform or dress code violation

related to a delay in obtaining a uniform due to the student's

mobility.

(c) For a student experiencing an education disruption at

any time, the student's current school entity shall ensure that

the student:

(1) has equal access, including transportation if provided,

to participate in school programs, sports, extracurricular

(d) A student experiencing an education disruption shall be

eligible to earn credits in the new school entity regardless of

the student's date of enrollment. A school entity shall honor

credits and partial credits previously earned in a prior

educational placement, which is licensed, certified or otherwise

authorized by a State or local educational agency, by a student

experiencing an education disruption.

(e) Wh en a student experiencing an education disruption

transfers to a new school entity, the receiving school entity

shall communicate with the sending school entity within two days

(f) A student experiencing an education disruption who

transfers to a new school entity shall have:

(1) priority placement in classes that meet State graduation

requirements; and

(2) timely placement in elective classes that are comparable

to those in which the student was enrolled at the student's

previous school entity as soon as the new school entity receives

verification from the student's records.

(g) A school entity shall waive local requirements for

graduation for a student experiencing an education disruption if

student to graduate on time, which may include awarding credit

based on alternative methods, such as testing or written work,

credit for work or internship experiences, summer school, after-

school or online credit recovery programs overseen by a teacher

or other measures. If a student has taken a higher-level course

and is missing credit for a lower-level prerequisite course in

the same subject area, the student shall be granted a waiver,

with credit, for the prerequisite course.

(h) When a student experiencing an education disruption

lacks credits needed to graduate on time, or if education

(i) If a student experiencing an education disruption

transfers at the beginning of the student's junior year of high

school or later and is ineligible to graduate from the student's

current school entity, a former school entity shall award a

diploma if the student meets the graduation requirements of the

former school entity.

(j) After exhausting all other options under this section, a

student experiencing an education disruption who has completed

at least four (4) years of high school and meets the State

graduation standards under section 1613, but who cannot obtain a

name of the issuing school entity and shall identify the name of

issuing school entity on its face. The student's current school

entity shall assist the student in obtaining the diploma.

(k) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the

Secretary of Education, shall establish guidance to implement

this section and facilitate the transition between school

entities.

(l) E ach school entity shall develop policies and

procedures, if the school entity does not already have policies

and procedures in place, to ensure that a new school entity:

comparable courses or educational programs at the new school

entity, if those courses or programs are available.

(m) The following words and phrases as used in this section

shall have the meanings given to them in this sub section unless

the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"School entity" means any of the following:

(1) A school district.

(2) A charter school.

(3) A cyber charter school.

(4) A regional charter school.

of the following:

(1) Homelessness as defined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless

Assistance Act (Public Law 100-77, 42 U.S.C. § 11301 et seq.)

and as determined by the school entity.

(2) An adjudication:

(i) of dependency under 23 Pa.C.S. Ch. 63 (relating to child

protective services) and 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 63 (relating to juvenile

matters);

(ii) of delinquency under 23 Pa.C.S. Ch. 63 and 42 Pa.C.S.

Ch. 63, if the parent or guardian of the student wishes to