PRINTER'S NO. 1721
No. 1302 Session of 1998
INTRODUCED BY RHOADES, MOWERY, KUKOVICH, AFFLERBACH, HELFRICK,
CONTI, MELLOW, WHITE, GERLACH, HOLL, WOZNIAK AND BRIGHTBILL,
MARCH 6, 1998
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 6, 1998
AN ACT
1 Providing for parent partnerships in education and for the
2 rights and duties of parents; and imposing additional powers
3 and duties on the Department of Education.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Parental
8 Partnerships in Education Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Department." The Department of Education of the
14 Commonwealth.
15 "Education record." The term shall have the same meaning as
16 in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Public
17 Law 93-380, 20 U.S.C. paragraph 1230 et seq.).
18 "Educational professionals." The term includes teachers,
1 administrators, librarians, social workers, counselors and
2 classroom aides.
3 "Instructional materials." The term includes, but is not
4 limited to, textbooks, videos, films, audio tapes, visual and
5 audio aids and computer-related materials.
6 "Parent." A natural or adoptive parent or parents or
7 stepparent or a court-appointed guardian or guardians.
8 "Public School Code of 1949." The provisions of the act of
9 March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code
10 of 1949.
11 "School board." The elected governing body of school
12 districts in this Commonwealth, including the appointed board of
13 public education in school districts of the first class.
14 "School district." The geographic divisions responsible for
15 furnishing public education within this Commonwealth.
16 Section 3. Parent involvement program.
17 (a) Establishment.--The board of directors for each school
18 district shall adopt a written policy on parent involvement and
19 shall approve a parent involvement program for each school in
20 the district that is developed by the educational professionals
21 and parents in that school. This program shall be effective in
22 the school year 1999-2000. The program shall be a program
23 consistent with the following purposes:
24 (1) To engage parents positively in their children's
25 education by helping parents to develop skills to use at home
26 that support their children's academic efforts at school and
27 their children's development as responsible future members of
28 society.
29 (2) To engage parents directly affecting the success of
30 their children's learning by providing parents with
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1 techniques and strategies that build their children's
2 academic success.
3 (3) To build consistent and effective communication
4 between the home and the school so that parents may know when
5 and how to assist their children in support of classroom
6 learning activities.
7 (4) To train teachers, administrators and boards of
8 school directors to regularly communicate effectively with
9 parents.
10 (5) To train and engage parents in decision making
11 regarding school policy and procedures affecting their
12 children.
13 (b) Program elements.--Each participating program
14 established shall contain at least the following elements:
15 (1) Procedures to ensure educational professionals
16 consult parents and ensure their participation in the
17 planning, design, implementation and evaluation of the
18 program.
19 (2) Regular and periodic programs through the school
20 year that provide for training, instruction and information
21 on all of the following:
22 (i) Parental ability to directly affect the success
23 of their children's learning through the support they
24 give their children at home and at school.
25 (ii) Home activities, strategies and material that
26 can be used to assist and enhance the learning of
27 children both at home and at school.
28 (iii) Parenting skills that assist parents in
29 understanding the developmental needs of their children.
30 (iv) Parental ability to develop consistent and
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1 effective communications with the school concerning the
2 progress of their children in school and school programs.
3 (v) Provide training for parents for active
4 participation in the governance structure of the school.
5 (c) Annual review.--Each participating school district shall
6 conduct an annual review and assessment of the program's
7 progress in meeting the objectives. This assessment and review
8 shall include a survey of parents in the school district.
9 Parents shall be made aware of the existence of this review and
10 assessment through regular school communications mechanisms and
11 shall be given a copy upon the parent's request.
12 (d) Department responsibility.--The department shall
13 disseminate information and research to school districts on
14 parent involvement.
15 (e) Annual cost accounting.--For parent involvement programs
16 consistent with this act, each school district shall annually
17 submit a cost accounting to the department beginning with fiscal
18 year 1999-2000. The Secretary of Education shall develop an
19 incentive program and review the process to provide school
20 entities with assistance in the funding associated with this
21 program.
22 Section 4. Office of Parental Involvement.
23 There is hereby established in the department an Office of
24 Parental Involvement to promote parental participation in public
25 education. This office shall:
26 (1) Serve as a central location from which parents may
27 obtain information concerning State laws, local school
28 district policies and agency policies that affect public
29 education and parental and student rights.
30 (2) Act as a referral and mediation service to assist in
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1 resolving parent and student complaints.
2 Section 5. Parental rights.
3 (a) General rule.--A parent of a student enrolled in a
4 public school of this Commonwealth shall have the following
5 rights:
6 (1) To obtain information regarding the curriculum,
7 instructional methods and assessment pertaining to the
8 student's education program.
9 (2) To review instructional materials to which the
10 student is directly exposed.
11 (3) To have the student released from instruction upon
12 submission of a written request.
13 (4) To know that no student may participate in any
14 survey, analysis or evaluation administered by evaluators
15 other than the school entity or the Commonwealth without
16 prior, written consent of the parent.
17 (5) To review the education records of the student in
18 accordance with procedures established by the State Board of
19 Education.
20 (6) To have the student's education records
21 confidentially maintained and released only upon consent from
22 the parent in accordance with the procedures established by
23 the State Board of Education.
24 (7) To be advised in advance of the examination of the
25 student by any school physician or dentist and encouraged to
26 be present for any such examination and to have the
27 examination performed by a physician or dentist of the
28 parent's choice in accordance with sections 1405 and 1407 of
29 the Public School Code of 1949.
30 (8) To exempt the student from medical or dental
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1 examinations in accordance with section 1419 of the Public
2 School Code of 1949.
3 (9) To have the student's health records released to a
4 physician of the parent's choice and to otherwise maintain
5 the records in confidence in accordance with section 1409 of
6 the Public School Code of 1949.
7 (b) Certain duties not superseded.--Nothing in this section
8 shall limit the authority of any public school official to
9 collect information necessary to comply with the reporting
10 requirement of 23 Pa.C.S. Ch. 63 (relating to child protective
11 services) or any other law.
12 Section 6. Effective date.
13 This act shall take effect immediately.
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