PRINTER'S NO. 1464

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


SENATE BILL

No. 1204 Session of 1977


        INTRODUCED BY DOUGHERTY, SMITH, REIBMAN, LYNCH, MURRAY,
           ROMANELLI, FLEMING, BELL, DWYER, STAUFFER, SCANLON, ROSS,
           O'PAKE, GURZENDA, SWEENEY, ORLANDO, SCHAEFER, EARLY, HOLL,
           MELLOW, LEWIS, COPPERSMITH, NOLAN, STOUT, ARLENE AND NOSZKA,
           NOVEMBER 16, 1977

        REFERRED TO EDUCATION, NOVEMBER 16, 1977

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
     2     act relating to the public school system, including certain
     3     provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
     4     schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
     5     laws relating thereto," providing for diagnostic and
     6     evaluative psychological services for the benefit of children
     7     attending nonpublic schools in the Commonwealth.

     8     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     9  hereby enacts as follows:
    10     Section 1.  The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
    11  as the "Public School Code of 1949," is amended by adding a
    12  section to read:
    13     Section 923.1-A.  Psychological Services.--(a)  Legislative
    14  Finding; Declaration of Policy.  It is today recognized that
    15  diagnostic and evaluative psychological services to children are
    16  closely related to their physical, mental and emotional health.
    17  Such services can best be rendered upon the premises of the
    18  school which the child regularly attends, and forcing children
    19  to go to other premises in order to have such needed services is

     1  found by the General Assembly to be both inadequate and harmful.
     2  The General Assembly expressly finds and declares diagnostic and
     3  evaluative psychological services for children to be health
     4  services, and it is the intention of the General Assembly now to
     5  make these available, on a general and even handed basis, to all
     6  school children in the Commonwealth.
     7     (b)  Definitions.--The following terms, whenever used or
     8  referred to in this section, shall have the following meanings,
     9  except in those circumstances where the context clearly
    10  indicates otherwise:
    11     "Nonpublic school" means any nonprofit school, other than a
    12  public school within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, wherein a
    13  resident of the Commonwealth may legally fulfill the compulsory
    14  school attendance requirements and which meets the requirements
    15  of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352).
    16     "Psychological services" means diagnostic and evaluative
    17  psychological services for children.
    18     (c)  Provision of Services.--The Secretary of Education
    19  directly, or through the intermediate units out of their
    20  allocation under section 922.1-A of this act shall have the
    21  power and duty to furnish free to nonpublic school students,
    22  upon the premises of the nonpublic schools which they regularly
    23  attend, psychological services provided that such services are
    24  also afforded to public school students by the public school
    25  district in which such nonpublic school is located.
    26     Section 2.  This act shall take effect immediately.



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