PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 230, 467 PRINTER'S NO. 1755
No. 221 Session of 1991
INTRODUCED BY BATTISTO, COWELL, LANGTRY, COLAFELLA,
E. Z. TAYLOR, ARGALL, TIGUE, TRELLO, GEIST, STISH, MIHALICH,
JOSEPHS, TANGRETTI, PISTELLA, VAN HORNE, DALEY, BELARDI,
SCHULER, LINTON, PERZEL, CAPPABIANCA, HERMAN, ROEBUCK,
STABACK, SAURMAN, WOGAN, HAYDEN, LESCOVITZ, FREEMAN, NAHILL,
D. R. WRIGHT, COY, MELIO, PRESTON, OLASZ, CAWLEY, BUNT,
JOHNSON, ITKIN, ALLEN, PETRARCA, LAUGHLIN, CORRIGAN, McCALL,
WOZNIAK AND SEMMEL, FEBRUARY 4, 1991
AS RE-REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MAY 29, 1991
AN ACT
1 Providing for the establishment of a summer foreign language
2 academy program for secondary school students throughout this
3 Commonwealth; and providing for powers and duties of the
4 Department of Education.
5 The General Assembly finds and declares that, due to the
6 demands of a very competitive world economy and vast
7 governmental changes in Europe along with the rapid advances in
8 telecommunications systems worldwide, it is necessary to be able
9 to communicate with people of diverse cultures in order to
10 successfully survive in a global economy. The youth of Europe,
11 Asia and Africa are often fluent in several languages, whereas
12 the vast majority of American students speak and write only
13 English.
14 The Commonwealth, through the Department of Education, has a
15 commitment to the students of Pennsylvania to prepare them to
1 meet the challenges of the future.
2 It is the intention of the General Assembly in enacting this
3 act to require the Department of Education to establish a
4 Statewide system of summer foreign language academies which will
5 provide students with concentrated instruction in certain
6 foreign languages and acquaint them with diverse cultures.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Short title.
10 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Foreign
11 Languages Academies Act.
12 Section 2. Definitions.
13 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
14 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
15 context clearly indicates otherwise:
16 "Department." The Department of Education of the
17 Commonwealth.
18 "Student." A person who is enrolled in a public or private
19 secondary school in this Commonwealth and has completed the 9th,
20 10th or 11th grade.
21 Section 3. Powers and duties of department.
22 (a) Establishment of program.--The department shall
23 establish a summer foreign language academy program for students
24 in this Commonwealth. To the greatest extent possible, the
25 department shall work with the universities and colleges within
26 the State System of Higher Education, State-related
27 universities, local school districts, intermediate units,
28 teachers and administrators to develop the administrative and
29 academic portions of the program. Those students who are to
30 participate in the program shall be selected by the local school
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1 districts.
2 (b) Commencement of program.--At least one summer foreign
3 language academy shall be in operation by the summer of 1992 <--
4 1993.
5 Section 4. Guidelines.
6 The department shall, in the manner prescribed by law,
7 establish the guidelines necessary to carry out this act.
8 Section 5. Annual report.
9 The department shall prepare an annual report of the summer
10 foreign language academies program which shall be submitted to
11 the Governor, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
12 Section 6. Effective date.
13 This act shall take effect immediately.
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