PRINTER'S NO. 3436
No. 2373 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY CASORIO, WOJNAROSKI, COHEN, EACHUS, BEYER, BUXTON,
CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CARROLL, FRANKEL, GODSHALL, GOODMAN,
GRUCELA, HARHAI, KESSLER, KORTZ, KOTIK, KULA, MAHONEY, MANN,
MOYER, MURT, MYERS, M. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, READSHAW, REICHLEY,
SCAVELLO, K. SMITH, J. WHITE, YOUNGBLOOD, BIANCUCCI,
SIPTROTH, BOBACK AND CONKLIN, MARCH 17, 2008
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 17, 2008
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," requiring school districts to develop
6 a bullying and student intimidation prevention plan.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10 as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
11 section to read:
12 Section 1303.1-A. Bullying and Student Intimidation
13 Prevention Plan.--(a) Each school district in this Commonwealth
14 shall develop a comprehensive and coordinated bullying and
15 student intimidation prevention plan relevant to the specific
16 needs of the district and drawing on existing State and
17 community resources with the goal to create a safe academic and
18 social environment while assuring that appropriate procedures
1 are in place to deal with crisis situations.
2 (b) The bullying and student intimidation prevention plan
3 should include both preventative and responsive measures and
4 programs to address bullying and student intimidation in order
5 to eliminate numerous student safety risk factors and reduce the
6 occurrence of school violence.
7 (c) Within three months of the effective date of this
8 section, each school district shall submit a bullying and
9 student intimidation prevention plan to the Department of
10 Education. The school board of a district must review and
11 approve its plan before the plan may be submitted to the
12 department. Any revisions to the original plan submitted to the
13 department shall be approved by the school board prior to
14 submission to the department. Any school district which has a
15 preexisting bullying and student intimidation prevention plan
16 adopted by the school board may submit the plan to the
17 department.
18 (d) The bullying and student intimidation prevention plan,
19 and any subsequent revisions to the original plan, shall be made
20 available for public inspection in the school district offices
21 for at least 30 days prior to its approval by the school board.
22 (e) At the beginning of each school year, students shall be
23 furnished with an updated copy of the bullying and student
24 intimidation prevention plan adopted by the school board. Copies
25 shall also be made available to administrators, parents and
26 teachers within the district.
27 (f) A school district which fails to comply with this
28 section shall be ineligible for reimbursement under Article XXV
29 until it establishes compliance.
30 (g) In developing its plan, a district may utilize the
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1 existing resources and expertise of the Office for Safe Schools
2 established by the department pursuant to section 1302-A. The
3 department, through the Office for Safe Schools, shall develop
4 and make available to school districts model bullying and
5 student intimidation prevention plans drawn from programs
6 already offered in this Commonwealth and throughout the United
7 States.
8 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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