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| PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2766 | PRINTER'S NO. 3190 |
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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY CONKLIN, BROWN, GOODMAN, HARHAI, BRIGGS, HOUGHTON, SIPTROTH, READSHAW, M. O'BRIEN, K. SMITH, MURT, HARKINS, BOYLE, FRANKEL, LENTZ, SOLOBAY, MELIO, BELFANTI, SANTONI, MAHONEY, KORTZ, McGEEHAN, D. COSTA, BRADFORD, WHITE, R. TAYLOR, MATZIE, DEASY, FABRIZIO, GEIST, GIBBONS, YOUNGBLOOD, MARKOSEK AND WAGNER, OCTOBER 6, 2009 |
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| AS RE-REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, FEBRUARY 8, 2010 |
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| AN ACT |
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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," in terms and courses of study, |
6 | providing for dating violence education. |
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 1526. Dating Violence Education.--(a) The |
13 | department shall develop a model dating violence policy to |
14 | assist school districts in developing policies for dating |
15 | violence reporting and response. The model policy shall be |
16 | issued on or before April 1, 2010 within six months of the | <-- |
17 | effective date of this section. |
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1 | (b) (1) (i) Each school district shall establish a |
2 | specific policy to address incidents of dating violence |
3 | involving students at school by December 1, 2010 within one year | <-- |
4 | of the effective date of this section. Each school district |
5 | shall verify compliance with the department on an annual basis |
6 | through the annual school health report. |
7 | (ii) The policy shall include, but not be limited to, a |
8 | statement that dating violence will not be tolerated, dating |
9 | violence reporting procedures, guidelines for responses to |
10 | dating violence at school and discipline procedures for students |
11 | that commit dating violence at school. |
12 | (iii) The policy shall be published in any school district |
13 | policy or handbook that specifies the comprehensive rules, |
14 | procedures and standards of conduct for students at school. |
15 | (2) (i) A school district shall provide dating violence |
16 | training to all administrators, teachers, nurses and mental |
17 | health staff at the middle school and high school levels. Upon |
18 | the recommendation of the district superintendent, other staff |
19 | may be included or may attend the training on a volunteer basis. |
20 | (ii) The dating violence training shall include, but not be |
21 | limited to, basic principles of dating violence, warning signs |
22 | of dating violence, the school district's dating violence policy |
23 | and appropriate responses to incidents of dating violence at |
24 | school. |
25 | (iii) The training shall be provided annually to all newly |
26 | hired staff deemed appropriate to receive the training by the |
27 | school's administration. |
28 | (3) A school district shall inform the students' parents or |
29 | legal guardians of the school district's dating violence policy. |
30 | If requested, the school district shall provide the parents or |
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1 | legal guardians with the school district's dating violence |
2 | policy and relevant information. The school district may provide |
3 | parent awareness training. |
4 | (4) (i) A school district shall incorporate dating violence |
5 | education that is age-appropriate into the annual health |
6 | curriculum framework for students in grades seven through |
7 | twelve. |
8 | (ii) Dating violence education shall include, but not be |
9 | limited to, defining dating violence and recognizing dating |
10 | violence warning signs and characteristics of healthy |
11 | relationships. The school district shall also provide students |
12 | with the school district's dating violence policy. |
13 | (c) Upon written request to the school principal, a parent |
14 | or legal guardian of a student who is under eighteen (18) years |
15 | of age, within a reasonable period of time after the request is |
16 | made, shall be permitted to examine the dating violence |
17 | education program instruction materials at the school in which |
18 | the student is enrolled. |
19 | (d) This section shall not be construed as preventing a |
20 | person from seeking judicial relief from dating violence under |
21 | any other law or as establishing or modifying any civil |
22 | liability. |
23 | (e) As used in this section, the following words and phrases |
24 | shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection: |
25 | "At school" shall mean in a classroom, on or immediately | <-- |
26 | adjacent to school premises, on a school bus or other school- |
27 | related vehicle, at an official school bus stop or at any |
28 | school-sponsored activity or event whether or not it is on |
29 | school grounds on school property as defined in section 1301-A. | <-- |
30 | "Dating partner" shall mean a person, regardless of gender, |
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1 | involved in an intimate relationship with another person, |
2 | primarily characterized by the expectation of affectionate |
3 | involvement, whether casual, serious or long-term. |
4 | "Dating violence" shall mean a pattern of behavior where one | <-- |
5 | person uses threats of, or actually uses, physical, sexual, |
6 | verbal or emotional abuse to control the person's dating |
7 | partner. |
8 | "Department" shall mean the Department of Education of the |
9 | Commonwealth. |
10 | Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days July 1, | <-- |
11 | 2010, or immediately, whichever is later. |
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