PRINTER'S NO. 510
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
52
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY BOBACK, HILL-EVANS, HOWARD, CIRESI, BERNSTINE AND
KINKEAD, FEBRUARY 16, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 16, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a
study of crimes committed on public secondary school grounds
throughout this Commonwealth.
WHEREAS, Schools in this Commonwealth should be a safe haven
for teaching and learning, free of crime and violence; and
WHEREAS, Any instance of crime or violence at school affects
the individuals involved and may also disrupt the educational
process; and
WHEREAS, Reporting school crime and safety is necessary to
ensuring the safety of our students; and
WHEREAS, Public school districts, intermediate units, area
career and technical schools and charter schools are required to
file annual school violence statistics and reports with the
Department of Education's Office for Safe Schools no later than
July 31 of each year; and
WHEREAS, Accurately reported school violence data is used for
identification of criminal patterns and early identification of
trends and related red flags in schools so that school and
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safety officials can take appropriate action; and
WHEREAS, Is it critical that these reports and discussions
are accurate to ensure the public confidence of a public school
district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school
and charter school; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
State Government Commission to conduct a study of crimes
committed on public secondary school grounds throughout this
Commonwealth and issue a report of its findings and
recommendations to the House of Representatives; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That, at a minimum, the report shall include:
(1) information on the current state of school crime and
safety across this Commonwealth to ensure safety of our
students;
(2) topics such as victimization, teacher injury,
bullying and electronic bullying, school conditions, fights,
weapons, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol
and student perceptions of personal safety at school;
(3) data on crimes that occur away from school offered
as a point of comparison where available;
(4) information on the best course of action for
reporting school violence statistics and methods of reporting
that are not effective; and
(5) best practices in utilizing school safety data to
make data-driven decisions;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission, as part
of its study, establish an advisory committee within three
months of the adoption of this resolution consisting of all of
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the following members:
(1) The Secretary of Corrections or a designee.
(2) The Secretary of Education or a designee.
(3) The Secretary of Human Services or a designee.
(4) The Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Commission on
Crime and Delinquency or a designee.
(5) A representative from the Pennsylvania Association
of School Administrators.
(6) A representative from the Pennsylvania Education Law
Center.
(7) A representative from the Pennsylvania Juvenile Law
Center.
(8) A representative from the Pennsylvania School Board
Association.
(9) Representatives from other departments or agencies
of the Commonwealth or other entities that the Joint State
Government Commission deems appropriate in conducting the
study;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission, in
collaboration with the advisory committee, submit a report of
the Joint State Government Commission's findings, along with any
statutory or regulatory recommendations, to the General Assembly
within 18 months of the adoption of this resolution.
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