PRINTER'S NO. 2411
No. 1848 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY VEON, O'NEILL, D. EVANS, BEBKO-JONES, MARKOSEK,
KOTIK, FABRIZIO, TRAVAGLIO, BIANCUCCI, GRUCELA, COY, COHEN,
GOODMAN, CURRY, LAUGHLIN, WOJNAROSKI, ROONEY, LaGROTTA,
HARHAI, BELFANTI, YOUNGBLOOD, FRANKEL, KIRKLAND, GEIST,
GERGELY, STURLA, FREEMAN, EACHUS, LEACH, JAMES, SCRIMENTI,
DONATUCCI, WASHINGTON AND BROWNE, JULY 14, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JULY 14, 2003
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," further providing for high school
6 certificates and providing for participation in commencement
7 ceremony.
8 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9 hereby enacts as follows:
10 Section 1. Section 1613 of act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30,
11 No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, amended June
12 22, 2001 (P.L.530, No.35), is amended to read:
13 Section 1613. High School Certificates[.]; Commencement
14 Ceremony.--(a) The board of school directors, joint board or
15 joint school committee operating any high school shall issue a
16 certificate to each [pupil] student satisfactorily completing
17 the prescribed course of instruction in the high school.
18 (b) For those [pupils] students graduating at the close of
1 the school year 1989-1990, and each school year thereafter, the
2 following minimum courses in grades nine through twelve are
3 established as a requirement for high school graduation in
4 schools operated by a bona fide church or other religious body:
5 (1) Four years of English.
6 (2) Three years of mathematics.
7 (3) Three years of science.
8 (4) Three years of social studies.
9 (5) Two years of arts and humanities.
10 (c) A child enrolled in a day or boarding school accredited
11 by an accrediting association which is approved by the State
12 Board of Education shall be deemed to have met the requirements
13 of subsection (b).
14 (d) The Department of Education, in a form and manner that
15 it shall prescribe, may issue a Commonwealth secondary school
16 diploma to an individual confined in a State-operated juvenile
17 or adult correctional facility located within this Commonwealth
18 if the individual has completed the required secondary school
19 curriculum specified by the department. If a Commonwealth
20 secondary school diploma is not issued, the department may award
21 academic credit for completed coursework.
22 (e) (1) Any student who satisfactorily completes the
23 prescribed course of instruction in high school shall be
24 entitled to participate in the commencement ceremony in the year
25 of the student's graduation and any exceptional student shall be
26 permitted to participate in the commencement ceremony in the
27 year when the exceptional student completes the prescribed
28 course of instruction in high school, regardless of the
29 availability of and any request for additional instruction in
30 high school for the exceptional student.
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1 (2) This subsection does not apply to a student who:
2 (i) receives a Commonwealth secondary school diploma
3 pursuant to subsection (d); or
4 (ii) is subject to discipline for a violation of the student
5 code and the board of school directors determines, in its sole
6 discretion, under the student code, that the student is not
7 eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony.
8 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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