PRINTER'S NO. 1465
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1121
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY KINSEY, BISHOP, V. BROWN, BROWNLEE, ROZZI, TAYLOR,
YOUNGBLOOD, DAVIS, McNEILL, DAWKINS, D. COSTA, SCHREIBER,
JAMES, READSHAW, THOMAS, COHEN, O'BRIEN, McCARTER AND
DONATUCCI, MAY 6, 2015
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MAY 6, 2015
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in safe schools, providing for
parental notification of certain incidents.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 1314-A. Parental Notification.--(a) All school
entities shall adopt a policy and procedures for notification,
in a timely manner, of all parents, guardians or custodial
parents of students involved in incidents which are required to
be reported in the school safety report submitted to the
Department of Education and of students who incur other serious
injuries on school property, on the school bus or at a school
activity.
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(b) Parents, guardians or custodial parents of students are
defined for purposes of this section as parents, guardians or
custodial parents of students that are either perpetrators or
victims of incidents which are required to be reported in the
school safety report submitted to the Department of Education
and any other injuries occurring on school property, the school
bus or at a school activity.
(c) Parents, guardians or custodial parents may be notified
in person, by telephone, by e-mail, by text messages or by
certified mail. School entities shall make a reasonable effort
to notify a parent, guardian or custodial parent in the
preferred manner indicated on the contact information of the
parent, guardian or custodial parent. The preferred method of
notification must be documented. In the event of a school or
district-wide emergency, the school entity may use alternative
methods to notify parents, guardians or custodial parents.
(d) A school entity must maintain current contact
information for each parent, guardian or custodial parent. The
contact information must allow parents, guardians and custodial
parents to identify a preferred method of contact in the event
that parental notification is required.
(e) Each school entity shall provide training regarding the
requirements of this section to all staff who come into contact
with children. The training shall include recognizing incidents
that trigger the notification requirement, the school entity's
policy and procedure for notification and any record-keeping and
reporting requirements. Training required under this section may
be incorporated with other training and in-service activities of
the school entity.
(f) All incidents that are required to be reported under
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section 1303-A(b) shall be subject to the requirements of this
section.
(g) The Secretary of Education may withhold State payments
to any school district that fails to comply with this section.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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