2023–2024 Regular Session

House Bill 27

An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in preliminary provisions, further providing for Basic Education Funding Commission and for special provisions applicable to limited school years, establishing the Child Reunification Program in the Department of Education and providing for minimum number of days or hours, for public job posting database, for instructional vacancy data and for data transparency; in duties and powers of boards of school directors, further providing for additional schools and departments; in school finances, providing for school district budget timeline for 2024 and for procedure for securing approval of electors; in grounds and buildings, further providing for limitation on new applications for Department of Education approval of public school building projects; in school directors' associations and county boards of school directors, further providing for powers and duties; in intermediate units, further providing for visual services and for school safety and security enhancements; in professional employees, repealing provisions relating to religious garb, insignia, etc., prohibited and penalty; in certification of teachers, further providing for substitute teaching permit for prospective teachers, for locally issued temporary certification for substitute teachers and for permit for classroom monitors; providing for Educator Pipeline Support Grant Program; in pupils and attendance, further providing for compulsory education of physical defectives, for dependent children, for cost of tuition and maintenance of certain exceptional children in approved institutions, for payment of cost of tuition and maintenance of certain exceptional children, for transfer of funds for transferal programs and for children under six with defective hearing and parent or guardian advised of schools, etc.; in safe schools, further providing for definitions and for Office for Safe Schools, repealing provisions relating to regulations and to reporting, further providing for policy relating to bullying and for maintenance of records, repealing provisions relating to safe schools advocate in school districts of the first class, to standing, to enforcement and to construction of article and other laws; in school safety and security, further providing for definitions and for School Safety and Security Committee, providing for duties of committee, further providing for School Safety and Security Grant Program, providing for Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools and School Entities Program, for standardized protocols, for county safe schools' collaborative and for school mental health grants for 2023-2024 school year, further providing for school safety and security coordinator training and providing for reporting and memorandum of understanding, for safe schools advocate in school districts of the first class and for enforcement; in school security, further providing for definitions, for school police officers, for annual report and for school security guards; in school health services, further providing for dental examinations and dental hygiene services and providing for eating disorder awareness and education; in drug and alcohol recovery high school program, providing for enrollment of students; in terms and courses of study, providing for calculation of average daily membership for a dual credit course and further providing for Economic Education and Personal Financial Literacy Programs; in early learning programs, providing for quarterly meetings; in character education program, further providing for character education program; providing for the Dual Credit Innovation and Equity Grant Program; in high schools, further providing for attendance in other districts; in community colleges, further providing for financial program and reimbursement of payments; in educational tax credits, further providing for qualification and application by organizations, for limitations and for low-achieving schools; in school districts of the first class, further providing for qualifications of principals and teachers; in funding for public libraries, providing for State aid for fiscal year 2023-2024; in credit card marketing, further providing for regulation of on-campus credit card marketing; in reimbursements by Commonwealth and between school districts, further providing for definitions and for payments on account of pupils enrolled in career and technical curriculums, providing for Level-Up Supplement for 2022-2023 school year, further providing for payments on account of courses for exceptional children, for payments to intermediate units, for assistance to school districts declared to be in financial recovery status or identified for financial watch status, for payments, for payments on account of pupil transportation, for Ready-to-Learn Block Grant and for payment of required contribution for public school employees' Social Security; in construction and renovation of buildings by school entities, further providing for applicability; providing for School Environmental Repairs Program; abrogating a regulation; and making an editorial change.