SB 9 requires public schools and colleges in Pennsylvania to explicitly label athletic teams as "male," "female," or "coed" based on students' sex assigned at birth. It prohibits male students from participating on teams designated for females, directly affecting student-athletes and school athletic programs. The bill creates legal causes of action allowing students to sue institutions for denying athletic opportunities or causing harm due to violations, and protects schools from penalties for maintaining sex-segregated teams. It also permits schools to sue entities that unfairly target them for enforcing these designations, with all claims needing to be filed within two years of the harm.
HB 538 requires colleges and private licensed schools to implement education, prevention, and response programs addressing sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking for students and staff. It updates the 1949 Public School Code by adding specific definitions, mandating annual training, and requiring follow-up procedures after incidents. The bill expands existing requirements to cover all institutions of higher education, ensuring consistent policies across affected schools. This is a substantive policy change focused on improving safety protocols, not a procedural or commemorative measure.
This House Resolution designates the week of March 9 through 13, 2026, as "Civic Learning Week" throughout Pennsylvania to highlight the importance of civic education. The measure is a symbolic recognition that does not create new laws, funding, or mandatory requirements for schools or government agencies. It acknowledges the role of civic education in preparing students for democratic participation and notes that Philadelphia will host a national forum on civic learning during that week. The resolution is introduced by multiple legislators and referred to the Committee on Education for consideration.
SB 375 repeals a requirement that schools provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training for staff every three years. Instead, it mandates that Pennsylvania schools obtain and maintain automated external defibrillators (AEDs) - heart rhythm shock devices - by requiring 2.5% of annual school safety funding to be used for purchasing AEDs and related training. The bill establishes an AED program requiring school staff to complete AED and CPR training through approved organizations like the American Heart Association, and it defines AEDs as portable devices that restore heart rhythm during cardiac arrest. This law directly affects all public and nonpublic schools in Pennsylvania, shifting focus from mandatory staff CPR training to AED availability and use.
This bill requires Pennsylvania public schools to adopt or update a bullying policy that includes clear disciplinary consequences for bullying incidents and designates a staff member to handle reports. Schools must notify parents within five days of a bullying or cyberbullying incident while following federal privacy laws. The policy may also include prevention and intervention programs, and the bill clarifies that bullying involves repeated, severe acts in a school setting that disrupt education or create a threatening environment. Cyberbullying is specifically defined as bullying occurring via electronic devices during school hours.
HB 1935 requires individuals convicted of terroristic threats to pay restitution for costs incurred during evacuations, including emergency response, transportation, and employee wages for first responders. It also mandates a sentencing enhancement for threats targeting schools or institutions of higher education, which the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing must consider. The bill defines "school entity" to include public, charter, private, and cyber charter schools, and "institution of higher education" to cover specific universities like Penn State, Pitt, Temple, and others. These changes directly affect offenders who make terroristic threats in educational settings, holding them financially accountable for the costs their actions trigger.
HB 2152 amends Pennsylvania's Public School Code to allow school districts to use state grant funds for shifting secondary school start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m., requiring the new time to be at least 15 minutes later than current start times. School entities must adopt a policy for the later start time and inform communities about the health and academic benefits of adequate sleep for students before implementation. The Department of Education must provide guidance and support to schools planning this change, including public awareness campaigns. This applies to all Pennsylvania school districts and charter schools serving grades 7-12.
HB 2168 amends Pennsylvania's Early Intervention Services System Act to clarify how state funds support early intervention services for children in private special education schools. It specifies that for children not eligible for public kindergarten programs, the state covers the full cost of their services, while for children eligible for public kindergarten, the state covers only the extra cost (above what public schools would pay). This change ensures funding aligns with each child's eligibility for public school services. The bill directly affects children receiving early intervention services and the Department of Education's budgeting for these programs.
HB 2169 amends Pennsylvania's Fiscal Code to update terminology in funding provisions for special education schools. It replaces references to "approved private school" with "approved special education school" in Section 1923(5), which governs how funds from the Public School Code (Section 2509.8) are allocated. The bill directly affects approved special education schools with day tuition under $32,000, requiring funding to be no less than 175% of the 2015-2016 allocation. This is a technical correction to align statutory language with current educational terminology, with no change to the underlying funding mechanism or eligibility criteria.
HB 1768 establishes four new grant programs to support Pennsylvania's local food system. It provides incentives for schools and institutions to purchase local food (Local Food Purchasing Incentive Grant), offers financial assistance to farmers for production improvements (Keystone Producer Grant), supports food distribution networks (Keystone Assistance Grant), and funds school meal programs sourcing from local farms (Keystone Fresh Farm to School Account). The Department of Agriculture and Department of Education would administer these programs and manage the grant allocations. The bill directly affects Pennsylvania farmers, schools, food distributors, and local food businesses by creating new funding mechanisms to strengthen regional food systems.
