The bill amends the Public School Code of 1949 by adding a new section, Section 1314-A, which mandates that each school entity in Pennsylvania adopt a policy for timely parental notification regarding specific incidents involving students. These incidents include those that must be reported in the school safety report to the Department of Education, as well as other serious injuries occurring on school property, school buses, or during school activities. The notification can be delivered through various methods, including in-person, telephone, email, text message, or certified mail, and schools are required to document the preferred method of contact for each parent or guardian.

Additionally, the bill requires school entities to maintain up-to-date contact information for parents and guardians, provide training to staff on the notification requirements, and ensures that all incidents that need to be reported under existing law are subject to these new notification requirements. The Secretary of Education is granted the authority to withhold state payments from any school entity that fails to comply with these provisions. The act is set to take effect 60 days after its passage.

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 352 (Jan 28, 2025): P.L.30, No.14
Printer's No. 0352: P.L.30, No.14