Eating disorders are real, complex and devastating conditions that can have severe consequences on all aspects of a person’s health. Children ages 12 and under, girls especially, can begin to express dissatisfaction with their bodies and a fear of gaining weight. These serious conditions are not a fad, phase or lifestyle choice, but instead are potentially life-threatening conditions that impact an estimated 500,000 Pennsylvanians.

In an effort to bring awareness of the devastating mental and physical effects of eating disorders, I plan to introduce legislation requiring schools to annually provide educational information to parents with children in 6th-12th grades. Additionally, my legislation will:

• Direct the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Health, to develop a task force, which would develop guidelines for providing parent educational information regarding eating disorders;
• The task force would meet at least two times per school year to reassess the information provided to schools and to parents; and
• In doing so, the task force will identify and develop appropriate additions or revisions to this Commonwealth's school health regulations and materials related to the development of parent educational information, including guidance regarding the clear delineation of such health information from other administrative documentation.

Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation to increase awareness about these serious and devastating disorders, as well as to help identify and treat students with these disorders as early as possible.
 
This is a reintroduction of Senate Bill 623 from last session, which was co-sponsored by Senators Haywood, Kearney, Hughes, Fontana, Costa, Dillon, Cappelletti, and Street.