Pennsylvania School Discipline Laws & Regulations: Data Collection, Review, and Reporting of Discipline Policies and Actions

Pennsylvania School Discipline Laws & Regulations: Data Collection, Review, and Reporting of Discipline Policies and Actions

Category: Monitoring and Accountability
Subcategory: Data Collection, Review, and Reporting of Discipline Policies and Actions
State: Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania

LAWS

18 Pa.C.S. § 2809. Institutional reports.

(a) Maintenance.–An institution shall maintain a report of all violations of the institution's antihazing policy or Federal or State laws related to hazing that are reported to the institution.

(b) Contents.–The report shall include all of the following:

(1) The name of the subject of the report.

(2) The date when the subject was charged with a violation of the institution's antihazing policy or Federal or State laws related to hazing.

(3) A general description of the violation, any investigation and findings by the institution and, if applicable, penalties.

(4) The date on which the matter was resolved.

(c) Initial report.–This section shall apply beginning with the 2018-2019 academic year. The initial report shall include information concerning violations that have been reported to the institution for the five consecutive years prior to the effective date of this section to the extent the institution has retained information concerning the violations.

(d) Personal identifying information.–The report shall not include the personal identifying information of an individual.

(e) Time.–An institution shall post an initial report required under this section on its publicly accessible Internet website by January 15, 2019.

(f) Update.–An institution shall update the report biannually on January 1 and August 1 and shall post the updated report on its publicly accessible Internet website.

(g) Duration.–An institution shall retain reports for five years.

24 P.S. § 13-1302-A. Office for safe schools.

(b) The office shall have the power and duty to implement the following:

(2) To collect, develop and disseminate information, policies, strategies and other information to assist in the development of programs to impact school violence.

(2.1) To direct all school entities to submit annual school violence statistics and reports to the office no later than July 31 of each year.

(5) To develop forms to be used by school entities and police departments for reporting incidents involving acts of violence and possession of weapons on school property. The forms shall be reviewed on a biennial basis and revised when necessary.

(7) To publish and post on the Department of Education's Internet website a School Safety Annual Report no later than November 1 of each calendar year outlining all incidents required to be reported under section 1303-A and any school district that failed to submit a report under section 1303-A.

(b.1) The office shall process and tabulate the data on an annual basis to assist school administrators and law enforcement officials in their duties under this article.

24 P.S. § 13-1303.1-A. Policy relating to bullying.

(a) No later than January 1, 2009, each school entity shall adopt a policy or amend its existing policy relating to bullying and incorporate the policy into the school entity's code of student conduct required under 22 Pa. Code § 12.3(c)(relating to school rules). The policy shall delineate disciplinary consequences for bullying and may provide for prevention, intervention and education programs, provided that no school entity shall be required to establish a new policy under this section if one currently exists and reasonably fulfills the requirements of this section. The policy shall identify the appropriate school staff person to receive reports of incidents of alleged bullying.

(b) Each school entity shall make the policy available on its publicly accessible Internet website, if available, and in every classroom. Each school entity shall post the policy at a prominent location within each school building where such notices are usually posted. Each school entity shall ensure that the policy and procedures for reporting bullying incidents are reviewed with students within ninety (90) days after their adoption and thereafter at least once each school year.

(c) Each school entity shall review its policy every three (3) years and annually provide the Department of Education with a copy of its policy relating to bullying, including information related to the development and implementation of any bullying prevention, intervention and education programs. The information required under this subsection shall be attached to or made part of the annual report required under section 1319B(b)

(d) In its policy relating to bullying adopted or maintained under subsection (a), a school entity shall not be prohibited from defining bullying in such a way as to encompass acts that occur outside a school setting if those acts meet the requirements contained in subsection (e)(1), (3) and (4). If a school entity reports acts of bullying to the Department of Education in accordance with section 1319B(b), it shall report all incidents that qualify as bullying under the entity's adopted definition of that term.

(e) For purposes of this article, "bullying" shall mean an intentional electronic, written, verbal or physical act, or a series of acts:

(1) directed at another student or students;

(2) which occurs in a school setting;

(3) that is severe, persistent or pervasive; and

(4) that has the effect of doing any of the following:

(i) substantially interfering with a student's education;

(ii) creating a threatening environment; or

(iii) substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school; and

"school setting" shall mean in the school, on school grounds, in school vehicles, at a designated bus stop or at any activity sponsored, supervised or sanctioned by the school.

24 P.S. § 13-1317.2. Possession of weapons prohibited.

(f) All school districts and area career and technical schools shall report all incidents involving possession of a weapon prohibited by this section as follows:

(1) The school superintendent or chief administrator shall report the discovery of any weapon prohibited by this section to local law enforcement officials.

(2) The school superintendent or chief administrator shall report to the Department of Education all incidents relating to expulsions for possession of a weapon on school grounds, school-sponsored activities or public conveyances providing transportation to a school or school-sponsored activity. Reports shall include all information as required under section 1303-A.

(g) As used in this section, the term "weapon" shall include, but not be limited to, any knife, cutting instrument, cutting tool, nunchaku, firearm, shotgun, rifle and any other tool, instrument or implement capable of inflicting serious bodily injury.

24 P.S. § 13-1339. Reports to Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Every school district shall report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction upon the enforcement of the provisions for compulsory attendance and the cost thereof, in such detail as said Superintendent of Public Instruction shall request.

24 P.S. § 14-1407-A. Reporting.

(a) Report by recovery high school.–By December 31, 2021, and each year thereafter, the recovery high school shall submit annually to the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Drug and Alcohol Programs, the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Education Committee of the Senate, the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Education Committee of the House of Representatives, the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Public Health and Welfare Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Health Committee of the House of Representatives a written report concerning the program and all expenditures relating to the program. The report shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following, subject to the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 90-247, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g) and to the extent such reporting does not reveal identifying information concerning any individual student:

(1) The number of students who:

(i) Enrolled in the recovery high school under the program for the preceding reporting period.

(ii) Requested enrollment in the recovery high school under the program but were denied participation in the program for the preceding reporting period.

(iii) Enrolled in the recovery high school but who were not participants in the program for the preceding reporting period.

(2) The number and percentage of students enrolled in the recovery high school during the previous reporting period to whom each of the following apply, reported separately based on whether or not the students were participants in the program:

(i) Earned a high school diploma from the recovery high school.

(ii) Withdrew from the recovery high school and requested transfer of educational records to another school.

(iii) Withdrew from the recovery high school without requesting transfer of educational records to another school.

(iv) Maintained enrollment in the recovery high school in good standing.

(3) A narrative description of the academic outcomes for students enrolled in the recovery high school, including aggregate assessment results, reported separately based on whether or not the students were participants in the program.

(4) A narrative description of student success in managing issues concerning drug or alcohol abuse or addiction, reported separately based on whether or not the students were participants in the program.

(5) Recommendations for improvements to the program.

(6) Any information regarding the program that the recovery high school determines would be useful to the General Assembly, the Department of Education and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs in determining whether changes to the program are necessary and whether the program should be continued.

(b) Report by Department of Education and Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.–By December 31, 2021, the Department of Education and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, jointly, shall submit to the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Education Committee of the Senate, the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Education Committee of the House of Representatives, the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Public Health and Welfare Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Health Committee of the House of Representatives a written report assessing the success of the program and making recommendations regarding the possible extension and expansion of the program, including a proposed timeline for any potential expansion.

24 P.S. § 15-1547. Alcohol, chemical and tobacco abuse program.

(h.1) By September 1, 2020, and by September 1 of every fifth year thereafter, the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Health and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, shall report to the General Assembly concerning the preceding school year activities of the Department of Education, the Department of Health and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs pertaining to the provisions of this section. The report shall include:

(1) A description of efforts by the Department of Education, the Department of Health and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to assist school districts in providing the instruction required under subsections (a) and (a.1), including efforts to develop and post the model curriculum required under subsection (a.1) and to develop and make available the in-service training programs required under subsection (d)(2).

(2) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the instruction required under subsections (a) and (a.1) and of curriculum materials and in-service training programs developed by the Department of Education, the Department of Health and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs under this section in reducing the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, including prescription opioids, by students.

(i) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this section.

REGULATIONS

No relevant regulations found.