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Senate of Pennsylvania
SENATE DEMOCRATIC WRAP-UP FOR
THE WEEK OF |
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In an effort to stop schoolyard violence, the Senate passed Senate Bill 71 with a 42-6 vote. The measure would amend the Public School Code to require schools for the 2007-2008 school year to adopt a policy on bullying or to include such policy as part of its existing code of student conduct. Such policies would include discipline consequences, as well as prevention and intervention techniques. Each school would be required to review the policy every three years, and provide a copy to the Department of Education. The measure now goes to the House.
The Senate passed Senate Bill 154 with a vote of 49-1. The bill would amend the Public School Code to require that certain school districts revise their professional education plans and to require the Department of Education to create a clearinghouse of continuing professional education programs. The bill now goes to the House.
The Senate passed Senate Bill 155 with a vote of 49-1. The bill would amend the Public School Code, adding Section 117 (Educational Advisors), to authorize intermediate units to establish and coordinate a pool of educational advisors to provide assistance to any school district or school assigned to the intermediate unit and identified for school improvement or corrective action. The measure now goes to the House.
The Senate approved Senate Bill 157 with a 44-4 vote. The legislation would amend the Public School Code to direct intermediate units to coordinate academic programs for school districts and to establish academic improvement teams for school districts. Eligible school districts would include any school district that has a school placed on the warning list for not meeting yearly academic performance targets or any other school district that requests assistance. The measure now goes to the House.
Voting 38-10, the Senate approved a bill aimed at getting parents more involved in their child’s education. Senate Bill 158 would amend the Public School Code to provide for the establishment of parent involvement programs and policies in school districts. The program would, among other things, identify existing school resources that parents may use to improve the academic achievement of their students, identify a system of communicating information to parents, identify a mechanism through which parents can provide recommendations to the school board; and identify a mechanism through which the school can provide information to the parents regarding resources. The bill now goes to the House.
The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 219, which would amend the Public School Code further providing for disqualifications relating to teacher certificates. The measure would add certified registered nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants to the list of professionals who can perform the physical tests needed by teachers in order to get their certification. The bill would also require the Department of Education to prescribe a method of submitting a set of fingerprints for new applicants to the FBI, in accordance with federal law. The measure now goes to the House.
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