An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, providing for prohibited review of curriculum, instructional materials and voluntary inquiry material in public school entities.
HB 860 amends Pennsylvania's Public School Code to prohibit public schools from removing library books or instructional materials based on specific reasons, such as an author's race, gender identity, political views, or content about sexuality. It directly affects public school entities (including districts, charter schools, and libraries) by banning "soft censorship" - removing materials outside formal review processes - and requires schools to publicly report such removals. The bill mandates that materials can only be removed following a defined procedure, ensuring decisions are based on educational appropriateness, not personal views. It also requires schools to provide online complaint forms for students or parents who experience unauthorized removals, referencing data showing 457 book challenges in Pennsylvania from 2021-2022. The law aims to protect students' access to diverse learning resources while aligning with First Amendment principles.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 11, 2025
Last action Mar 11, 2025
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Mar 11, 2025
Committee
Referred to Education
lower
1 primary · 27 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Paul Friel
DDemocratic
Co
Andre Carroll
DDemocratic
Co
Anthony Bellmon
DDemocratic
Co
Ben Sanchez
DDemocratic
Co
Ben Waxman
DDemocratic
Co
Chris Pielli
DDemocratic
Co
Danielle Otten
DDemocratic
Co
Danilo Burgos
DDemocratic
Co
Darisha Parker
DDemocratic
Co
Ed Neilson
DDemocratic
Co
Elizabeth Fiedler
DDemocratic
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