SB 246: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in student supports, providing for parental and employee notification of weapon incidents. - Pennsylvania

Printer's No. PN1009 → Printer's No. PN1030 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill update refines the notification requirements for school weapon incidents, clarifying when schools can limit notifications to specific buildings and adding a new definition for 'private school' to ensure compliance with civil rights laws. It also expands the list of prior printer's numbers to track the bill's legislative history accurately.

Scope change

The bill's scope was clarified to explicitly include private schools in the new definitions and to specify notification procedures for shared campuses and school-sponsored activities.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that schools may limit weapon incident notifications to parents and employees of the specific building where the incident occurred, unless the campus is shared.

Added a requirement to notify parents and employees of all buildings on a shared campus if a weapon incident occurs at one building on that campus.

Established specific notification rules for weapon incidents occurring during school-sponsored activities or on school transportation.

DEFINITION

Added a specific definition for 'private school' to align with the Private Academic Schools Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

TECHNICAL

Updated the header to reflect the new printer's number (PN 1030) and changed the committee report date to reflect second consideration.

Printer's No. PN0764 → Printer's No. PN1009 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to broaden the scope of incidents requiring notification to parents and employees beyond just weapon possession. Key changes include adding requirements to report second and subsequent bullying violations, harassment, serious bodily injury, and significant property damage exceeding $1,000. The definition of a 'weapon' was also expanded to include various tools capable of inflicting serious bodily injury.

Scope change

The bill now applies to a wider range of incidents, including specific bullying cases, harassment, and property damage, in addition to weapon possession.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement to notify parents and employees of incidents involving harassment under 18 Pa.C.S. § 2709.

Added a requirement to notify parents and employees of incidents involving serious bodily injury.

Added a requirement to notify parents and employees of incidents involving intentional and significant damage to school property where repair costs exceed $1,000.

Changed the bullying notification requirement to apply only to a student's second and each subsequent violation of the school's bullying policy.

Updated notification thresholds for property damage to require intentional and significant damage with repair costs over $1,000.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of 'weapon' to include knives, cutting instruments, nunchaku, firearms, shotguns, rifles, and any other tool capable of inflicting serious bodily injury.

Printer's No. PN0752 → Printer's No. PN0764 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand notification requirements beyond just weapon incidents to include bullying, harassment, serious bodily injury, and property damage. It also clarifies that schools can limit notifications for weapons and property damage to specific buildings or activities, while requiring broader notification for bullying and harassment incidents.

Scope change

The scope of incidents triggering mandatory parental and employee notification was significantly broadened from solely weapon possession to include bullying, harassment, serious bodily injury, and damage to school property.

REQUIREMENT

Added mandatory notification requirements for incidents involving bullying, harassment under 18 Pa.C.S. § 2709, serious bodily injury, and damage to school property.

Modified notification rules to allow schools to limit notifications for weapon and property damage incidents to the specific building or activity involved, whereas bullying and harassment incidents now require notification to all employees and parents of involved students.

Added a new provision stating that notifications for bullying and harassment incidents must reach all school employees and the parents/guardians of the students involved, regardless of the specific building or activity.

DEFINITION

Updated definitions and formatting to clarify that 'nonpublic school' and 'private school' are distinct categories and adjusted capitalization for consistency.

Printer's No. PN0199 → Printer's No. PN0752 · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill revision expands the requirement for weapon incident notifications to include nonpublic and private schools, which were previously excluded. It also clarifies that these schools must report incidents to local law enforcement and follow disaster response plans. Additionally, the definition of 'school entity' was updated to include intermediate units, broadening the group of organizations subject to these notification rules.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include nonpublic schools, private schools, and intermediate units in the mandatory notification and reporting procedures for weapon incidents.

SCOPE

Expanded the definition of 'school entity' to include intermediate units, ensuring they are subject to the same notification requirements as school districts.

Added 'nonpublic school' and 'private school' to the list of entities required to notify parents, guardians, and employees about weapon incidents.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the list of incidents triggering notification to include locally established policies specific to nonpublic and private schools.

Clarified that nonpublic and private schools must ensure notifications reach the appropriate population during school-sponsored activities or transportation incidents.

Added a requirement for nonpublic and private schools to report incidents to local law enforcement before notifying parents and staff.

Specified that nonpublic and private schools must follow disaster response and emergency preparedness plans when reporting incidents.

DEFINITION

Added specific legal definitions for 'nonpublic school' and 'private school' to clarify which institutions are covered by the new requirements.

An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in student supports, providing for parental and employee notification of weapon incidents.

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