SB 720 amends Pennsylvania's Public School Code to modify vision health requirements for school-aged children in public and nonpublic schools. It mandates that children receive a comprehensive eye health and vision examination by an ophthalmologist or optometrist before their first school admission, and again in fourth and eighth grades. The bill also requires an annual vision screening or eye examination. If a child fails a school-provided vision screening, a comprehensive eye health and vision examination becomes mandatory, to be completed within 120 days or before the next school year.
SB 839 requires Pennsylvania public schools to incorporate media literacy education into K-12 curricula. The bill mandates the Department of Education to develop an age-appropriate model curriculum within 12 months, covering critical thinking about media messages, bias, misinformation, marketing tactics, and perspective gaps. School districts must implement this curriculum starting the school year after the bill takes effect. The Department must also provide free online resources and teacher training on media literacy.
HB 1654 requires Pennsylvania school districts to set identical starting salaries for teachers holding the same grade span State instructional certification and salary step, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. This applies uniformly across all districts, ensuring teachers with identical qualifications (certification type and experience level) receive the same initial pay regardless of where they are hired. The bill mandates this consistency in new-hire compensation without altering existing salary structures for current employees. It takes effect 60 days after enactment, with the first application for the 2026-2027 school term.
HB 1663 establishes Pennsylvania's Statewide Imagination Library Program under the Public School Code of 1949, creating a dedicated funding account managed by the Department of Education. The bill directly affects Pennsylvania children, particularly those from birth through age five, by providing free books through the program. Key provisions require the Department of Education to administer the program and manage the Imagination Library of Pennsylvania Restricted Account for funding. The bill is currently under review in the Children & Youth committee after being removed from the legislative table in November 2025.
HB 1597 creates a mandatory after-school reading program for kindergarten through second-grade students in Pennsylvania public schools starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The program requires schools to employ trained teen leaders (grades 9-12) to provide one-on-one tutoring using research-backed phonics-based methods, with sessions structured as 45 minutes of individual instruction followed by 45 minutes of group reading activities. Schools must report student progress, teen leader numbers, and program partnerships annually, and state funds prioritized for schools with high numbers of students not meeting reading benchmarks. This directly affects K-2 students, teen tutors, and school districts implementing the program.
HB 1948 prohibits Pennsylvania colleges and universities that receive state education grants or loans from entering into certain agreements. It directly affects public and private institutions receiving state funding under Title 24 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. The bill establishes enforcement authority with the Office of Attorney General to address violations. This legislation aims to prevent specific financial or contractual arrangements between state-funded higher education institutions and external entities. The bill is currently referred to the Education committee for further consideration.
HB 781 creates a three-year pilot program to provide salary supplements for infant and toddler care professionals working at eligible child-care centers in Pennsylvania. The Department of Public Welfare will administer the program, establishing county-level pay parity standards that consider education and certification levels to prevent staff retention issues. Child-care centers receiving funds must use them exclusively for wage supplements and cannot reduce existing pay or replace staff costs. The program requires annual reporting to the General Assembly and expires after three fiscal years beginning in 2026-2027.
SB 139 allows parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to request a one-year waiver from Pennsylvania's compulsory school attendance requirements for the 2025-2026 school year. To qualify, the child must have a recent clinical diagnosis, a medical assessment recommending intensive early intervention, and proof the services will continue during the waiver. If approved, the child remains eligible for early intervention services under state law, and parents retain the right to enroll them in school anytime during the waiver period. The waiver does not provide compensatory education for the time the child is not in school.
SB 378 establishes new student data privacy rules for Pennsylvania's K-12 schools (excluding colleges). It requires schools to collect only essential student data (like grades or medical records), protect all data with safeguards, and obtain written parental consent for sharing non-essential information. The law defines key terms like "biometric identifiers" (e.g., fingerprints) and prohibits collecting sensitive data such as political views or religious information without authorization. The Department of Education gains enforcement powers to ensure compliance and impose penalties for violations. This directly affects public schools, charter schools, and cyber schools operating under Pennsylvania's education statutes.
SB 1046 amends Pennsylvania's vehicle code to add automated enforcement for drivers who fail to stop when a school bus has flashing red lights. The bill directly affects drivers passing school buses in operation, aiming to improve child safety during loading and unloading. Key provisions establish a system using technology (like cameras) to automatically detect and issue citations for violations, supplementing current manual enforcement. This creates a concrete policy change to strengthen enforcement of existing school bus stop laws without altering the underlying requirement for drivers to stop.
