Pennsylvania SB 984: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in pupils and attendance, further providing for attendance policy at charter, regional charter and cyber charter schools, for procedure when child is truant, for procedure by school when child habitually truant, for procedure upon filing of citation and for penalties for violating compulsory school attendance requirements, repealing provisions relating to study of truancy procedure, providing for department supports to prevent truancy and further providing for reports to Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1126
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 984
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY PENNYCUICK, J. WARD, STEFANO, BAKER, LANGERHOLC,
VOGEL, BROWN AND CULVER, AUGUST 27, 2025
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, AUGUST 27, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in pupils and attendance, further
providing for attendance policy at charter, regional charter
and cyber charter schools, for procedure when child is
truant, for procedure by school when child habitually truant,
for procedure upon filing of citation and for penalties for
violating compulsory school attendance requirements,
repealing provisions relating to study of truancy procedure,
providing for department supports to prevent truancy and
further providing for reports to Superintendent of Public
Instruction.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1327.2 of the act of March 10, 1949
(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is
amended to read:
Section 1327.2. Attendance Policy at Charter, Regional
Charter and Cyber Charter Schools.--(a) Each charter, regional
charter and cyber charter school shall establish an attendance
policy designed to accurately determine when a child who is
enrolled in a charter, regional charter or cyber charter school
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has an unexcused or excused absence, or is present for
instruction, which may differ from the policy of the school
district in which the child resides. The policy must conform to
the provisions of this act relating to compulsory attendance.
(a.1) In addition to the requirements of subsection (a), a
cyber charter school shall include in its attendance policy the
following:
(1) A policy to determine when a child has an unexcused or
excused absence or is present for synchronous instruction. To be
present for synchronous instruction, a child must be present and
visible to the teacher on camera during each synchronous
instructional period for each course.
(2) A prohibition specifying that a cyber charter school
administrator or chief administrator may not alter an attendance
record taken by a teacher, unless the alteration corrects an
error made in good faith.
(3) A policy to determine when a child has an unexcused or
excused absence or is present for asynchronous instruction. To
be present for asynchronous instruction, a child must
satisfactorily complete the coursework and achieve weekly
educational coursework benchmarks. The following requirements
shall apply to the weekly educational coursework benchmarks:
(i) A cyber charter school shall establish weekly
educational coursework benchmarks for students participating in
asynchronous instruction and shall submit the benchmarks to the
department for approval by June 30 of each year for the
following school year. If the department has not approved,
denied or returned the benchmarks for revision within 45 days,
the benchmarks shall be deemed approved for the following school
year.
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(ii) Each student shall satisfactorily complete the
coursework and achieve the benchmarks established by the cyber
charter school. If a student does not achieve the weekly
benchmark, the student shall receive an unexcused absence for
the incomplete coursework.
(b) Notwithstanding section 1333.2(a), in the case of a
child enrolled in a cyber charter school the venue for the
filing of a citation under section 1333.1 shall be based upon
the residence of the child. A cyber charter school may
participate in a proceeding under sections 1333.1, 1333.2 and
1333.3 in person, by telephone conferencing, by video
conferencing or by any other electronic means.
(c) [Charter, regional charter and cyber] (1) Cyber charter
schools shall report all unexcused absences directly to the
department annually through the Pennsylvania Information
Management System (PIMS).
(2) Cyber charter schools shall submit information related
to the completion of the benchmarks established under subsection
(a.1)(3) annually through PIMS.
(3) For students who have been found to be truant or
habitually truant, cyber charter schools shall report the
information required under paragraphs (1) and (2) directly to
the department monthly through PIMS.
Section 2. Section 1333(a) of the act is amended by adding
paragraphs and the section is amended by adding a subsection to
read:
Section 1333. Procedure When Child is Truant.--(a) When a
child is truant, the school shall notify in writing the person
in parental relation with the child who resides in the same
household as the child of the child's violation of compulsory
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