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Special Education
PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATION
2005-2006 Legislative Session
Enacted Legislation
| Senate Bills
| House Bills
ENACTED LEGISLATION
Act 31 of 2006 (House Bill 1618)
Allows special education students to participate in graduation ceremonies with their classmates even if their individualized education program (IEP) prescribes continuing education beyond four years of high school. Special education students who have attended four years of high school would receive a certificate of attendance at a graduation ceremony with their age peers. Receipt of a certificate of attendance would not preclude a special education student from receiving a high school diploma upon completion of their IEP.
Act 46 of 2005 (House Bill 628)
Makes omnibus changes to the state's school code, including
establishing accounting, bookkeeping and auditing requirements
for approved private schools and the state's four chartered
schools for the deaf and blind. Also, requires PDE to develop
interim audit standards that apply to audits conducted after
July 1, 2005 and to develop permanent audit standards within
one year of publication of the interim standards.
Senate Resolution 76 of 2005 (Adopted June 20, 2005)
Directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of all state services provided to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The LBFC would identify all state services, their expenditures and funding sources, the number of individuals served by each program, areas of overlapping or duplicate services, and areas of need for new services. Pennsylvania currently funds the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, in addition to the Scranton School for the Deaf and myriad other special services in Intermediate Units and in public schools.
SENATE BILLS
Senate Bill 13 (Sen. Robert Tomlinson)
Requires Intermediate Units to provide special education
services to students from non-public schools to the
extent that funds are appropriated for the program.
Senate Bill 352 (Sen. Stewart Greenleaf)
Requires school bus aides to accompany exceptional children
who are transported on buses equipped for exceptional
children. Also, required school bus drivers and aides to be
trained to use the seating and restraint devices used by
exceptional children.
Senate Bill 517 (Sen. John Pippy)
Establishes a state supplement for private residential
rehabilitative institutions for indirect or administrative
expenses equal to 19.3% of the total net cost of the special
education program.
Senate Bill 686 (Sen. Edwin Erickson)
Establishes a formula for funding the tuition of children in
approved private schools.
Senate Bill 847 (Sen. Jane Orie)
Developmental Disability Education and Career Planning Act
HOUSE BILLS
House Bill 1419 (Rep. Thomas Petrone)
Allows private residential rehabilitative institutions that
serve special education students to charge a student's
district of residence an administrative fee in addition to
tuition. The institution may charge 19.3% of the total net
cost of the special education program provided to cover
indirect or administrative expenses, not to exceed the total
cost of providing such services.
House Bill 1931 (Rep. Carole Rubley)
Provides for the state to take over responsibility for
providing special education services for all exceptional
students with disabilities and for providing the entire costs
of such services. Responsibility for special gifted education
services would remain with local school districts. The
legislation establishes an Office of Special Education within
the state Department of Education, which would oversee all
special education services and programs in the Commonwealth
and provide for the education of students with disabilities
through Intermediate Units, school districts, in-house staff,
or private contractors. The Office also would be responsible
for examining and identifying exceptional students and
developing individual education plans for each exceptional
student. Finally, the state would gradually become
responsible for the cost of special education services for
students with disabilities, beginning by providing for 20
percent of the additional cost of special services in FY
2005-06 and increasing to 100 percent of the additional costs
of special services paid by the state in FY 2009-10.
Additionally, the Commonwealth would assume the entire cost
for children in approved private schools and the state's four
chartered schools for the deaf and blind.
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