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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 28, 2022 01:38 PM |
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| From: | Senator Ryan P. Aument |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Act 66 Extension & Compensatory Services for Students with Disabilities |
| In the near future I will be introducing a set of bills to address the learning loss experienced by special education students over the past two years. The pandemic caused many issues for our schools and prolonged closures hurt students with disabilities especially hard. We know that online classes proved difficult for our students in general, but many of our neediest students received the least amount of instruction during the pandemic. Please join me in sponsoring these proposals to ensure all our students are receiving the help and services they need. |
Document #1
Introduced as SB1276
| Description: | My first proposal would amend Act 66 to truly provide special education students with an additional year of instruction. After the passage of Act 66, it became clear that most students with disabilities would not be eligible for an additional year of instruction. My bill would allow parents of special education students to register their child for an additional year of instruction, making them eligible for services until they reach the age of 22, as opposed to the current age of 21. This additional year of instruction would be a much-needed bridge for many families whose children are nearing the age-out restriction but feel their child is not yet ready due to the lack of instruction and subsequent learning loss over the last two years. |
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Document #2
| Description: | My second proposal would ensure that school districts are utilizing appropriate state and federal funds to offer compensatory services to special education students to help them recover from the learning loss they experienced during the pandemic. Additionally, schools will be required to provide parents of students with disabilities with a pamphlet explaining their rights under Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), along with accompanying contact information for personnel responsible for helping families and students with disabilities within the PA Department of Education. Providing parents with this information will assist them in making sure their child is receiving necessary services and support, and clear direction for who they should contact when issues arise. |
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Memo Updated: April 28, 2022 01:39 PM