Posted: | January 5, 2017 01:58 PM |
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From: | Representative P. Michael Sturla |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Safe Passage to School Legislation |
In the near future, I will be re-introducing legislation that would require the state to reimburse school districts for their cost of providing crossing guards to ensure safe passage of school students that are required to walk or ride bikes to school. The PA Department of Education currently reimburses school districts for costs associated with providing bus transportation that provides means of safe passage from home to school and back home again for pupils in public, charter and private schools. Districts get reimbursed no less than 50% of the cost for transportation costs for children living at least 1.5 miles away from school. The school districts’ aid ratio is factored into the formula for determining reimbursement. Wealthier districts receive closer to 50% while poorer districts can receive closer to 80%. Conversely, the PA Department of Education does not reimburse any of the costs to school districts to ensure that students that live within 1.5 miles of their attending school are provided safe passage to and from school. Local school districts and municipalities cover 100% of the cost of crossing guards at heavily traveled intersections and dangerous street crossing points. My proposal would utilize the same formula currently used to reimburse districts for bus transportation expenses, but expand it to also reimburse districts for the cost of providing school crossing guard services for safe passage of students that walk or bike to public, charter and private schools. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. |
Introduced as HB1056