PRINTER'S NO. 2379
No. 1781 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY FAIRCHILD, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF, CALTAGIRONE,
CAPPELLI, COX, CREIGHTON, DALEY, DENLINGER, FABRIZIO,
FREEMAN, GEIST, GINGRICH, GRUCELA, HENNESSEY, M. KELLER,
KILLION, MARKOSEK, MARSICO, MENSCH, MICOZZIE, MURT, PETRONE,
PHILLIPS, PICKETT, REICHLEY, SCHRODER, SIPTROTH, STERN, TRUE,
WALKO, WATSON AND D. O'BRIEN, AUGUST 1, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, AUGUST 1, 2007
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2 act relating to the public school system, including certain
3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5 laws relating thereto," providing for child abuse education
6 training.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10 as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
11 section to read:
12 Section 1205.5. Child Abuse Education Training.--(a) The
13 Department of Public Welfare in consultation with the Department
14 of Education shall approve child abuse training, which shall be
15 made available to school entities, school employes and
16 professional educators.
17 (b) (1) Professional educators, as defined in section
18 1205.2, who are employed by a school entity and who are
1 enumerated under 23 Pa.C.S. § 6311(b) (relating to persons
2 required to report suspected child abuse) shall complete child
3 abuse training under subsection (a) at least once every five
4 years and:
5 (i) if they are employed by the school entity on the
6 effective date of this section shall attend child abuse training
7 under subsection (a) within two years of the effective date of
8 this section; or
9 (ii) if they are hired by the school entity after the
10 effective date of this section and have not attended child abuse
11 training under subsection (a) within the preceding five years
12 shall attend child abuse training within their first year of
13 employment.
14 (2) The training may be offered as an option to all employes
15 of the school entity who are not required to attend a child
16 abuse education training course under paragraph (1). At the
17 beginning of each school year, training material shall be
18 disseminated to mandated reporters employed or contracted by the
19 school district and shall contain information on their role as
20 mandated reporters, signs of abuse and to whom cases of
21 suspected abuse shall be reported, except that such training
22 material shall be disseminated to mandated reporters hired or
23 contracted after the beginning of the school year within one
24 month of being hired or contracted.
25 (3) All mandated reporters receiving training or material
26 under subsection (b)(1) or (2) shall sign a statement
27 acknowledging that they have been provided such training or
28 material, and have read and understood the training or material.
29 (c) Child abuse training under subsection (a) may be
30 conducted by school entity personnel that have completed a
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1 program of instruction as prescribed by the Department of Public
2 Welfare. The child abuse training may be available using
3 advanced technology such as CD-ROM, the Internet, distance
4 communication and through professional education providers
5 approved under this act.
6 (d) A maximum of three hours every five years spent in child
7 abuse education training shall be considered hours of continuing
8 professional education for the purposes of section 1205.2.
9 (e) School entities may include this training in the
10 continuing education plan submitted by the entity to the
11 Department of Education under section 1205.1.
12 (f) As used in this section, the phrase "child abuse
13 education training course" shall mean the ongoing training and
14 training conducted pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. § 6383(a) (relating to
15 education and training) for persons required to make reports of
16 child abuse.
17 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007, or
18 immediately, whichever is later.
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