Pennsylvania public schools would adopt policies against discrimination and harassment

Public schools would adopt, share, and publicly post policies to prevent discrimination and harassment. Schools would notify employees and students’ parents or legal guardians. Policies would state that students and employees will not face discrimination or harassment based on actual or perceived personal traits. Policies would cover targeting someone because of people they associate with. Schools would include prevention, behavior-based threat assessment, response, and reporting steps. Reporting procedures and school safety measures could not reinforce bias against students or rely on profiling based on their actual or perceived traits. The policy requirement names the 2025–2026 school year as its starting point; the act would take effect 60 days after becoming law.

School policies would include specific statements supporting students’ and employees’ gender identity and expression. These statements would cover students and school employees. Policies would describe transgender, nonbinary, and other gender-nonconforming expression as healthy, appropriate, and typical in human development. Policies would say people whose gender expression differs from traditional expectations should never be asked, encouraged, or required to affirm or express a gender inconsistent with their own identity or expression.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Education would develop a model policy and provide educational materials. The model would meet the same content requirements as school policies. The department would consult organizations serving diverse populations, including people with disabilities, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ people. Schools could choose whether to use the model policy and materials. Private schools could request materials if they are nonprofit, students may legally meet Pennsylvania’s school attendance requirements there, and they meet Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. The department’s duties would begin when the act takes effect, 60 days after becoming law.