Pennsylvania 2025_0 Regular Session Status: In Committee 17 D cosponsors

HB 2852 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in pupils and attendance, providing for education of children and youth experiencing homelessness.

Last action — Referred to EDUCATION, Oct. 15, 2026

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced October 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 17 sponsors

    1 primary, 16 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (17 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

The bill ensures educational access for children and youth experiencing homelessness.

This legislation amends the Public School Code to guarantee that children and youth experiencing homelessness have equal access to education and related services. It requires schools to eliminate barriers to enrollment and to designate a liaison to support these students.

What this means for you
  • Families: This means families experiencing homelessness will have better support for their children's education.

Summary

Education of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

14 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill adds provisions to ensure the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness in Pennsylvania's public school system.

  • Section 1331.2

    Education of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness.--(a) (1) The department and each school entity shall ensure that a child or youth experiencing homelessness has equal access to public education, including public preschool education.

    Establishes requirements for the education of homeless children and youth.

  • Section 1331.2

    (2) The school entity shall ensure that a child or youth experiencing homelessness has access to academic, extracurricular, career and technical education, gifted education, special education, English learner services, school nutrition and other educational programs and services for which the child or youth is eligible.

    Mandates that homeless children have access to all necessary educational programs and services.

  • Section 1331.2

    (b) (1) A school entity shall review and revise a policy or practice that creates a difficulty in identifying, enrolling, attending, retaining or impacting the educational success of a child or youth experiencing homelessness.

    Requires school entities to improve policies that hinder homeless students' educational opportunities.

  • Section 1331.2

    (2) A school entity may not: (i) Create a difficulty on the enrollment of a child or youth based on the residency status, documentation, guardianship, immunization or other health record of the child or youth.

    Prohibits barriers to enrollment based on residency and health documentation for homeless children.

  • Section 1331.2

    (ii) Burden the child's or youth's ability to enroll in a school entity, including the setting of fines, fees, limited number of permitted absences, application or enrollment deadlines.

    Eliminates financial and administrative barriers to enrollment for homeless students.

  • Section 1331.2

    (iii) Segregate or stigmatize a child or youth based on the housing status of the child or youth.

    Prohibits the segregation or stigmatization of homeless children in schools.

  • Section 1331.2

    (c) A school entity shall designate an appropriate staff person as homeless education liaison.

    Requires schools to appoint a liaison dedicated to supporting homeless students.

  • Section 1331.2

    (1) Children and youth experiencing homelessness are identified.

    Mandates the identification of homeless students by the liaison.

  • Section 1331.2

    (d) (1) A school entity shall, according to the best interest of a child or youth experiencing homelessness: (i) provide for the continuation of the child's or youth's education in the school of origin for the duration of homelessness...

    Ensures continuity in education for homeless students at their school of origin.

  • Section 1331.2

    (e) A school entity under subsection (d) shall immediately enroll a child or youth experiencing homelessness, even if the child or youth is unable to produce records normally required for enrollment...

    Guarantees immediate enrollment of homeless children regardless of required documentation.

  • Section 1331.2

    (f) The department shall establish and maintain procedures for the prompt resolution of disputes concerning the eligibility of a child or youth experiencing homelessness for protections under this section...

    Creates a process for resolving disputes regarding homeless students' enrollment and eligibility.

  • Section 1331.2

    (g) The department shall: (1) Designate a State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

    Establishes a state coordinator to oversee education for homeless children.

  • Section 1331.2

    (5) Collect and make publicly available appropriate statewide data concerning child or youth experiencing homelessness.

    Requires the collection and public availability of data on homeless students.

  • Section 1331.2

    As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise...

    Defines key terms related to the educational rights of homeless children and youth.

Action History

  1. Referred to EDUCATION, Oct. 15, 2026

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 16 co-sponsors · 236 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (16)

Not signed on (236)

236 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 236 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

housing education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 2852 do?
Education of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Who sponsors HB 2852?
HB 2852 is sponsored by Gina H. Curry (Democratic), Ismail Smith-Wade-El (Democratic), Jeanne McNeill (Democratic), Liz Hanbidge (Democratic), Daniel J. Deasy (Democratic), Emily Kinkead (Democratic), Manuel Guzman (Democratic), Ben Waxman (Democratic), Carol Hill-Evans (Democratic), La'Tasha D. Mayes (Democratic), Joseph C. Hohenstein (Democratic), Nikki Rivera (Democratic), Benjamin V. Sanchez (Democratic), Darisha K. Parker (Democratic), Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (Democratic), Justin C. Fleming (Democratic), and Dan K. Williams (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 2852?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced October 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 2852?
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