SB 310 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in high schools, providing for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO.

206 PRINTER'STHE NO.GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BILL Session of No.

753310 THE2025 GENERALINTRODUCED ASSEMBLYBY OFMARTIN, PENNSYLVANIAARGALL, SENATEBARTOLOTTA, BILLBOSCOLA, SessionBROWN, FONTANA, MILLER, PENNYCUICK AND SANTARSIERO, FEBRUARY 18, 2025 REFERRED TO EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 18, 2025 AN ACT Amending the act of No.March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An act relating to the public school system, including certain provisions applicable as well to private and parochial schools;

310 2025 INTRODUCED BY MARTIN, ARGALL, BARTOLOTTA, BOSCOLA, BROWN, FONTANA, MILLER, PENNYCUICK, SANTARSIERO, CULVER, VOGEL AND STEFANO, FEBRUARY 18, 2025 SENATOR CULVER, EDUCATION, AS AMENDED, MAY 6, 2025 AN ACT Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An act relating to the public school system, including certain provisions applicable as well to private and parochial schools;

Free Application for Federal Student Aid.--(a) Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, prior to completing high school, a student who attends a school entity,entity NONPUBLIC <-- SCHOOL OR PRIVATE SCHOOL in this Commonwealth, unless exempted under subsection (e), shall file a FAFSA with the United States Department of Education or submit an opt-out form in accordance with subsection (b).

(b) The parent or legal guardian of a student or, if a student is at least eighteen years of age or legally emancipated, the student may opt out of filing the FAFSA under subsection (a) by completing and submitting to the school entity,entity NONPUBLIC SCHOOL OR PRIVATE SCHOOL an opt-out form <-- developed by the department, in consultation with the agency.

(c) The department shall make the opt-out form available to school entities,entities NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS and post <-- the opt-out form on the department's publicly accessible Internet website.

(d) A school entity,entity NONPUBLIC SCHOOL OR PRIVATE SCHOOL <-- shall provide a copy of the opt-out form to parents, legal guardians and students.

(e) If a FAFSA is not filed or opt-out form is not submitted on behalf of a student, the school entity,entity NONPUBLIC SCHOOL OR <-- PRIVATE SCHOOL may exempt the student from the provisions of subsection (a).

Prior to making an exemption, the school entity,entity <-- NONPUBLIC SCHOOL OR PRIVATE SCHOOL must make a reasonable effort to contact the parent or legal guardian of the student.

(f) The agency shall provide a school entity,entity NONPUBLIC <-- SCHOOL OR PRIVATE SCHOOL with information indicating whether a student of the school entity,entity NONPUBLIC SCHOOL OR PRIVATE SCHOOL <-- has completed the FAFSA.,FAFSA. PROVIDED THE AGENCY HAS ACCESS TO THE <-- INFORMATION.

(g) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to require a parent, legal guardian or student to provide personal financial information to a school entity,entity. NONPUBLIC SCHOOL OR <-- PRIVATE SCHOOL.

20250SB0310PN0753 - 2 - (h) Personal financial information inadvertently obtained from a parent, legal guardian or student by a school entity,entity <-- NONPUBLIC SCHOOL OR PRIVATE SCHOOL as a result of administering this section is not a public record accessible for inspection and duplication in accordance with the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the "Right-to-Know"Right-to- Know Law." (i) As used in this section, the following words and phrases 20250SB0310PN0206 - 2 - shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"NONPUBLIC"School SCHOOL"entity" SHALLshall MEANmean Aan NONPROFITarea SCHOOL,career OTHERand THANtechnical <--school, Acharter PUBLICschool, SCHOOLcyber WITHINcharter THISschool, COMMONWEALTH,nonpublic INschool, WHICHprivate Aschool, RESIDENTregional OFcharter THISschool COMMONWEALTHor MAYschool LEGALLYdistrict. FULFILL THE COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS ACT AND THAT MEETS THE APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS OF TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 (PUBLIC LAW 88-352, 42 U.S.C.

§ 2000 ET SEQ.).

"PRIVATE SCHOOL" SHALL MEAN A PRIVATE ACADEMIC SCHOOL AS DEFINED IN SECTION 2 OF THE ACT OF JANUARY 28, 1988 (P.L.24, NO.11), KNOWN AS THE PRIVATE ACADEMIC SCHOOLS ACT.

"School entity" shall mean an area career and technical school, charter school, cyber charter school, nonpublic school, <-- private school, regional charter school or school district.

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