Basic Education Funding Commission Plan Could Be Life-Changing for Pa. Students
The proposal from the bipartisan commission charged with developing a remedy for the state’s unconstitutional school funding system sets targets for adequate funding in every school district, based on student need and current spending in successful districts. In the proposal, adopted Jan. 11, 2024, commissioners acknowledge a total funding shortfall statewide of $5.4 billion and…
MoreELC Comments on Title IX Proposed Rules – Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex
Education Law Center has submitted comments in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed rules on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. ELC’s concerns focus on the impact of the proposed amended regulations on students in Pennsylvania’s publicly-funded PreK-12 schools, including Black girls, who are more likely to be subject to sexual…
MoreTrial Date in School Funding Lawsuit Now Scheduled for Nov. 12
Despite an unanticipated one-month delay, public school students in Pennsylvania will soon have their day in court. Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer has scheduled a trial start date of November 12, 2021, in our historic lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s school funding system, William Penn School District et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education et al. The judge…
More2021 Back-to-School Guide for Pennsylvania Public School Students
The Education Law Center (ELC) has updated our annual “Back-to-School” guide with publications on various education topics to help families, students, and child-serving professionals. Skip to a particular topic with these links: Affirming & Safe Schools, Free from Racism Student Enrollment School Discipline Addressing Attendance Barriers (Truancy) Bullying & Harassment Students with Disabilities – IEP,…
MoreEducation Law Center Recent Successes
ELC’s work is organized around three priority areas: fighting for fair funding, ensuring equal access, and stopping the school-to-prison pipeline. We have made important progress in those areas in recent months. Read more about our work and highlights of the past year.
MoreELC Files Complaint Against Charter School, Challenging Refusal to Admit Child with Disability
ELC filed a complaint in Pennsylvania’s Common Pleas Court on October 17, 2019, on behalf of a first-grade student who was illegally denied enrollment in a public charter school on the basis of her disability. ELC contends that this action by Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School (MCSCS) of Philadelphia violates the child’s rights under…
MoreSave the Date! ELC Fall Celebration: Fighting the Good Fight
Please join us at 5:30 PM on September 25, 2019, at the Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia as we celebrate our work ensuring access to quality public education for all children in Pennsylvania. We hope you will join us and our event co-chairs, Joan Mazzotti and Michael Kelly, to honor our 2019 Champions of Education,…
MoreCeaseFirePA, Education Law Center Statement on Bill Authorizing Arming More School Personnel
Senate Bill 621, which broadens the categories of school personnel who can carry weapons in schools, approved by the Pennsylvania legislature, was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf on July 2, 2019. The Education Law Center and CeaseFirePA had opposed the bill and urged the governor to veto it. In a joint statement on…
MoreClass Action Suit Against Glen Mills Schools and Pa. Officials Cites Abuse of Children, Deprivation of Education
Lawyers from the Education Law Center, Juvenile Law Center, and Dechert LLP filed a class action lawsuit April 11 in Philadelphia on behalf of hundreds of youth who were held at Glen Mills Schools, a residential facility located in Delaware County. This site, the oldest reform school in the country, housed as many as 1,000…
MoreELC Responds to 2019-20 Budget Proposal of Gov. Wolf
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced his proposed 2019-20 budget before the General Assembly on Feb. 5. The Education Law Center and other child advocacy groups had urged the governor to make a bold school funding proposal, including $400 million in new funds for basic education and $100 million for special education. The increases in is…
MoreThird Circuit Issues Groundbreaking Precedential Decision Regarding Rights of Homeless Students
In response to a motion filed by ELC, the Third Circuit has re-issued its opinion in G.S. vs. Rose Tree Media School District as precedential, which means that the Court’s opinion can be used to support arguments in similar cases in other courts. ELC filed the motion following a positive ruling which marked a major…
MoreELC Files Comments with the US Department of Education Concerning Proposed Title IX Regulations
The Education Law Center (ELC) filed comments strongly opposing the Department of Education’s (DOE) proposed rules regarding Title IX investigations. The proposed rules would protect schools from liability at the expense of the students who are most likely to experience sexual harassment: 78% of LGBTQ K–12 students in Pennsylvania are harassed on the basis of…
MoreELC and CASA Philadelphia Webinar for Educational Decision Makers (EDMs)
This webinar was hosted by the Education Law Center-PA and CASA Philadelphia as a training for court-appointed Educational Decision Makers (EDMs) who represent children in foster care to ensure their access to a quality public education. The presentation features an overview of an “EDM Toolkit” prepared by these agencies and includes education issues relating to enrollment, access to special education services,…
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