COVID-19 School Year Repeat: PA Advances Bill That Would Allow It

HARRISBURG, PA — The state Senate has approved legislation that would permit parents to have their children repeat a year of school to help them catch up academically after a year of pandemic-induced educational disruption.

The vote was 50-0 for the bill, which also would allow another year of schooling for special education students even if they have reached the maximum age of 21.

The Senate initially approved the bill last month. It was amended by the House and sent back to the Senate for a final vote.

Gov. Tom Wolf has not taken a position on the measure. If he signs it into law, parents would have until July 15 to decide whether their children could advance to the next grade level or be held back.

Students aged 18 or older will decide whether to repeat the school year.

Currently, the decision on whether a student should repeat a grade rests solely on the child's school and teachers.

"Students have spent a lot of time learning at home over the past year, so parents have played a larger role than ever in the education of their children," Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman of Centre County, who authored the bill, said recently. "Giving parents the option to provide an extra year of education for their children offers a pathway to help students who have suffered serious learning gaps during the pandemic."

In addition to repeating the year academically, students would be able to participate in extracurricular activities. However, they would not be eligible to participate in sports if their eligibility is exhausted.

See the entire bill here.

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