An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, providing for Black history education.
Summary
SB28 would amend the Public School Code of 1949 to add a new requirement for Black history education in Pennsylvania public schools. Based on the caption, the bill is aimed at incorporating Black history into the terms and courses of study section of the school code, which would likely affect curriculum standards, instructional materials, and how schools address Black history in classroom instruction.
The bill appears to be a state education policy measure focused on ensuring that Black history is formally included in school curricula. Because the full bill text is not available in the provided record, the precise mechanics are not specified here, but the measure would likely direct or authorize the Department of Education and local school entities to teach Black history as part of the public school curriculum. Its legal impact would be to amend the Public School Code and create a new statutory education requirement or framework related to social studies or history instruction.
Impact
SB28 would change Pennsylvania law by amending the Public School Code of 1949 to add provisions for Black history education. The practical effect would be on public school districts, charter schools, and other entities governed by the school code, potentially requiring curriculum updates, teacher preparation, and instructional planning to ensure Black history is included in courses of study.
Sentiment
The available record shows the bill was referred to the Senate Education Committee and does not include recorded votes or committee debate. On that limited record, the bill appears to have been treated as a standard education policy proposal rather than a highly contentious measure, but there is not enough information to identify support or opposition from the transcript or vote history.
Contention
No committee transcript or vote data was provided, so specific points of contention cannot be identified from the record. In general, bills requiring curriculum changes can raise questions about local control, instructional time, implementation costs, and how broadly or specifically the mandated content should be defined, but none of those concerns are documented here as being raised on SB28.