ELC and Partners Call for Mask Mandate
The Education Law Center, alongside four dozen partner organizations throughout Pennsylvania, called for a universal mask mandate for all Pennsylvania public schools, with appropriate exceptions for students and school staff with qualifying disabilities. You can read the letter to the governor and secretaries of education and health here and the letter to the General Assembly…
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,…
MoreJoin us at ELC’s 46th Anniversary Celebration!
Join us for our 46th anniversary, a virtual celebration on September 29, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. To purchase tickets or sponsor our celebration, please click here or contact Greg Murphy at 215-880-9595 or [email protected]
MoreELC Applauds Mask Mandate for Schools, Urges Swift Implementation
The Education Law Center applauded the Wolf administration’s Aug. 31 announcement of a universal statewide mask mandate for all Pennsylvania public schools, effective September 7. The order will create safe learning environments during the pandemic while establishing appropriate exceptions for students and school staff with qualifying disabilities. Masks have proven to be highly effective at…
MoreThree new tools to identify and address attendance barriers.
ELC has created three new tools to identify and address attendance barriers. Far too often, we see that families are held accountable for systemic or school-based barriers, instead of receiving needed supports. This set of resources helps families, schools, and Magisterial District Court Judges -the three key players in the truancy context- proactively identify and address attendance…
MoreJoin ELC’s Day of Legislative Action
Join ELC’s Day of Legislative Action to support Senate Bill 324, “Fostering A Smooth Transition for Graduation” This bill supports highly mobile youth through better graduation planning, smooth transfer of academic credits, and targeted educational supports. Sign our letter of support for S.B. 324 using our sign on form. For more information, please see our factsheet or the Bill’s text. CALL YOUR STATE SENATORS ! Tell your legislator that…
MoreJoint Statement Opposing HB 1152
As civil rights, youth, and education advocacy organizations across Pennsylvania, we oppose HB 1532 and all similar efforts that perpetuate racism and sexism. Our schools bear a responsibility to teach our children accurate history and dismantle biases. The bill prohibits our teachers from accurately teaching history, improperly bans anti-bias training, and would make culturally relevant teaching nearly impossible. The…
MoreShow Your Support For Senate Bill 324: “Fostering a Smooth Transition for Graduation”
Please join ELC in advocating for the passage of important legislation, S.B. 324, to advance the educational rights of Pennsylvania students with experience in the foster care and juvenile justice systems and students experiencing homelessness. The bill, “Fostering a Smooth Transition for Graduation,” ensures these highly mobile youth receive credit for academic work completed, obtain…
MoreELC Files Comments with FCC to Ensure Equity in Implementation of Emergency Connectivity Fund
On April 23, 2021 the Education Law Center submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to implement its newly adopted Emergency Connectivity Fund in a manner that will prioritize students who were most marginalized by lack of connectivity during COVID-19. We also urged the Commission to adapt connected devices to meet the…
MoreELC Testifies on Barriers to Education Success before PA Senate Education Committee
ELC staff attorney Hetal Dhagat addressed educational barriers that impact Black and Brown students, low-income students, students with disabilities, and immigrant and refugee students in testimony to the PA Senate Education Committee on April 23, 2021. She spoke at a hearing on K-12 education reforms in Western Pennsylvania, the last of three hearings that the…
MoreTentative Trial Date Is Set in Pennsylvania School Funding Lawsuit
Public school students in Pennsylvania will soon have their day in court. A Commonwealth Court order released April 1 tentatively scheduled a trial start date of September 9, 2021, in a historic lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s school funding system. [Note: On Aug. 18, the date was pushed back one month to Oct. 12.] Attorneys expect the trial to…
MoreLetter: Investigate Educational Deprivations, Civil Rights Violations at Delco Juvenile Detention Center
In a letter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro on March 25, Education Law Center and other child-serving organizations have highlighted that children placed at the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center, in addition to the other horrific abuses they were subjected to, were deprived of their constitutional and civil right to an education and discriminated…
MoreELC Testifies on Reopening Philadelphia Schools
On February 17, 2021, ELC staff testified at a Philadelphia City Council Hearing on safely reopening schools and bridging the digital divide. Read ELC’s testimony and recommendations here.
MorePhiladelphia Eagles Support ELC with $25K Grant
ELC has received a $25,000 grant from the Philadelphia Eagles Social Justice Fund, through which the Eagles organization provides a one-to-one match to donations by players and staff. Education is one of the Fund’s priorities, and we are thrilled to be able to partner with the Eagles in the important work of ensuring access to…
MoreParents in Chester Upland Ask Court to Suspend Charter School Conversion Process, Conducted in Secret
Parents and a community organization in Chester Upland School District have filed an emergency motion to suspend a process to outsource the entire district’s operations and schools to charter operators. This request for proposals process has taken place in secret, with no public notice and no opportunities for parents and other community members to weigh…
MoreNational Report Exposes Harmful Academic Credit Transfer Policies, Practices for Youth in Juvenile Justice System
Philadelphia, PA (October 8, 2020): Juvenile Law Center, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Education Law Center-PA have released the report Credit Overdue: How States Can Mitigate Academic Credit Transfer Problems for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System. The report details the problems facing tens of thousands of youth on any given day in our country…
MoreELC’s 2020 Back-to-School Guide for Pennsylvania Public School Students
The Education Law Center (ELC) has updated our “Back-to-School” guide for families, students, and schools. The information and fact sheets below now include COVID-related considerations for the upcoming school year. School days during the pandemic may look very different. Students and families face unprecedented challenges. But they continue to have important education rights and protections under…
MoreELC and 80 other Organizations Urge Gov. Wolf to Maintain Educational Equity During School Closures
In a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf and state Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera, the Education Law Center and more than 80 other community, parent, and child advocacy organizations across Pennsylvania called for an executive order and rigorous guidance to schools, requiring them to provide educational services to all children, including individualized programs to meet…
MoreMessage from ELC on COVID-19
A message from ELC to our clients and colleagues concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.
More