Ensuring Equal Access

Over 24,000

During the 2013-14 school year, 24,504 students experienced homelessness in Pennsylvania, setting an all-time high for the state.

Equal access issues have historically been a large part of ELC’s work. Access issues involve either the total exclusion of a child from school, or the exclusion of some groups of children from services and programs they need to succeed.

Our work in this area includes fighting against unfair residency rules that impact children experiencing homelessness and those in foster care, refusals to fully include children with disabilities, the failure to address language barriers affecting immigrant students and English learners, bias against LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming students, and the denial of education to children in residential placements. With the rapidly changing nature of public education taking place today, ELC’s vigilance in protecting children against illegal barriers is more critical than ever.

 

Fact Sheet

New Tools (and a Webinar) to Support Students Experiencing Educational Instability

Act 1: New Tools to Support Students Experiencing Educational Instability Pennsylvania students who experience “education instability” due to homelessness, involvement...Read More

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Analysis

Report Highlights Dangers, Lack of Educational Opportunity in Pa. Residential Child Welfare Facilities

This report by Children’s Rights and the Education Law Center-PA, entitled Unsafe and Uneducated: Indifference to Dangers in Pennsylvania’s Residential Child...Read More

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Current Law & Policy

Testimony: Meeting the Needs of Students who Experience Bullying in the School District of Philadelphia

Bullying and harassment are pervasive problems across the United States, Pennsylvania, and in Philadelphia public schools. Every week, ELC hears...Read More

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