COMMUNITY JUSTICE RESOURCE CENTER NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES

Pennsylvania Clarifies Rules for Public School Enrollment
by Aurora Vásquez, Staff Attorney of Advancement Project

Despite existing requirements that immigrant and foster children must be permitted to enroll in Pennsylvania public schools, many school districts were seemingly following their own contrary set of rules and procedures. Due to the hard work of the Pennsylvania Education Law Center with the support of various community-based groups and service providers, including the Pennsylvania Council for Children, Pennsylvania Protection and Advocacy, the Juvenile Law Center and the IMPACT project, among others, the Pennsylvania Board of Education revised its school enrollment regulations.

It took a combination of advocacy and the undeniable truth about the enrollment barriers faced by many students, to persuade the Board to agree to revise the regulations. The Education Law Center's report, which documented enrollment problems was a major contributing factor in this campaign.

The revised rules clarify that immigration status is not a factor in the school admission process; document requirements for enrollment.   To learn more about the recent amendments or to view a Basic Education Circular issued by the Pennsylvania Board of Education regarding student enrollment procedures, visit the Pennsylvania Education Law Center at: www.elc-pa.org/ .