Senate Bill 456, which expands, the availability of job training programs by Private Licensed Schools to open a branch campus in a neighboring county or any other location within 60 miles of the main campus, was sent Monday to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature.
A Private Licensed School is an institution such as trade schools or career and technical colleges.
Current law only permits schools to establish a branch campus in the same county as their primary campus. Any out-of-county location needs to secure an independent license.
“Our economy is constantly evolving, and trade schools and career and technical colleges play a critical role in helping the workforce to keep pace with these changes,” Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R- Beaver/ Washington/Greene counties, who introduced the bill, said. “We should encourage our best schools to open more campuses and serve more students, not bury them in mountains of red tape.”
The bill also creates a centralized repository of records within the state Department of Education to house student records and ensure records are maintained in the case of school transfer or school closure.
The bill requires schools to provide students with proper notice before any potential school closures and gives schools the ability to supply grants directly to students.