PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 125

PRINTER'S NO. 955

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No.

148

Session of

2023

INTRODUCED BY ORTITAY, CIRESI, ROZZI AND ARMANINI, MARCH 8, 2023

AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, APRIL 21, 2023

for parent educational information regarding eating disorders

EATING DISORDER AWARENESS AND EDUCATION.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known

as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a

section to read:

Section 1426. Parent Educational Information Regarding

Eating Disorders.--(a) Each school entity shall annually

provide parent educational information regarding eating

first class mail or on the school entity's publicly accessible

Internet website.

(c) The following shall apply:

(1) The Department of Education, in conjunction with the

Department of Health, shall develop an Eating Disorders Task

Force that shall develop and implement guidelines for providing

parent educational information regarding eating disorders. The

guidelines shall be developed with input from specialized

directors, school superintendents, the National Alliance for

(2) The Eating Disorders Task Force shall meet at least two

times per school year to reassess the information provided to

schools and to parents. The task force shall meet at least once

prior to the school year beginning and shall meet at least once

in the beginning of the calendar year.

(d) The Department of Education, the Department of Health

and the Eating Disorders Task Force shall identify and develop

appropriate additions or revisions to this Commonwealth's school

health regulations and materials related to the development of

parent educational information, including guidance regarding the

including school principals, vice principals and school

counselors and psychologists, on the importance of eating

disorder prevention education and resources for schools.

(2) The development of a letter to parents and guardians

that includes warning signs, risk factors, resources and other

information about eating disorders.

(f) As used in this section, the term "school entity" means

an area career and technical school, a charter school, a cyber

school district.

Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

SECTION 1426. EATING DISORDER AWARENESS AND EDUCATION.--(A)

A SCHOOL ENTITY SHALL ANNUALLY PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING

EATING DISORDER AWARENESS AND EDUCATION FOR PUPILS IN GRADES SIX

THROUGH TWELVE TO PARENTS, GUARDIANS AND KEY SCHOOL PERSONNEL.

THE INFORMATION SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE EDUCATIONAL

INFORMATION AND MATERIALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ESTABLISHED UNDER

THIS SECTION.

(B) A SCHOOL ENTITY SHALL PROVIDE THE EDUCATIONAL

INFORMATION AND MATERIALS TO PARENTS, GUARDIANS AND KEY SCHOOL

SCHOOL PERSONNEL.

(D) THE EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION AND MATERIALS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS SHALL:

(1) BE DEVELOPED WITH INPUT FROM THE EATING DISORDERS

ADVISORY COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED UNDER THIS SECTION.

(2) BE POSTED ON THE DEPARTMENT'S PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE

INTERNET WEBSITE IN A VARIETY OF LANGUAGES FOR DISSEMINATION TO

PARENTS, GUARDIANS AND KEY SCHOOL PERSONNEL BY SCHOOL ENTITIES.

(3) EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF EATING DISORDER PREVENTION

EDUCATION AND RESOURCES FOR SCHOOL ENTITIES AND KEY SCHOOL

PERSONNEL.

(4) LIST THE WARNING SIGNS, RISK FACTORS AND RESOURCES ABOUT

(E) THE SECRETARY SHALL ESTABLISH THE EATING DISORDERS

(F) THE SECRETARY SHALL APPOINT MEMBERS TO THE EATING

DISORDERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FROM SPECIALIZED ORGANIZATIONS AND

ENTITIES, INCLUDING THE PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION,

THE PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, THE

NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR EATING DISORDERS, THE PENNSYLVANIA

ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL NURSES AND PRACTITIONERS, THE PENNSYLVANIA

CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, THE PENNSYLVANIA

ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS, THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF

EATING DISORDERS PROFESSIONALS FOUNDATION AND THE ACADEMY FOR

EATING DISORDERS.

THE SECRETARY'S DESIGNEE, WHO SHALL SERVE AS CHAIRPERSON. THE

FIRST MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE SHALL OCCUR WITHIN SIXTY (60)

DAYS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION.

(I) DURING SUBSEQUENT YEARS, THE EATING DISORDERS ADVISORY

COMMITTEE SHALL MEET AT LEAST ONE TIME PER SCHOOL YEAR TO

REASSESS THE INFORMATION PROVIDED TO SCHOOL ENTITIES AND TO

PARENTS.

(J) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE AVAILABLE THE EDUCATIONAL

THIS SECTION TO SCHOOL ENTITIES WITHIN ONE YEAR AFTER THE

PARENT EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION, INCLUDING GUIDANCE REGARDING THE

CLEAR DELINEATION OF HEALTH INFORMATION FROM OTHER

ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTATION.

(L) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING WORDS AND PHRASES

SHALL HAVE THE MEANINGS GIVEN TO THEM IN THIS SUBSECTION:

"DEPARTMENT." THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE

COMMONWEALTH.

"KEY SCHOOL PERSONNEL." INCLUDES SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, VICE

PRINCIPALS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS AND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS.

"NONPUBLIC SCHOOL." A SCHOOL, OTHER THAN A PUBLIC SCHOOL,

(RELATING TO FEDERALLY ASSISTED PROGRAMS) (TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL

RIGHTS ACT OF 1964).

"SCHOOL ENTITY." A SCHOOL DISTRICT, AREA CAREER AND

TECHNICAL SCHOOL, CHARTER SCHOOL, CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL, REGIONAL

CHARTER SCHOOL, INTERMEDIATE UNIT OR NONPUBLIC SCHOOL.

"SECRETARY." THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION OF THE COMMONWEALTH.

SECTION 2. THIS ACT SHALL TAKE EFFECT IN 30 DAYS.