Deadline approaching for Pennsylvania parents to decide if students will repeat grade-level
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The deadline is approaching for Pennsylvania parents to decide whether or not their children will repeat their grades under a new law.
Act 66 permits students that were enrolled in school during the 2020-21 school year to repeat their grade level. The intent is to allow those students to make up for any lost educational opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic and remote learning.
Act 66 was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf back on June 30.
Students are eligible to repeat the grade-level even if they met the requirements to move on to the next grade during the pandemic.
Parents, guardians, and students age 18 or above have until Thursday, July 15, to elect to have their child, or themselves, repeat a grade level for the 2021-22 school year.
Act 66 also permits students with disabilities who were enrolled during the 2020-21 school year and turned age 21 during the 2020-21 school year, or between the end of the 2020-21 school year and the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, to attend a school entity during the 2021-22 school year and receive services as outlined on their most recent Individualized Education Program (IEP) with all the protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Act 66 applies to students involved in any of the following school entities in Pennsylvania during the 2020-21 school year.
- School district
- Intermediate unit
- Career and technical education center
- Charter school
- Cyber charter school
- Regional charter school
- Nonpublic school
- Approved private schools
- Chartered schools for the deaf and blind
Anyone interested in having their child repeat a grade level under Act 66, needs to fill out a form and submit it to their district or school.
You can find answers to frequently asked questions, here.