PRINTER'S NO. 206
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.310
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MARTIN, ARGALL, BARTOLOTTA, BOSCOLA, BROWN,
FONTANA, MILLER, PENNYCUICK AND SANTARSIERO,
FEBRUARY 18, 2025
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 18, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto ," in high schools, providing for Free
Application for Federal Student Aid .
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 1617. Free Application for Federal Student Aid.--(a)
Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, prior to completing
high school, a student who attends a school entity in this
Commonwealth, unless exempted under subsection (e), shall file a
FAFSA with the United States Department of Education or submit
an opt-out form in accordance with subsection (b).
(b) The parent or legal guardian of a student or, if a
student is at least eighteen years of age or legally
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19 emancipated, the student may opt out of filing the FAFSA under
subsection (a) by completing and submitting to the school entity
an opt-out form developed by the department, in consultation
with the agency. The opt-out form shall include a statement that
the parent, legal guardian or student, as applicable,
understands the purpose of the FAFSA and has chosen not to file
the application.
(c) The department shall make the opt-out form available to
school entities and post the opt-out form on the department's
publicly accessible Internet website.
(d) A school entity shall provide a copy of the opt-out form
to parents, legal guardians and students.
(e) If a FAFSA is not filed or opt-out form is not submitted
on behalf of a student, the school entity may exempt the student
from the provisions of subsection (a). Prior to making an
exemption, the school entity must make a reasonable effort to
contact the parent or legal guardian of the student.
(f) The agency shall provide a school entity with
information indicating whether a student of the school entity
has completed the FAFSA.
(g) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to
require a parent, legal guardian or student to provide personal
financial information to a school entity.
(h) Personal financial information inadvertently obtained
from a parent, legal guardian or student by a school entity as a
result of administering this section is not a public record
accessible for inspection and duplication in accordance with the
act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the "Right-to-
Know Law."
(i) As used in this section, the following words and phrases
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30 shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Agency" shall mean the Pennsylvania Higher Education
Assistance Agency.
"Department" shall mean the Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
"FAFSA" shall mean the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid.
"School entity" shall mean an area career and technical
school, charter school, cyber charter school, nonpublic school,
private school, regional charter school or school district.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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