HB 342 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, providing for mindfulness techniques.

PRINTER'S NO.      297

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 342
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY GREEN, GIRAL, HOWARD, SANCHEZ, HILL-EVANS, PIELLI,
        HOHENSTEIN AND OTTEN, JANUARY 27, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 27, 2025


                                     AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
 2      act relating to the public school system, including certain
 3      provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
 4      schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
 5      laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
 6      providing for mindfulness techniques.
 7      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 8   hereby enacts as follows:
 9      Section 1.    The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10   as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
11   section to read:
12      Section 1516.2.     Mindfulness Techniques.--(a)     Each school
13   entity shall adopt a policy for providing classroom instruction
14   to students in kindergarten through grade twelve in techniques
15   of mindfulness for a minimum of fifteen minutes each school day.
16      (b)   The mindfulness techniques required by subsection (a)
17   are not intended to be and shall not be conducted as a religious
18   service or exercise.
19      (c)   The Department of Education shall:
20      (1)   Develop and distribute to school entities a model policy
 1   on the teaching of mindfulness, which shall be consistent with
 2   subsection (a).
 3      (2)   Develop a model mindfulness curriculum and make the
 4   curriculum available to all school entities and, upon request,
 5   to nonpublic schools.
 6      (3)   Develop and post on its publicly accessible Internet
 7   website materials and guidelines on current best practice
 8   techniques in the teaching of mindfulness as required under
 9   subsection (a).
10      (d)   As used in this section, the following words and phrases
11   shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
12   the context clearly indicates otherwise:
13      "Mindfulness" shall mean the practice of being aware of one's
14   body, mind and feelings in the present moment.
15      "Nonpublic school" shall mean a nonprofit school, other than
16   a school entity, wherein a resident of this Commonwealth may
17   legally fulfill the compulsory school attendance requirements of
18   this act.
19      "School entity" shall mean a school district, joint school
20   district, charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter
21   school, intermediate unit or area career and technical school.
22      Section 2.     This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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