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Read. Follow. Verify.Pennsylvania Bill Requires Parental Consent for Student Mental Health Digital Platforms
Last action · January 22, 2025: Referred to EDUCATION, Jan. 22, 2025Sponsors: SCIALABBA and 12 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Pennsylvania House Bill 252 requires public school entities to obtain specific written permission from a parent or legal guardian at least 30 days before providing students access to any . The measure gives parents the right to review online student data, withdraw consent at any time, accompany their child while using the platform on school premises, and sue school governing bodies for noncompliance.
Parents gain legal authority to control and monitor their children's access to online school-provided mental health tools, while school districts face new compliance mandates and potential civil lawsuits for denying parental observation rights.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
parents or legal guardians
Parents gain rights to receive 30-day advance notice, grant or withdraw written consent, observe platform use on school premises, review online student data, and initiate civil action for violations.
school entities
School districts, charter schools, and other educational entities must issue 30-day notices, maintain public consent procedures and forms, manage consent withdrawals immediately, and face potential private lawsuits for excluding parents.
students
Students cannot access or use school-provided mental health digital platforms without prior parental permission and may have their access restricted if consent is withheld or withdrawn.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a school do before giving a student access to a mental health digital platform?
Can a parent withdraw permission for a student to use a mental health digital platform after granting it?
Do parents have the right to observe their child using the platform at school?
What happens if a school denies a parent the right to observe their child using the platform?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 22, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to EDUCATION, Jan. 22, 2025
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 8 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Civil Liability for School Governing Bodies
The bill creates a specific private right of action allowing parents to sue school governing bodies directly if excluded from observing student platform use without documented good cause.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.palegis.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance72How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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