On Tuesday, July 2, 2019 PA Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera sent the following memo to all LEAs regarding SB 621, which had just been signed by Governor Wolf. The contents of the memo is as follows:

To: All LEA list

Subject: Senate Bill 621 Initial Guidance

Dear Colleague, 

Today Governor Wolf signed Senate Bill 621 into law. The legislation was intended to clarify past decisions by the General Assembly related to school safety, specifically identifying who may be armed on school property. Per the legislation, effective this fall, only school police officers (SPOs), school resource officers (SROs), and school security guards – all of whom must have the proper training and credentials – will be permitted to carry a firearm.  This legislation does not allow any other school personnel or staff to be armed on school property. To ensure a thorough review and accurate communication, the Department of Education will work with our school and education partners to review, clarify, and share practical guidance related to the new law by the start of the 2019-20 school year. 

Sincerely,

Pedro A. Rivera

Secretary of Education