The Pennsylvania House Education Committee approved House Bill 1919 on June 2, legislation designed to strengthen protections for educators and support professionals who are unable to perform their job duties due to injuries resulting from student behavior.
The bill would allow school employees who are injured as a result of student behavior—or, in less frequent cases, the actions of parents or guardians—to take necessary time off for recovery without losing pay or benefits, including the accrual of service credit toward retirement.
Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), said in a statement, “No school employee should be forced to absorb the financial consequences of being injured as a result of student behavior, and right now, too many are. Increasingly, these educators are choosing to leave the profession, which impacts the entire school community, students and staff alike. That is not sustainable for our workforce or for our students.”
Chapin also said, “This legislation is needed now more than ever as educators across the state are seeing students experience more trauma, dysregulation, and emotional complexity, while access to counselors, psychologists, social workers, and community mental health resources remains limited. Behavioral incidents are becoming more frequent, more intense, and more difficult to manage safely, making injuries of school staff more likely.”
He added, “School employees should not have to bargain for these basic protections at the local level due to gaps in workers’ compensation coverage. They should be able to rely on a consistent standard that reflects the realities of their work and provides them with the protections they deserve. We owe it to them and to the students they serve.”
Chapin is a Stroudsburg Area middle school teacher serving as president of PSEA. The Pennsylvania State Education Association represents over 178,000 educators and related professionals across Pennsylvania through legislative advocacy efforts intended to promote quality public education; it offers services such as professional development opportunities and legal protection via regional offices statewide, according to the official website.
