Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-416
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]
Introduced: 2015-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Child care and development
Child health
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Food assistance and relief
Government information and archives
Health care costs and insurance
Health promotion and preventive care
Medicaid
Minority education
Performance measurement
Poverty and welfare assistance
Preschool education
School administration
State and local government operations
Student records
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Teenage pregnancy
Transportation costs
Women's education

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-09
text: 

Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act of 2015

 
Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make formula grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish or enhance educational programs and related services that enable expectant and parenting students to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school. 
 
Requires state grantees to: (1) designate a Coordinator for Education of Expectant and Parenting Students who is to develop and implement a state plan for educating expectant and parenting students, and (2) develop and implement high-quality professional development programs for LEAs and school personnel.
 
Requires subgrantees to: 
 
 
 provide academic support services to expectant and parenting students; 
 
 assist such students in accessing quality, affordable child care, and early childhood education services; 
 
 provide transportation services or assistance to such students and their children; 
 
 educate students, parents, and community members regarding the educational rights of such students; 
 
 train school personnel regarding the challenges facing expectant and parenting students and their educational rights; 
 
 revise school policies and practices that hinder or discourage such students from continuing their education; 
 
 provide student parents with training and support in parenting, healthy relationship skills, unplanned pregnancy prevention strategies, and other life skills; and 
 
 provide educational and career mentoring services and peer groups to expectant and parenting students.
 
 
Gives subgrant priority to LEAs in geographic areas with teen birth rates that: (1) exceed the state average, or (2) are below the state average but higher than the state average for one or more racial or ethnic groups.
 
Directs the Secretary to conduct national activities that include: (1) providing technical assistance to states and reviewing their plans for educating expectant and parenting students, (2) evaluating subgrantees' programs and education program service delivery models for such students, and (3) gathering and disseminating information regarding the education of such students and best practices in facilitating it.
 
Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to include in their annual state report cards data regarding their expectant and parenting students, in the aggregate and disaggregated and cross-tabulated by specified student subgroups.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate