An Act providing for School-Based Youth Court Pilot Program and for awarding grants; establishing the Youth Court Program Account; and making a transfer.

PRINTER'S NO. 2562
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2008
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY KAZEEM, CARROLL, BOYD, MADDEN, McNEILL, HANBIDGE,
GIRAL, SANCHEZ, KHAN, WAXMAN, MAYES, STEELE, GREEN AND CURRY,
NOVEMBER 3, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025
AN ACT
Providing for School-Based Youth Court Pilot Program and for
awarding grants; establishing the Youth Court Program
Account; and making a transfer.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the School-Based
Youth Court Pilot Program Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Account." The Youth Court Program Account established under
section 10(a).
"Department." The Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
"Institution of higher education." Any of the following:
(1) A community college operating under Article XIX-A of
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the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the
Public School Code of 1949.
(2) A university within the State System of Higher
Education.
(3) The Pennsylvania State University.
(4) The University of Pittsburgh.
(5) Temple University.
(6) Lincoln University.
(7) Any other institution that is designated as "State-
related" by the Commonwealth.
(8) An accredited private or independent college or
university.
"Local education agency." A school district, cyber charter
school, charter school, area career and technical school or
intermediate unit.
"Organizing entity." A local education agency or institution
of higher education that is administering a school-based youth
court.
"Program." The School-Based Youth Court Pilot Program
established under section 4.
"Sanction." Discipline handed down by a youth court that a
referred youth must perform to redress harm caused by the
youth's conduct and assist the referred youth in acquiring
insight into the consequences of the youth's behavior to make
better decisions in the future. A sanction may include the
following:
(1) Cooperating with court-assigned mentors or tutors.
(2) Mediated conversations between conflicting parties.
(3) Goal-setting tasks tailored to respondent needs.
(4) Customized dispositions.
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(5) Mandatory performance of community service.
(6) Participation on a youth court jury.
(7) Attendance at education workshops.
(8) Essay writing.
(9) Letter of apology or oral apology.
(10) Restitution and behavior modification classes.
(11) Other tasks as outlined in a behavior contract.
"School." An elementary, middle or high school located in
this Commonwealth.
"School-based youth court." A disciplinary court operated in
a school that processes school disciplinary offenses.
"Trauma-informed approach." As defined in section 102 of the
Public School Code of 1949.
"Youth." Any of the following:
(1) An individual under 21 years of age at the time of
the alleged offense for which the individual has been
referred to a youth court.
(2) An individual under 21 years of age enrolled in a
school who has been referred to a school disciplinary
proceeding for violating a school code of conduct or policy.
Section 3. Resource center.
The department shall establish an Education and Justice
Resource Center to:
(1) develop program guidelines and procedures under
section 4(b);
(2) identify and develop youth court training materials;
(3) provide training and technical assistance for
awardees of grants under section 6;
(4) provide assistance to local education agencies
seeking to start and operate youth courts;
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(5) oversee data collection from programs, including
academic, socialization and civic engagement skill
acquisition by youth court members;
(6) engage with national and State youth court
organizations;
(7) support the growth and development of other
restorative justice strategies in schools; and
(8) ensure that all youth court members and trainers
understand restorative principles and are trauma informed and
that trauma training is completed before a formal hearing is
held.
Section 4. School-Based Youth Court Pilot Program.
(a) Establishment.--The School-Based Youth Court Pilot
Program is established within the department to support the
development of youth courts in schools as a trauma-informed
approach to alternative disciplinary disposition and effective
system of restorative justice for student misconduct. The
program shall operate for three full school years, beginning
with the first school year that begins at least six months after
the effective date of this subsection.
(b) Guidelines and procedures.--No later than six months
after the effective date of this subsection, the department, in
consultation with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and
Delinquency, shall establish guidelines and procedures for the
program, which shall include the following:
(1) Procedures for referring school-based summary and
misdemeanor cases to youth courts, which shall include
procedures to prevent fingerprinting, photographing and the
occurrence of any other indicators of an arrest for any youth
referred to a youth court.
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(2) Guidelines for youth court operations.
(3) Procedures for data collection and reporting.
(4) Other necessary program requirements as determined
by the department in consultation with the Pennsylvania
Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
(c) Use of money.--Money in the account shall be used to
award grants under section 6 and administer this act.
Section 5. Youth court.
(a) Court membership.--A youth court shall consist of a
judge and a peer tribunal or peer jury as follows:
(1) Only a youth eligible under this act to be referred
to a youth court for an alleged violation of State law,
municipal ordinance or school code of conduct or policy may
serve as a judge or on a peer tribunal or peer jury.
(2) A youth court that used a judge who is older than 21
years of age prior to the effective date of this subsection
may continue to use a judge who is older than 21 years of
age.
(b) Training.--Youth who operate a youth court shall be
trained by lawyers, teachers, counselors, mediation experts,
trained students of institutions of higher education and others
as approved by the organizing entity.
(c) Procedures.--A youth court's operational procedures must
be adopted from other Pennsylvania youth courts, the National
Association of Youth Courts or as created by the students who
operate the youth court. All operating procedures must be
approved by the organizing entity.
(d) Sanctions.--A sanction must be restorative in nature and
the types of sanctions shall be adopted by each youth court
after approval by the organizing entity.
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(e) Code of conduct.--A youth court shall establish a code
of conduct, which shall include operational bylaws for
governance and a procedural manual describing the court's
operations.
(f) Type of youth court.--The youth court may operate as an
after-school program or be integrated within existing school
curriculum.
Section 6. Grants.
(a) Awards.--The Secretary of Education shall award up to
six grants each fiscal year to help schools develop youth courts
in accordance with this act.
(b) Grant amount.--The amount of a grant may not exceed
$250,000.
(c) Procedure.--The department shall develop a procedure for
awarding grants under the program. The procedure shall include a
rubric to prioritize grant awards, which shall include and
prioritize the following:
(1) School districts with a local capacity per weighted
student under section 2502.53 of the act of March 10, 1949
(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949,
below the Statewide median.
(2) Rates of student disciplinary actions, including
suspensions and expulsions.
(3) Proposed projects that include partnerships with
external partners, including institutions of higher
education, nonprofit partners, law offices or external
evaluators.
Section 7. Application.
(a) Development.--The department shall develop an
application by which a local education agency may apply for a
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grant under this act. The application shall include the
following:
(1) Narrative description of the proposed pilot project.
(2) Narrative description of demonstrated need.
(3) Relevant disciplinary data from prior school years,
as determined necessary by the department, including the
number of referrals of students to law enforcement.
(4) The organizing entities and project partners,
including external partners such as institutions of higher
education, nonprofit partners, law offices or external
evaluators.
(5) Projected program outcomes.
(b) Submission of applications.--An application under
subsection (a) must be submitted by a local education agency or
an institution of higher education. A local education agency may
apply on behalf of itself or on behalf of one or more local
education agencies. An institution of higher education may apply
on behalf of itself or on behalf of one or more local education
agencies.
Section 8. Reports by grantee.
An organizing entity that receives an award under this act
shall submit to the department, in a format determined by the
department, an annual report at the end of each grant period
with an evaluation report of program outcomes. The report shall
include the following:
(1) Number of suspension-eligible cases avoided through
referrals to youth courts.
(2) Number of total cases referred to youth courts.
(3) Number of police referrals deferred to youth courts.
(4) Number of individual students referred to youth
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courts.
(5) List of the nature of cases referred to youth
courts.
(6) Number of students receiving youth court training.
(7) Any other outcomes determined by the department.
Section 9. Reports by department.
The department shall prepare an annual report on the outcomes
and progress of the program and the Education and Justice
Resource Center's work. The report shall be published on the
department's publicly accessible Internet website and shall be
submitted to the following:
(1) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Education Committee of the Senate.
(2) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Education Committee of the House of Representatives.
(3) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Judiciary Committee of the Senate.
(4) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives.
(5) The Office of Safe Schools Advocate of the
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
(6) District attorneys and courts of common pleas of a
county in which an organizing entity has received a grant
under this act.
Section 10. Youth Court Program Account.
(a) Establishment.--The Youth Court Program Account is
established as an account in the General Fund. Money in the
account shall not lapse.
(b) Appropriation.--All money deposited into the account
under subsection (c) and the interest the money accrues is
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appropriated to the department on a continuing basis to
implement this act.
(c) Transfer from General Fund.--The sum of $9,500,000 shall
be transferred from the General Fund to the account for the
purpose of awarding grants to develop youth courts in accordance
with this act and administering this act.
Section 11. Effective date.
This act shall take effect July 1, 2025, or immediately,
whichever is later.
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