Issue Position: Protecting Every Student's Right to a Good Education

Issue Position

Uphold every Pennsylvanian's constitutional right to a "thorough and efficient" public education. Pennsylvania's constitution guarantees every student the right to a "thorough and efficient" public education. But for years, Harrisburg has underfunded Pennsylvania's public schools. The results have been catastrophic, and our children are the ones who are suffering. As Attorney General, Shapiro will use the full weight of his office to uphold every Pennsylvanian's constitutional right to a thorough and efficient education.

Crack down on for-profit college scams. For-profit colleges and career training programs need to be in the business of educating students, not scamming them. While some for-profit colleges deliver quality instruction to their students, far too many, such as Trump University, have preyed on students, leaving them in debt and without the skills to succeed in their chosen careers. As Attorney General, Josh Shapiro will use civil and criminal enforcement to crack down on scam colleges taking advantage of Pennsylvanians trying to get ahead.

Protect student borrowers from predatory lenders and collection agencies. In 2014, 70 percent of Pennsylvania college graduates had student loan debt that averaged more than $33,000. Unfortunately, many student loans are handled by debt collection agencies that use illegal tactics to trick student borrowers into paying more money than they owe. As Attorney General, Shapiro will protect Pennsylvanians with student loan debt by cracking down on the predatory lenders and collection agencies that try to take advantage of them.

Lead the fight against bullying and protect students of all backgrounds. Bullying is a growing concern in schools across the Commonwealth. In recent years, bullying has expanded beyond the playground and onto the Internet. It's critical that school employees have the training to recognize, intervene and prevent bullying wherever it occurs. In Montgomery County, Josh launched a task force to address bullying that created a manual of best practices in bullying prevention, response and accountability that's being implemented in schools across the County. Shapiro will focus the Attorney General's Education and Outreach unit on expanding its training offerings on bullying to schools and communities across Pennsylvania and will aggressively prosecute any bullying that violates Pennsylvania hate crimes law.

Train school police and resource officers to work with children and youth. School police and resource officers are on the job to protect our children, teachers and school personnel. Schools should be safe environments where children can learn without fearing for their safety. Yet while these officers have police training, often they do not have background or training in working with children and youth. As Attorney General, Shapiro will work with the Department of Education to ensure that school police and resource officers funded through the Office for Safe Schools will have access to training in adolescent development, de-escalation and strategies for working with young people.

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