Commonwealth v. Kerstetter

OPINION

Chief Justice CASTILLE.

This appeal concerns whether the Pennsylvania School Code’s compulsory school age and attendance provisions (24 P.S. *993§§ 13-1826 & 13-1327) apply to children under eight years old whose parents voluntarily enroll them in public kindergarten programs made available by school districts. The trial court and Commonwealth Court both held that once a child who meets a district’s minimum entrance age is enrolled in a district’s public school kindergarten program, the child is subject to compulsory school attendance, meaning continuous and consistent attendance without…