(a) Legislative finding; declaration of policy.--It is today recognized that diagnostic and evaluative psychological services to children are closely related to their physical, mental and emotional health. Such services can best be rendered upon the premises of the school which the child regularly attends, and forcing children to go to other premises in order to have such needed services is found by the General Assembly to be both inadequate and harmful. The General Assembly expressly finds and declares diagnostic and evaluative psychological services for children to be health services, and it is the intention of the General Assembly now to make these available, on a general and even-handed basis, to all school children in the Commonwealth.

(b) Definitions.--The following terms, whenever used or referred to in this section, shall have the following meanings, except in those circumstances where the context clearly indicates otherwise:

“Nonpublic school” means any nonprofit school, other than a public school within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, wherein a resident of the Commonwealth may legally fulfill the compulsory school attendance requirements and which meets the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352).¹

“Psychological services” means diagnostic and evaluative psychological services for children.

(c) Provision of services.--The Secretary of Education directly, or through the intermediate units out of their allocation under section 922.1-A² of this act shall have the power and duty to furnish free to nonpublic school students, upon the premises of the nonpublic schools which they regularly attend, psychological services provided that such services are also afforded to public school students by the public school district in which such nonpublic school is located.