(a) Legislative finding; declaration of policy. Defects in vision are health-related. It is today recognized that the diagnosis and evaluation of those defects and the rendering of instruction in skills appropriate for the education, safety and independence of children afflicted by visual impairments 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, evaluative and instructional services for such 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. As used in this section:

“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

“Visual services” means diagnostic, evaluative and instructional visual 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 shall have the power and duty to furnish free to nonpublic school students, upon the premises of the nonpublic schools which they regularly attend, services adequate for the diagnosis and evaluation of visual defects and instruction and training in skills advisable for the education, independence and safety of such children, including but not limited to mobility training, provided that such services are also afforded to public school students by the public school district in which such nonpublic school is located.