Penn Foster is a group of schools that was started by Thomas J. Foster in during the 1880s. The school was originally started as a mining school to help the miners pass the mining safety act of 1885. Just before the mining safety act was signed into law, there was a series of coal mining accidents and illnesses that claimed many coal miners' lives. Foster was upset at the number of lives lost because the miners were not properly trained. The Mine Safety act was an attempt to prevent the loss of life in the mines. The miners had to pass a safety test before they were allowed to work in the coal mines. The problem was that, because the miners were uneducated, they failed the safety test. Forster's school educated the miners and helped them pass the safety test.