BILL NUMBER: AB 2102 CHAPTERED 09/29/06 CHAPTER 608 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 21, 2006 PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 16, 2006 AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 7, 2006 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 26, 2006 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 3, 2006 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 20, 2006 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Saldana FEBRUARY 17, 2006 An act to add Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 51250) to Chapter 2 of Part 28 of, the Education Code, relating to schoolage military dependents. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2102, Saldana Military dependents: records. Existing law prescribes certain courses of study for pupils enrolled in public school and requires specific courses be completed in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. Existing law permits a school district to specify additional coursework for a pupil to complete in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. This bill would require the State Department of Education to establish a formal liaison with the United States Department of Defense and school districts and county offices of education that enroll military dependents to examine course credit transfer issues and establish guidelines for course credit transfer, to develop procedures to facilitate the integration of military dependents into new schools, to establish procedures to assist military dependents in meeting local graduation requirements, and to create model memorandums of agreement between military bases and school districts or county offices of education. The bill also would permit the governing board of a school district and a county office of education to establish a course credit transfer policy for schoolage military dependents provided that the military dependents would still substantially meet the graduation requirements prescribed by the governing board; and to provide early entry transfer, pretranscript evaluation, pupil support services, and other similar assistance to aid schoolage military dependents in meeting graduation requirements. The bill, however, would limit the authority of a school district to make the specified accommodations for military dependents to situations in which the parent or legal guardian of the military dependent is serving on active duty or has been discharged from military service within the last year and the transfer of the military dependent to a new school is the direct result of a military transfer or discharge of the parent or legal guardian of the dependent. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Military services personnel serve our country every day. Not only do military services personnel perform patriotic duties, but they also make daily sacrifices, such as deployment and living overseas. As a result, military families also experience the hardships of the military services personnel. (b) There are over 98,000 schoolage military dependents. Many of these individuals face significant obstacles. Twenty-five percent of these pupils lose course credits due to multiple school transfers, including transferring from out-of-state and out-of-country United States Department of Defense schools to public schools in California. Many schoolage dependents are often inadvertently penalized by varying requirements at the different schools they attend as the result of the federal military mobilization, multiple duty station transfers, or both, of their parents or legal guardians. SEC. 2. Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 51250) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 28 of the Education Code, to read: Article 4.5. Schoolage Military Dependents 51250. The department shall establish a formal liaison with the United States Department of Defense and school districts and county offices of education that enroll military dependents to do all of the following: (a) Examine course credit transfer issues and establish guidelines for course credit transfer. (b) Develop procedures to facilitate the integration of military dependents into new public schools. (c) Establish procedures to assist military dependents in meeting local graduation requirements. (d) Create model memorandums of agreement between military bases and school districts or county offices of education regarding enabling schoolage military dependents to experience a smoother transition from one school to another school. 51251. (a) A governing board of a school district and a county office of education may undertake any or all of the following in order to properly address the needs of military dependents: (1) Establish a course credit transfer policy for schoolage military dependents provided that, under the policy, the military dependents would still substantially meet the graduation requirements prescribed by the governing board. A school district may require a military dependent, within reason, to meet the graduation requirements of the district, established pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 51225.3, that are in addition to state graduation requirements. (2) Provide early entry transfer, pretranscript evaluation, pupil support services, and other similar assistance to aid schoolage military dependents in meeting graduation requirements. (b) A governing board of a school district may take the actions described in subdivision (a) if both of the following circumstances have been met: (1) The parent or legal guardian of the military dependent is serving on active duty or has been discharged from military service within the last year. (2) The transfer of the military dependent to a new school is the direct result of a military transfer or discharge of the parent or legal guardian of the dependent. (c) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) "Early entry transfer" means that a pupil shall have completed the transfer process prior to arriving on the campus of the school to which the pupil is transferring and that upon arrival at the school to which the pupil is transferring, the pupil shall be able to attend his or her assigned classes and participate in his or her desired extracurricular activities, provided the pupil meets the eligibility requirements for those activities. (2) "Pretranscript evaluation" means that the school to which the pupil is transferring shall review the coursework-to-date of the pupil, including any unofficial transcripts, prior to the receipt of official transcripts or the arrival of the pupil. This evaluation process shall be designed to clarify any questions about the placement of the pupil in classes at the school to which the pupil is transferring and shall include communication with school counselors and teachers at the school from which the pupil is transferring by any or all of the following means: videoconferencing, e-mail correspondence, and telephone calls.