BILL ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1353| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ UNFINISHED BUSINESS Bill No: SB 1353 Author: Wright (D) Amended: 8/2/10 in Assembly Vote: 21 SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-0, 3/24/10 AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Liu, Maldonado, Price, Simitian NO VOTE RECORDED: Hancock, Wyland SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE : 4-0, 4/13/10 AYES: Liu, Romero, Runner, Yee NO VOTE RECORDED: Maldonado SENATE FLOOR : 34-0, 5/3/10 AYES: Aanestad, Ashburn, Cedillo, Cogdill, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Denham, DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Dutton, Florez, Hancock, Harman, Hollingsworth, Huff, Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Padilla, Pavley, Price, Romero, Runner, Simitian, Strickland, Walters, Wolk, Wright, Wyland, Yee NO VOTE RECORDED: Alquist, Calderon, Steinberg, Wiggins, Vacancy, Vacancy ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 71-0, 8/5/10 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : Foster youth: education stability SOURCE : Compton Unified School District CONTINUED SB 1353 Page 2 DIGEST : This bill requires consideration to be given to specified factors in making educational and school placement decisions for children and youth in foster care. Assembly Amendments broadened the scope of factors used in making educational and school placement decisions. ANALYSIS : Existing Law 1.Requires that the case plan for each child to include a summary of health and education information or records of the child. This summary must include assurances that the child's placement in foster care takes into account the proximity to the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement. 2.Requires that the decision regarding foster care placement be based upon selection of a safe setting that is the least restrictive or most family-like available, and that it is the most appropriate setting that is available and in close proximity to the parent's home, proximity to the child's school, or both. 3.Requires that all educational and school placement decisions ensure that pupils are placed in the least restrictive educational programs, and that the pupil has access to all educational and extra-curricular and enrichment activities that are available to all pupils. 4.Requires that the considerations of a foster child's educational stability, special needs, and best interests be taken into account when deciding on placement in the most appropriate foster home. 5.Requires that local education agencies allow a foster child to continue his or her education in the school of origin for the duration of the academic school year. This bill: 1.Makes findings and declarations about the importance of a child's education; the negative effects on foster CONTINUED SB 1353 Page 3 children of their transfers from school to school; the value of delaying a transfer until the end of a term, semester, or academic year; and, the absence in California law of provisions encouraging such a delay when a foster child transfers from one school to another. 2.Provides that the best interests of a foster child shall include educational stability and the opportunity to be educated in the least restrictive educational setting necessary to achieve academic progress. 3.Provides that the child's health and education summary shall also include the number of school transfers the child has experienced and the child's educational progress, as demonstrated by factors, including, but not limited to, academic proficiency scores, and credits earned toward graduation. 4.Adds to a foster child's bill or rights the right to attend school with minimal disruptions to attendance and educational settings caused by transfers. 5.Provides that the decision of which foster care setting to choose for a child shall include selecting a setting that is available in close proximity to the parent's home and proximity to the child's school. 6.Encourages the California Department of Education and the Department of Social Services to develop other indicators of educational stability to complement the current indicators of proximity of the home to the school or origin, school attendance area, the number of transfers the child has previously experienced and accommodation of the child's matriculation schedule. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No SUPPORT : (Verified 8/9/10) Compton Unified School District (source) Advancement Project Aspiranet California Probation, Parole and Correctional Association CONTINUED SB 1353 Page 4 California State PTA California Teachers Association Junior Leagues of California's State Public Affairs Committee New Visions Foundation Para Los Ninos Pomona Unified School District U-Turn Alcohol & Drug Education Program, Inc. ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, "Foster youth lose an average of four to six months of educational progress each time they change schools. One-third of foster children have changed schools at least five times. In Compton Unified School District, almost half of its 1,265 students in foster care changed schools each year. Of these transfers, 85 percent resulted in a student entering a new school after the first day of class. In a national study of youth who had been in foster care, those who had one fewer placement change per year were almost twice as likely to graduate from high school." ASSEMBLY FLOOR : AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Norby, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Davis, Fletcher, Furutani, Hill, Lieu, V. Manuel Perez, Smyth, Vacancy CPM:cm 8/9/10 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE CONTINUED SB 1353 Page 5 **** END **** CONTINUED