BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2262
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 2262 (Bradford)
As Amended May 23, 2012
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |77-0 |(April 16, |SENATE: |33-0 |(May 25, 2012) |
| | |2012) | | | |
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Original Committee Reference: ED.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the governing board of each school district
to, at the request of parents or guardians, provide the annual
notice of parent or guardian rights and responsibilities in an
electronic format. Requires the notice provided in an
electronic format to conform to the provisions under current law
requiring all notices, reports, statements, or records sent to a
parent or guardian to be written in English and in a pupil's
primary language if 15% or more of the pupils enrolled in the
school speak that language. Requires a parent or guardian that
receives the notice in an electronic format to submit to the
school a signed acknowledgement of receipt of the notice.
The Senate amendments add the provisions requiring an electronic
notice to comply with existing law requiring notices to be
provided in a pupil's primary language if at least 15% of the
pupils in the school speak that language and require a parent or
guardian to submit a signed acknowledgement of receipt of the
notice.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was substantially similar
to the version passed by the Senate.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : Under current law, local educational agencies are
required to provide an annual notice to parents and guardians to
inform them of their rights and responsibilities under specified
sections of the law and to provide information deemed important
or helpful by the Legislature for parents or guardians to know.
The information required to be provided total more than 20 items
and include district policies on discipline, attendance,
excused/unexcused absences, fingerprinting, sexual harassment,
AB 2262
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and residency; rights of parents or guardians to excuse their
pupils from sexual education classes and rights of students to
refrain from participation in an education project harmful to
animals; and, information important for high school graduation
and entry into college. Parents or guardians are required to
sign a form to acknowledge receipt of the notification.
The length of the notices vary from district to district,
ranging from under 20 pages to over 100 pages. Some districts
combine the parent notice with other school policies and
procedures, resulting in a sizeable document (e.g.,
parent-student handbook). Current law authorizes school
districts to provide the notice by regular mail or by any other
method normally used to communicate with parents or guardians in
writing. This bill authorizes school districts to send the
notice via an electronic format (e.g., email or on the
district's Web site) if it is requested by a parent or guardian.
Current law is permissive and does not require school districts
to send the notices by mail. Districts are authorized to send
the notice by other means used to communicate with parents or
guardians in writing; districts can likely do this now.
However, in order to ensure that parents and guardians are not
forced to receive electronic versions, electronic notifications
should only be an option for those families who choose that
option. This bill authorizes delivery via an electronic format
only if it is requested by parents or guardians.
This bill also clarifies that if a school district chooses to
provide the annual notice in an electronic format, it still must
comply with existing law requiring translation of documents if
15% or more of pupils at a school speak a certain language.
This bill is sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School
District (LAUSD), who states, "LAUSD faces its 5th consecutive
year of budget deficits, and it is currently wrestling with a
deficit of $390 million for FY �fiscal year] 2012-13. In an
effort to find new and innovative ways to cut costs, LAUSD would
like to have the option to distribute parent-student handbooks
electronically?.The parent-student handbooks cost LAUSD
approximately $400,000 for printing and distribution. If half
of LAUSD's families elected to get the parent-student handbook
electronically, the District could save approximately $200,000 a
year."
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Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0003759