BILL ANALYSIS Ó
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 477|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 445-6614 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 477
Author: Wright (D)
Amended: 4/26/11
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-2, 5/4/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Blakeslee, Hancock, Price,
Simitian, Vargas
NOES: Runner, Huff
NO VOTE RECORDED: Liu, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 6-3, 5/16/11
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Lieu, Pavley, Price, Steinberg
NOES: Walters, Emmerson, Runner
SUBJECT : Parental notice of truancy
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires school districts to establish
a policy specifying the time period for notifying a parent
when a pupil is initially classified as a truant.
ANALYSIS :
Existing Law
1.Defines a truant as a pupil subject to compulsory
full-time education who is absent without valid excuses
three full days in one school year, or tardy or absent
CONTINUED
SB 477
Page
2
for more than any 30-minute period on three occasions, or
any combination
2.Requires a truant to be reported to the attendance
supervisor or to the superintendent of the school
district.
3.Requires the school district to notify the pupil's
parent, using the most cost-effective method possible,
upon a pupil's initial classification as a truant about
basic information, including that the parent is obligated
to compel the pupil to attend school, may be guilty of an
infraction and subject to prosecution, and that the pupil
may be subject to penalties. (
4.Requires that any pupil who has once been reported as a
truant and who is again absent or tardy from school
without a valid excuse for one day to again be reported
as a truant to the attendance supervisor or district
superintendent
5.Defines a "habitual truant" as any pupil who has been
reported as a truant three or more times per school year
(absent or tardy at least five days). A pupil may not be
deemed habitually truant unless an appropriate district
officer or employee had made a conscientious effort to
hold at least one conference with a parent and the pupil,
after the filing of either a truancy report to the
attendance supervisor or district superintendent.
6.Defines a "chronic truant" as any pupil who is absent
from school without a valid excuse for 10% or more of the
schooldays in one school year. A pupil may not be deemed
chronically truant unless specific steps are first taken
to address the pupil's absences.
This bill requires school districts to establish a policy
specifying the time period for notifying a parent when a
pupil is initially classified as a truant.
Comments
Truancy Notification Mandate . The Legislative Analyst's
Office (LAO) has recommended eliminating mandates that do
SB 477
Page
3
not serve a fundamental purpose and notes that truancy
mandates exemplify requirements that should be eliminated.
The LAO has suggested elimination of the Notification of
Truancy mandate not only because it does not substantively
increase parent involvement or reduce dropouts, but also
because the federal No Child Left Behind Act requires
districts to develop extensive policies for increasing
parental involvement. This federal requirement directly
targets students at risk of dropping out of school. Since
local educational agencies lose revenue when students have
unexcused absences, it could also be argued that districts
have an incentive to work with families and students to
curb truancy and improve attendance.
Pursuant to AB 1610 (Assembly Budget Committee), Chapter
724, Statutes of 2010, the LAO has convened work group to
consider the future of the state's K-14 mandates and to
develop recommendations regarding the treatment of those
mandates. Recommendations from this work group are
expected to be presented to the Budget Committees in the
near future.
Prior Legislation
AB 1610 (Assembly Budget Committee, Chapter724, Statutes of
2010, limits the state mandate costs for the existing
truancy notification mandate, by requiring school districts
to provide the truancy notification using the most
cost-effective method possible rather than requiring the
notice be sent by mail. Passed the Senate with a vote of
28-6 on October 7, 2010.
AB 1446 (DeSaulnier), 2007-08 Session, would have required
school districts, upon a pupil's initial classification as
a truant, to provide the required parental notification
within 10 school days. (Held on the Senate Appropriations
Committee on the Suspense File)
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13
SB 477
Page
4
2013-14 Fund
Mandate: notification Likely minor costs, if the
activity is General*
policy claimed in mandate costs
and deemed
reimbursable
*Counts toward the Proposition 98 minimum funding guarantee
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
because current law does not specify when the notice must
be provided, parents and guardians are not always notified
in a timely manner, which decreases their ability to
intervene and prevent further absences. Research shows
that pupils who are habitually truant are at greater risk
of dropping out of school than students who attend school
regularly. The author's office hopes that requiring school
districts to have a policy about when the notification is
sent to parents will allow for earlier intervention and
give at-risk students a greater chance for success.
CPM:cm 5/17/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
**** END ****