ACR 80, as amended, Dickinson. Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court Day
This measure would designate December 4, 2013, as Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court Day.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, More than 700,000 suspensions involving over
2365,000 students occur in California’s public schools each year;
3and
P2 1WHEREAS, More than 1.8 million students are truant in
2California public schools each year; and
3WHEREAS, African American students represent only 6.5
4percent of the enrollment in California public schools but receive
519 percent of the total suspensions; and
6WHEREAS, Students with disabilities face the highest risk of
7suspension of any students in California; and
8WHEREAS, Children in foster care are more likely to be
9suspended and experience problems with chronic absenteeism;
10and
11WHEREAS, Suspension rates have been increasing since the
121970s, with racial disparities in suspension rates increasing at very
13high rates; and
14WHEREAS, Suspension and chronic absenteeism are linked to
15academic failure, higher school dropout rates, and involvement in
16the juvenile and criminal justice systems; and
17WHEREAS, Almost one-half of all suspensions in California
18are for disruption and defiance, rather than for acts of violence or
19acts involving weapons or drugs; and
20WHEREAS, Research shows that schools with high rates of
21suspension do not have better attendance or academic performance
22than demographically similar schools with much lower rates of
23suspension; and
24WHEREAS, Implementation of evidence-based and promising
25practices to respond to disruptive student behavior and improve
26school climate, such as Schoolwide Positive Behavioral
27Interventions and Supports and Restorative Justice, have allowed
28schools to reduce their rates of suspension and improve school
29climate; and
30WHEREAS, Court-based interventions, such as truancy courts,
31have shown promise in reducing chronic absenteeism and
32improving academic performance; and
33WHEREAS, Juvenile courts are actively engaged in monitoring
34the educational needs of children under their jurisdiction, and
35juvenile court judges are encouraged to take an active role in their
36communities to encourage adequate support and services for at-risk
37youth as well as to develop a close liaison with school authorities;
38and
P3 1WHEREAS, Children in foster care with more stable placements
2experience better educational outcomes and are more likely to
3graduate; and
4WHEREAS, The Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom
5Torlakson, has focused resources of the State Department of
6Education to assist school districts in California to implement new
7approaches to school discipline and attendance that will lead to
8safer and more effective schools in California; and
9WHEREAS, The Judicial Council has determined that keeping
10students in school and out of our court system is an important
11objective for all of California, and is hosting a December 4, 2013,
12summit to bring collaborative teams from many California counties
13together to plan reforms that will address the impact of existing
14school discipline policies and the challenges of chronic
15absenteeism; and
16WHEREAS, The Assembly and the Senate are committed to
17working together to reduce unnecessary suspensions and ensure
18that all students in California have an opportunity to thrive in a
19safe and supportive school environment; now, therefore, be it
20Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California the Senate
21thereof concurring, that the Legislature hereby designates
22December 4, 2013, as Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court
23Day, during which multidisciplinary teams from across California
24will gather to develop collaborative plans to improve school
25discipline practices and school attendance so that children in
26California will succeed in school and avoid involvement in criminal
27activity; and be it further
28Resolved, that the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
29of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
O
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