BILL NUMBER: ACR 80	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Dickinson
   (Principal coauthor: Senator Steinberg)
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Ammiano,   Atkins,   Bloom,  
Bocanegra,   Bonilla,   Bonta,   Bradford,
  Brown,   Buchanan,   Campos,  
Chau,   Chávez,   Chesbro,   Cooley,
  Daly,   Eggman,   Fong,   Fox,
  Frazier,   Garcia,   Gatto,  
Gomez,   Gonzalez,   Gordon,   Gorell,
  Hagman,   Hall,   Roger Hernández, 
Holden,   Jones-Sawyer,   Levine,  
Linder,   Lowenthal,   Medina,   Mitchell,
  Mullin,   Muratsuchi,   Nestande, 
 Pan,   Patterson,   Perea,   John A.
Pérez,   V. Manuel Pérez,   Quirk,  
Quirk-Silva,   Rendon,   Salas,   Skinner,
 Stone,   Ting,   Weber,  
Wieckowski,   Wilk,   Williams,   and
Yamada   ) 

                        AUGUST 27, 2013

   Relative to Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court Day.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   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.



   WHEREAS, More than 700,000 suspensions involving over 365,000
students occur in California's public schools each year; and
   WHEREAS, More than 1.8 million students are truant in California
public schools each year; and
   WHEREAS, African American students represent only 6.5 percent of
the enrollment in California public schools but receive 19 percent of
the total suspensions; and
   WHEREAS, Students with disabilities face the highest risk of
suspension of any students in California; and
   WHEREAS, Children in foster care are more likely to be suspended
and experience problems with chronic absenteeism; and
   WHEREAS, Suspension rates have been increasing since the 1970s,
with racial disparities in suspension rates increasing at very high
rates; and
   WHEREAS, Suspension and chronic absenteeism are linked to academic
failure, higher school dropout rates, and involvement in the
juvenile and criminal justice systems; and
   WHEREAS, Almost one-half of all suspensions in California are for
disruption and defiance, rather than for acts of violence or acts
involving weapons or drugs; and
   WHEREAS, Research shows that schools with high rates of suspension
do not have better attendance or academic performance than
demographically similar schools with much lower rates of suspension;
and
   WHEREAS, Implementation of evidence-based and promising practices
to respond to disruptive student behavior and improve school climate,
such as Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
and Restorative Justice, have allowed schools to reduce their rates
of suspension and improve school climate; and
   WHEREAS, Court-based interventions, such as truancy courts, have
shown promise in reducing chronic absenteeism and improving academic
performance; and
   WHEREAS, Juvenile courts are actively engaged in monitoring the
educational needs of children under their jurisdiction, and juvenile
court judges are encouraged to take an active role in their
communities to encourage adequate support and services for at-risk
youth as well as to develop a close liaison with school authorities;
and
   WHEREAS, Children in foster care with more stable placements
experience better educational outcomes and are more likely to
graduate; and
   WHEREAS, The Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson,
has focused resources of the State Department of Education to assist
school districts in California to implement new approaches to school
discipline and attendance that will lead to safer and more effective
schools in California; and
   WHEREAS, The Judicial Council has determined that keeping students
in school and out of our court system is an important objective for
all of California, and is hosting a December 4, 2013, summit to bring
collaborative teams from many California counties together to plan
reforms that will address the impact of existing school discipline
policies and the challenges of chronic absenteeism; and
   WHEREAS, The Assembly and the Senate are committed to working
together to reduce unnecessary suspensions and ensure that all
students in California have an opportunity to thrive in a safe and
supportive school environment; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California the Senate
thereof concurring, that the Legislature hereby designates December
4, 2013, as Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court Day, during which
multidisciplinary teams from across California will gather to
develop collaborative plans to improve school discipline practices
and school attendance so that children in California will succeed in
school and avoid involvement in criminal activity; and be it further
   Resolved, that the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.