Amended in Assembly April 30, 2013

Amended in Assembly April 10, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 631


Introduced by Assembly Member Fox

February 20, 2013


An act to amend Section 48645.3 of the Education Code, relating to pupils.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 631, as amended, Fox. Pupils: juvenile court schools.

Existing law requires county boards of education to provide for the administration and operation of public schools in juvenile homes, juvenile halls, day centers, juvenile ranches, juvenile camps, regional youth educational facilities, Orange County youth correctional centers, or in any group home housing 25 or more children, as specified. These public schools are known under existing law as juvenile court schools. Existing law requires that juvenile court schools be conducted in a manner prescribed by the county board of education to best accomplish the purposes set forth in existing law.

This bill would authorize the county board of education to adopt and enforce a course of study that increases instruction in mathematics and English for pupils attending juvenile court schools and who are performing 3 grades below grade level, as determined by objective local evaluations and assessments as approved by the county superintendent of schools.begin insert The bill would require an adopted enhanced course of study to meet all common core academic content standards and be tailored to meet the needs of the individual pupil to increase the pupil’s academic literacy and reading fluency. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert
begin insert

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:

end insert
begin insert

3(a) The Legislature recognizes the need to provide
4comprehensive instruction to all pupils, including pupils attending
5juvenile court facilities.

end insert
begin insert

6(b) The Legislature recognizes not all pupils have mastered a
7basic understanding of math and reading at the appropriate Lexile
8for success in school.

end insert
begin insert

9(c) The Legislature recognizes pupils attending juvenile court
10schools should have access to not only the common core academic
11content standards, but they should be presented in a practical way
12to enhance pupils’ understanding of the content.

end insert
13

begin deleteSECTION 1.end delete
14begin insertSEC. 2.end insert  

Section 48645.3 of the Education Code is amended to
15read:

16

48645.3.  

(a) Juvenile court schools shall be conducted in a
17manner as shall be prescribed by the county board of education to
18best accomplish the provisions of Section 48645. The minimum
19schoolday shall be 240 minutes. Minimum schooldays shall be
20calculated on the basis of the average number of minutes of
21attendance during not more than 10 consecutive days in which
22classes are conducted. The minimum schoolday for pupils in
23attendance in approved vocational education programs, work
24programs prescribed by the probation department pursuant to
25Section 883 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and work
26experience programs shall be 180 minutes, which shall be
27calculated on the basis of the average number of minutes of
28attendance during not more than 10 consecutive days in which
29classes are conducted. The county board of education shall adopt
30and enforce a course of study and evaluate its program in
31accordance with Sections 51040, 51041, 51050, and 51054 and
32the provisions of Article 3 (commencing with Section 51200) of
33Chapter 2 of Part 28, except subdivision (c) of Section 51220.

P3    1(b) Juvenile court schools shall not be closed on any weekday
2of the calendar year, except those weekdays adopted by the county
3board of education as school holidays or set aside by the county
4board of education for inservice purposes. However, the county
5board of education may close juvenile court schools when it deems
6 the closing is necessary to accommodate contingencies.

7(c) begin insert(1)end insertbegin insertend insert The county board of education may adopt and enforce
8a course of study thatbegin delete increasesend deletebegin insert enhancesend insert instruction in
9mathematics and English for pupils attending juvenile court schools
10and who are performing three grades below grade level, as
11determined by objective local evaluations and assessments as
12approved by the county superintendent of schools.

begin insert

13(2) The enhanced course of study adopted pursuant to paragraph
14(1) shall meet all common core academic content standards and
15be tailored to meet the needs of the individual pupil to increase
16the pupil’s academic literacy and reading fluency.

end insert


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