Amended in Assembly April 22, 2014

Amended in Assembly March 28, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 1444


Introduced by Assembly Members Buchanan and Weber

(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Campos, Dickinson, Medina, Pan, and Quirk-Silva)

(Principal coauthors: Senators DeSaulnier, Hill, Lieu, Wolk, Wright, and Yee)

January 6, 2014


An act to amend Section 48010 of, and to add Section 48001 to, the Education Code, relating to kindergarten.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1444, as amended, Buchanan. Elementary education: kindergarten.

Under existing law, a person between the ages of 6 and 18 years who is not exempted by law is subject to compulsory full-time education. Existing law excludes a child under 6 years of age from the public schools, subject to specified exceptions.

Existing law requires a school district maintaining a kindergarten to admit a child who will have his or her 5th birthday on or before certain specified dates during that school year. Existing law also requires that a child who will have his or her 6th birthday on or before specified dates be admitted to the first grade of an elementary school.

This bill, beginning with thebegin delete 2015-16end deletebegin insert 2016-17end insert school year, would require a child to have completed one year of kindergarten before he or she may be admitted to the first grade, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

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

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

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SECTION 1.  

Section 48001 is added to the Education Code,
2to read:

3

48001.  

Beginning with thebegin delete 2015-16end deletebegin insert 2016-17end insert school year, a
4child shall have completed one year of kindergarten before he or
5she may be admitted to the first grade.

6

SEC. 2.  

Section 48010 of the Education Code is amended to
7read:

8

48010.  

(a) A child shall be admitted to the first grade of an
9elementary school during the first month of a school year if the
10child has completed one year of kindergarten and will have his or
11her sixth birthday on or before one of the following dates:

12(1) December 2 of the 2011-12 school year.

13(2) November 1 of the 2012-13 school year.

14(3) October 1 of the 2013-14 school year.

15(4) September 1 of the 2014-15 school year and each school
16year thereafter.

17(b) For good cause, the governing board of a school district may
18permit a child of proper age to be admitted to a class after the first
19school month of the school term.

20

SEC. 3.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
21this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
22local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
23pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
244 of Title 2 of the Government Code.



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