BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                            



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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 1806
          Author:   Bloom (D)
          Amended:  As introduced
          Vote:     21

           
          SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  6-0, 6/4/14
          AYES:  Liu, Wyland, Block, Hancock, Huff, Monning
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Correa

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  6-0, 8/14/14
          AYES: De León, Gaines, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  75-0, 4/24/14 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Homeless students

           SOURCE  :     National Association for the Education of Homeless  
          Children andYouth


           DIGEST  :    This bill extends policies and procedures for  
          suspension, expulsion, graduation requirements and completed  
          coursework to students who are homeless that are currently  
          provided to students who are in foster care.

           ANALYSIS  :    

           Homeless Children and Youth
           
          Existing law:
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          1.The federal McKinney-Vento Act defines "homeless children and  
            youths" as children and youths who lack a fixed, regular, and  
            adequate nighttime residence, and includes children and youths  
            who, among other situations, are sharing the housing of other  
            persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a  
            similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks,  
            or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate  
            accommodations.  

          2.The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youths  
            Program requires state educational agencies to ensure that  
            homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free  
            public education as is provided to other children and youth.   
            States are required to review and undertake steps to revise  
            any laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as  
            barriers to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school  
            of homeless children and youth. 

          3.The McKinney-Vento Act requires each local educational agency  
            to designate a staff person as a liaison for homeless children  
            and youth, and carry out specific duties, such as ensuring  
            immediate enrollment, access to educational opportunities  
            offered to other students, and providing notice of the rights  
            of homeless youth.  

           Expulsion
           
          Existing law:

          1.Authorizes schools to suspend and recommend expulsion for  
            various acts, and requires schools to immediately suspend and  
            recommend expulsion for certain acts.  

          2.Entitles students to a hearing to determine whether the  
            student should be expelled, to be held within 30 schooldays  
            after the date the principal or superintendent recommended  
            expulsion.  Written notice of the hearing must be sent to the  
            student at least 10 calendar days prior to the hearing, and  
            include specific information. 

          3.Requires school districts that use discretion to recommend  
            expulsion (rather than mandatory recommendation for expulsion)  
            of a student with exceptional needs who is also a foster youth  







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            to invite the youth's attorney and a representative of the  
            county child welfare agency to the individualized education  
            program (IEP) team meeting that makes a manifestation  
            determination. 

          4.If the decision to recommend expulsion is discretionary and  
            the student is a foster youth, requires school districts to  
            provide notice of the expulsion hearing to the student's  
            attorney and representative of the county child welfare agency  
            at least 10 calendar days before the date of the hearing.   
            School districts are authorized to provide this notification  
            if a recommendation for expulsion is required.  

           Graduation Requirements
           
          Existing law:

          1.Requires a student to pass both the English language arts and  
            mathematics portions of the California High School Exit Exam  
            and complete the following courses as a condition of  
            graduating from high school:

                 Three years of English. 
                 Two years of mathematics.  
                 Two years of science, including biological and physical  
               sciences.  
                 Three years of social studies, including United States  
               history and geography; world history, culture, and  
               geography; one semester of American government and civics,  
               and one semester of economics.   
                 One year of visual or performing arts, foreign language,  
               or until July 1, 2017, career technical education.  
                 Two years of physical education.  

          1.Requires one of the two years of mathematics to meet or exceed  
            the rigor of the content standards for Algebra I. 

          2.Authorizes school districts to impose additional coursework  
            requirements as a condition of graduation from high school. 

          3.Requires school districts to exempt a student in foster care  
            from district graduation requirements that exceed state  
            requirements if the student transfers schools any time after  
            the completion of the student's second year of high school,  







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            unless the district makes a finding that the student is  
            reasonably able to complete the additional requirements in  
            time to graduate from high school by the end of the student's  
            fourth year of high school.  

           Credit for Coursework Completed
           
          Existing law requires school districts to accept coursework  
          satisfactorily completed by a student in foster care while  
          attending another public school, a juvenile court school, or a  
          non-public school or agency even if the student did not complete  
          the entire course.  School districts are required to issue full  
          or partial credit for the coursework completed. 

          This bill extends policies and procedures for expulsion,  
          graduation requirements and completed coursework to students who  
          are homeless that are currently provided to students who are in  
          foster care.  Specifically, this bill:

           Expulsion
           
          1.Requires school districts to provide notice to the district's  
            liaison for homeless students at least 10 calendar days prior  
            to a hearing when the decision to expel a homeless student is  
            discretionary.

          2.Authorizes school districts to provide notice to the  
            district's liaison for homeless students at least 10 calendar  
            days prior to a hearing when the decision to expel a homeless  
            student is mandatory.  

          3.Requires school districts to invite the district's liaison for  
            homeless students to the individualized education program team  
            meeting that makes a manifestation determination prior to the  
            expulsion of a student with exceptional needs and who is  
            homeless.

           Graduation Requirements
           
          1.Requires school districts to exempt homeless students who  
            transfer schools any time after the completion of the  
            student's second year of high school from all coursework and  
            other requirements adopted by the school district that are in  
            addition to the statewide coursework requirements, unless the  







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            district finds that the student is reasonably able to complete  
            the additional coursework in time to graduate by the end of  
            the student's fourth year of high school.

          2.Requires school districts to take specified action relative to  
            the exempting homeless students from additional graduation  
            requirements that districts currently undertake with regard to  
            exempting foster youth from additional graduation  
            requirements, such as:

                 Notification to the student, person holding the right to  
               make educational decisions, and district liaison of the  
               availability of the exemption and whether the student  
               qualifies.  Notification is required within 30 calendar  
               days of the date that a homeless student may qualify for  
               the exemption transfer into a school.

                 Inform the student of the option to remain in school for  
               a fifth year to complete the additional coursework, permit  
               the student to stay in school for a fifth year to complete  
               the additional coursework, not require the student to  
               accept the exemption, and not require or request the  
               student to graduate before the end of the fourth year of  
               high school.

                 Notify the student and the person holding the right to  
               make educational decisions for the student how any of the  
               requirements that are waived will affect the student's  
               ability to gain admission to a postsecondary educational  
               institution and provide information about transfer  
               opportunities available through the California Community  
               Colleges.

                 Exempt an eligible student at any time, not revoke the  
               exemption, not require or request a student to transfer  
               school in order to qualify for the exemption.  

           Completed coursework

           1.Requires school districts and county offices of education to  
            accept coursework satisfactorily completed by a homeless  
            student even if the entire course was not completed, and  
            requires the issuance of full or partial credit for the  
            coursework completed.







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          2.Prohibits school districts and county offices of education  
            from requiring homeless students to retake a course if the  
            student has satisfactorily completed the entire course, and  
            prohibits the student to be required to retake any portion of  
            the course that the student satisfactorily completed.

          3.Requires a homeless student to be enrolled in the same or  
            equivalent course when partial credit is awarded, and  
            prohibits a homeless student from being prevented from  
            retaking a course to meet eligibility for admission to  
            postsecondary educational institutions.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  Yes

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, potentially  
          significant costs to expand a statutory mandate on local  
          educational agencies (LEAs).  Costs would likely be minor for  
          each LEA, but would likely exceed $100,000 (General Fund)  
          statewide.

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/18/14)

          National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and  
          Youth (source) 
          California Alliance of Child and Family Services
          California Coalition for Youth
          Disability Rights California
          John Burton Foundation
          Junior League of Orange County
          Los Angeles County Office of Education
          National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
          Public Counsel
          Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness
          South Bay Community Services
          StudentsFirst
          The Salvation Army



           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  75-0, 4/24/14
          AYES:  Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,  
            Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian  







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            Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,  
            Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox,  
            Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon,  
            Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones,  
            Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein,  
            Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nestande, Olsen, Pan,  
            Patterson, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,  
            Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner,  
            Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, John A.  
            Pérez
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Gray, Harkey, Mansoor, Nazarian, Vacancy


          PQ:nl  8/19/14   Senate Floor Analyses 

                           SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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