BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        AB 968|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                              |
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                                   THIRD READING 


          Bill No:  AB 968
          Author:   Williams (D), et al.
          Introduced:2/26/15  
          Vote:     21  

           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE:  9-0, 7/8/15
           AYES:  Liu, Runner, Block, Hancock, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning,  
            Pan, Vidak

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:  7-0, 8/27/15
           AYES:  Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza, Nielsen

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  80-0, 6/3/15 - See last page for vote

           SUBJECT:   Postsecondary education:  transcripts


          SOURCE:    Author
          
          DIGEST:   This bill requires the governing boards of Californias  
          public and private postsecondary education institutions to  
          indicate that a student has been suspended or expelled from the  
          institution on the student's transcript for the time period of  
          the student's ineligibility to enroll.

          ANALYSIS:   Existing law requires the University of California  
          (UC) Regents, the California State University (CSU) Trustees,  
          and the governing board of every Community College District  
          (CCD) to adopt specific rules governing student behavior and  
          applicable penalties for violations of the rules; as well as the  
          adoption of procedures by which students are informed of such  
          rules and applicable penalties.  (Education Code § 66300)









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          This bill:

          1)Requires the governing boards of each CCD, the CSU Trustees,  
            the UC Regents, and the governing board of each independent  
            and private postsecondary educational institution to indicate  
            on a student's transcript that the student is ineligible to  
            enroll due to suspension or expulsion for the time period of  
            the student's ineligibility.

          2)Makes findings and declarations about the differences in  
            policies and practices relative to the notation of  
            disciplinary dismissals on student transcripts, the risk this  
            may create for the institution and student, and specific  
            reference to violations related to the commission of a sexual  
            assault. 

          Comments

          1)Need for the bill.  According to the author, ensuring  
            communication between campuses is a vital step to providing a  
            safe learning environment for students. This bill creates a  
            standard and ensures consistency between postsecondary  
            education segments so that a receiving institution can  
            determine whether a background check of a potential transfer  
            student is necessary prior to enrollment. 

          2)Current practice.  According to a recent survey by the  
            American Association of Collegiate Registrar's and Admissions  
            Officers, most institutions (84 percent) make transcript  
            notations when a student is ineligible to re-enroll for  
            academic reasons, but only a few (29 percent) note suspensions  
            or dismissals for disciplinary reasons. California's public  
            postsecondary education institutions do not currently follow a  
            standard notation method regarding suspensions and expulsions.  
            The UC makes a general notation when a student is expelled.   
            The CSU makes a permanent general notation if the student is  
            expelled, or suspended for one academic year or more,  
            withdraws in lieu of suspension or expulsion, or withdraws  
            pending misconduct investigations or disciplinary proceedings.  
             The community colleges report that they provide for a  
            notation on the transcript if a student was expelled for  
            academic reasons, but that there is no standard for notations  
            for students expelled for reasons other than academic  
            deficiencies.  This bill requires all California institutions,  







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            public and private, to indicate when a student is ineligible  
            to re-enroll due to suspension or expulsion on the student's  
            transcript for the period of time the student is ineligible to  
            re-enroll.  

          3)Community colleges.  Existing law provides that any CCD that  
            receives an application for admission from an individual who  
            has been expelled from, or who is undergoing expulsion  
            proceedings in, another district for any of a number of  
            specified offenses may deny, permit, or permit conditionally,  
            the enrollment of the student.  The district must first hold a  
            hearing, as specified, to determine whether the individual  
            poses a continuing danger to the district's students and  
            employees. Existing law also requires a formal appeal process  
            be established for any student denied enrollment under these  
            provisions.  

            This bill requires notation of the student's suspension or  
            expulsion on the transcript regardless of the reason.  A  
            suspended student would only have such noted on their  
            transcript for the period of the suspension.  An expelled  
            student attempting to transfer to another community college  
            may already be required to disclose the expulsion, but would  
            be entitled to a hearing and appeal process if denied  
            enrollment.  It does not appear that the provisions of this  
            bill require disclosure of the reason for expulsion/suspension  
            on the transcript. 

          4)National guidelines.  The Association for Student Conduct  
            Administration (ASCA), a national membership based  
            organization that provides education and resources to  
            facilitate best practices of student conduct administration  
            and conflict resolution on college campuses, recommends that  
            all institutions place an appropriate notation on an academic  
            transcript to indicate when a student is ineligible to  
            re-enroll at that institution as a consequence of disciplinary  
            action.  

            ASCA notes that transcript notations are important, but will  
            not be effective at reducing the risk of violence to a campus  
            absent a comprehensive approach to admissions, review of  
            information, and appropriate action based on that review.   
            ASCA also recommends that institutions:








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             a)   Ask key questions to solicit information about a  
               potential student's conduct and/or criminal history prior  
               to being admitted to the institution;  

             b)   Have systemic ways to review and utilize this  
               information in relevant admission decisions, as well as to  
               promote individual student success and safer campus  
               communities; 

             c)   Develop and communicate procedures explaining the  
               notation, duration of notation, and retention and release  
               of records; and, 

             d)   Communicate these practices to students through their  
               appropriate institutional privacy or other record policies,  
               including via website to current and prospective students.

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

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill  
          results in costs ranging from about $200,000 to $300,000 for  
          colleges to develop and implement the required notation on  
          student transcripts.  If determined to be a reimbursable state  
          mandate, it could create pressure to increase the community  
          college mandate block grant.   The UC and CSU do not anticipate  
          additional costs associated with this bill.   


          SUPPORT:   (Verified8/27/15)


          California Coalition Against Sexual Assault
          California Federation of Teachers
          California State Student Association
          California State University
          University of California


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified8/27/15)


          None received 








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          ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  80-0, 6/3/15
          AYES:  Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,  
            Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang,  
            Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle,  
            Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina  
            Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,  
            Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden,  
            Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder,  
            Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina,  
            Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen,  
            Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez,  
            Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting,  
            Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins

          Prepared by:Kathleen Chavira / ED. / (916) 651-4105
          8/30/15 19:42:26


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