BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 968|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 968
Author: Williams (D), et al.
Amended: 9/4/15 in Senate
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.
Senate Floor Amendments of 9/4/15 delay implementation of this
requirement at Community College Districts until July 1, 2016.
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
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adoption of procedures by which students are informed of such
rules and applicable penalties. (Education Code § 66300)
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)Delays, for CCDs only, implementation of this requirement
until July 1, 2016.
3)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
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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,
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.
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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:
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: (Verified9/4/15)
California Coalition Against Sexual Assault
California Federation of Teachers
California State Student Association
California State University
University of California
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OPPOSITION: (Verified9/4/15)
None received
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
9/8/15 20:56:27
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