AB 1572, as introduced, Campos. School transportation.
Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to provide for the transportation of pupils to and from school whenever in the judgment of the board the transportation is advisable and good reasons exist to do so.
This bill would entitle a pupil who attends a school that is eligible for Title 1 federal funding to free transportation to and from school provided by the local educational agency, if certain conditions are met. The bill would require the local educational agency to designate a liaison to implement a plan developed, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to ensure that all entitled pupils receive free transportation in a timely manner.
By requiring new duties on a local educational agency, the bill would impose 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:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(1) According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau,
4without a high school diploma, Americans are almost twice as
5likely to live in poverty.
6(2) Several independent academic studies indicate a marked
7increase in school participation and graduation rates among
8children who were guaranteed transportation to and from school.
9(3) According to a recent report by California Attorney General
10Kamala Harris, poverty and financial instability is the number one
11cause of truancy in the state.
12(b) Based on the findings and declarations in subdivision (a), it
13is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would
14support school participation and high school attainment among
15low-income youth.
Section 39800.1 is added to the Education Code, to
17read:
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a pupil attending
19a school that is eligible for Title 1 federal funding shall be entitled
20to free transportation, from the local educational agency, to and
21from school, if either of the following conditions are met:
22(1) The pupil resides more than one-half mile from the school.
23(2) The neighborhood through which the pupil must travel to
24get to school is unsafe due to stray dogs, no sidewalks, known
25gang activity, or other reasons documented by stakeholders
26pursuant to subdivision (c).
27(b) (1) A local educational agency shall designate a liaison that
28shall be responsible for
implementing a plan to ensure that all
29pupils entitled to free transportation pursuant to subdivision (a)
30receive the transportation.
31(2) The liaison shall be trained to identify and accommodate
32the special rights of homeless youth, as defined pursuant to the
33federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
34Sec. 11301 et seq.).
P3 1(c) The plan required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) shall
2be developed with the consultation of teachers, school
3administrators, regional local transit authorities, the Air Resources
4Board, the Department of Transportation, parents, pupils, and other
5stakeholders.
6(d) If free, dependable, and timely transportation is not available
7for pupils entitled to transportation services pursuant to this section,
8the local educational agency shall ensure that the pupils entitled
9to the
transportation are provided free transportation using its
10existing funds, unless the local educational agency determines that
11lack of transportation does not reduce pupil school attendance.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
13this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
14local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
15pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
164 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
O
99