BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 1593


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          Date of Hearing:  April 6, 2016


                           ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION


                              Patrick O'Donnell, Chair


          AB 1593  
          (Obernolte) - As Amended March 29, 2016


          SUBJECT:  Pupil attendance:  excused absences:  naturalization  
          ceremony


          SUMMARY:  Adds a pupil's attendance at his or her naturalization  
          ceremony to become a United States citizen to the list of  
          excused absences.


          EXISTING LAW:  


          1)Requires a pupil between the ages of 6 through 18 to attend  
            school in the school district where either parent or legal  
            guardian resides except as specified.  (Education Code (EC)  
            Section 48200) 

          2)Specifies that excused absences are deemed to be absences in  
            computing average daily attendance and shall not general state  
            apportionment payments.  (EC Section 48205)


          3)Defines a "truant" as any pupil subject to compulsory  
            full-time education or to compulsory continuation education a  
            student who is absent from school without a valid excuse on  
            any day or is tardy for more than 30 minutes, or any  








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            combination thereof, for three days in a school year.  (EC  
            Section 48260)



          4)Provides that a valid excuse includes, but is not limited, the  
            reasons specified in the "excused absences" sections of law  
            and may include other reasons that are within the discretion  
            of school administrators and based on the facts of the pupil's  
            circumstances. (EC Section 48260)




          FISCAL EFFECT:  Unknown


          COMMENTS:  California's compulsory education law requires every  
          child between the ages of 6 through 18 to attend school  
          full-time and their parents and legal guardians to be  
          responsible for ensuring that children attend school.  A student  
          who is absent from school without a valid excuse on any day or  
          is tardy for more than 30 minutes, or any combination thereof,  
          for three days in a school year is considered a truant.  Current  
          law establishes excused absences for any of the following:


          1)Due to his or her illness or quarantine under the direction of  
            a county or city health officer.


          2)For medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic appointments.


          3)For the purpose of attending the funeral services of an  
            immediate family member (1 day if within the state and three  
            days out of state).










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          4)For the purpose of attending jury duty.


          5)Due to the illness or medical appointment of a child of whom  
            the student is the custodial parent.


          6)For justifiable personal reasons, including an appearance in  
            court, observation of a religious holiday or ceremony, or  
            attendance at an employment or educational conference on  
            legislative or judicial process.


          7)For the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct board for  
            an election.


          8)For the purpose of spending time with an immediate family  
            member who is an active duty member of the military, as  
            specified.  


          Current law also authorizes school districts to determine other  
          valid excuses for purposes of determining truancy.  


          This bill adds a pupil's attendance at his or her naturalization  
          ceremony to become a United States citizen to the list of  
          excused absences.  The author states that this bill will ensure  
          that these students will not be punished for missing school for  
          something as important as becoming a citizen of this country.  


          Secretary of State Alex Padilla supports the bill and states,  
          "California is home to over 10 million immigrants, just like my  
          parents, and every year tens of thousands become naturalized  
          citizens at ceremonies across the state.  Since assuming office  
          last year, I have had the honor of speaking to nearly 7500 new  
          citizens, including many students, at a dozen ceremonies from  








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          San Diego to Sacramento.  State law should not tarnish a  
          once-in-a-lifetime ceremony by punishing students who must miss  
          school to take their oaths as new United States citizens."


          Related legislation.  SB 946 (Leyva), pending in the Senate  
          Appropriations Committee, deems a student who is serving as a  
          member of a precinct board for an election to be participating  
          in independent study for purposes of calculating average daily  
          attendance.


          SB 1014 (Liu), pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee,  
          authorizes a school to grant parental leave to a student who is  
          a parent, and provides that such absences generate average daily  
          attendance if the school district files an expectant and  
          parenting student policy with the California Department of  
          Education.


          SB 1457 (Morrell) expands the authority of school districts to  
          authorize a student to be excused from school to receive moral  
          and religious instruction by authorizing a local governing board  
          to adopt a policy, as specified, to allow pupils to earn up to  
          two elective credits towards high school graduation requirements  
          for the completion of "released time instruction," excluding any  
          cap on the number of excused absences for this purpose, and  
          authorizing a school district to generate average daily  
          attendance (ADA) for these absences.  The bill failed passage in  
          the Senate Education Committee.    


          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:




          Support









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          Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles


          California Immigrant Policy Center


          Los Angeles County Office of Education


          Secretary of State Alex Padilla




          Opposition


          None on file




          Analysis Prepared by:Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087