BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2306
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|Author: |Frazier |
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|Version: |May 10, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: June 8, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lynn Lorber |
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Subject: High school graduation requirements: pupils
transferring from juvenile court schools
SUMMARY
This bill requires a school district to exempt a student who
transfers from a juvenile court school any time after completion
of grade 10 from local graduation requirements that are in
addition to the coursework required by the State.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1) Requires students to successfully complete specified
courses as a condition of graduating from high school, and
authorizes school districts to impose coursework
requirements that are in addition to those prescribed by
the State. (Education Code § 51225.3)
2) Requires school districts to exempt a student in foster
care or a student who is homeless, who transfers between
schools any time after the completion of the student's
second year of high school, from all locally-imposed
graduation requirements. (EC § 51225.1(a))
3) Excludes students from this exemption if the school
district makes a finding that the student is reasonably
able to complete the local graduation requirements in time
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to graduate by the end of the student's fourth year of high
school.
(EC § 51225.1(a))
4) Requires school districts to notify, within 30 calendar
days of the date the foster youth transfers into a school,
the student, the person holding educational rights, and the
student's social worker or probation officer of the
availability of the exemption and whether the student
qualifies. (EC § 51225.1(d))
5) Requires school districts to notify, within 30 calendar
days of the date the homeless youth transfers into a
school, the student, the person holding educational rights,
and the local educational agency (LEA) liaison for homeless
youth of the availability of the exemption and whether the
student qualifies.
(EC § 51225.1(d))
6) Requires schools to continue to apply the exemption for a
foster youth after the termination of the court's
jurisdiction, and for a homeless student if the student is
no longer homeless, while the student is enrolled in that
school or if the student transfers to another school or
school district. (EC § 51225.1(j))
7) Establishes juvenile court schools, administered by county
boards of education, to provide public schools in juvenile
halls, juvenile homes, day centers, juvenile ranches,
juvenile camps, regional youth educational facilities or in
any group home housing 25 or more youth. (EC § 48645, et
seq.)
8) Requires each school district and county office of
education to accept for credit full or partial coursework
satisfactorily completed by a student while attending a
public school, juvenile court school, or non-public school
or agency.
(EC § 48645.5)
9) Requires the school district of residence to issue a
diploma of graduation from the school the student last
attended, if a student completes the graduation requirement
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of his or her school district of residence while being
detained. Existing law authorizes, in the alternative, the
county superintendent of schools to issue the diploma. (EC
§ 48645.5)
10) Requires the county office of education and probation
department to have a joint transition planning policy that
includes collaboration with local educational agencies to
improve communication regarding dates of release and the
educational needs of students who have had contact with the
juvenile justice system; to coordinate immediate school
placement and enrollment; and to ensure that probation
officers in the community have the information they need to
support the return of pupils who are being transferred from
juvenile court schools to public schools in their
communities. (EC § 48647)
ANALYSIS
This bill requires a school district to exempt a student who
transfers from a juvenile court school any time after completion
of grade 10 from local graduation requirements that are in
addition to the coursework required by the State. Specifically,
this bill:
1) Requires a school district to exempt a former juvenile
court school student who transfers between schools any time
after the completion of the student's second year of high
school from all coursework and other requirements adopted
by the governing board that are in addition to the
statewide coursework requirements.
2) Provides that a school district is not required to exempt a
former juvenile court school student from local graduation
requirements if the school district makes a finding that
the student is reasonably able to complete the
locally-imposed graduation requirements in time to graduate
by the end of the student's fourth year of high school.
3) Requires the exemption to continue to apply after the
termination of the court's jurisdiction over the student
while he or she is enrolled in school or if the student
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transfers to another school or school district.
4) Extends existing requirements related to determining if a
student is reasonably able to complete the local graduation
requirements within the student's fifth year of high
school, notification of eligibility for the exemption,
notification of how the exemption may affect admission to
postsecondary education and the prohibition on transferring
a student solely to be eligible for the exemption.
5) Requires the county office of education to issue a diploma
of graduation to a student who completes the statewide
coursework requirements for graduation while attending a
juvenile court school, and prohibits the county office of
education from requiring the student to complete coursework
or other requirements that are in addition to the statewide
coursework requirements.
6) Requires the joint transition planning policy to describe
how the county office of education and the county probation
department will assist eligible youth in completing the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid and admission
applications for postsecondary educational institutions.
7) Extends to former juvenile court school students existing
provisions that prohibit school districts or county offices
of education from requiring specified youth to retake a
course if the student has satisfactorily completed, and
enrollment in courses when partial credit is awarded.
8) Defines "former juvenile court school pupil" as a student
who, upon completion of the student's second year of high
school, transfers to a school district from a juvenile
court school.
9) States legislative intent that students in juvenile court
schools have a rigorous curriculum that includes a course
of study preparing them for high school graduation and
career entry and fulfilling the requirements for admission
to the University of California and California State
University.
STAFF COMMENTS
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1) Need for the bill. According to the author, "Juvenile
court school pupils often fall through the cracks when it
comes to high school graduation. When a pupil's school
district has implemented graduation requirements in
addition to statewide requirements, the pupil often does
not have time to complete those requirements when they have
in fact completed statewide requirements, thus leaving them
without a diploma."
2) Parity. This bill extends policies and procedures for
graduation requirements and completed coursework to
students who transfer from a juvenile court school that are
currently provided to students who are in foster care or
who are homeless.
3) Transition planning policy. Existing law requires a county
office of education and county probation department to have
a joint transition planning policy to improve communication
regarding the educational needs of students, to coordinate
immediate school placement and enrollment, and to ensure
that probation officers have information to support the
return of students who are being transferred from juvenile
court schools to public schools. This bill requires the
joint transition planning policy to describe how the county
office of education and the county probation department
will assist eligible youth in completing the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and admission
applications for postsecondary educational institutions.
This provision was added to this bill after the bill
reached the Senate. This is the first time a policy
committee will consider provisions related to transition
planning policy.
It appears that the purpose of transition planning is to ease
the transfer of students back into K-12 public schools. Is
it appropriate to expand the purpose and focus of joint
transition planning policies to relate to the completion of
the FAFSA and postsecondary education applications? Should
the legislature make changes to transition planning
policies prior to the release of recommendations as part of
the required report (see #4)? Should county offices of
education be required to provide assistance to students
transferring out of a juvenile court school while no other
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schools are required to offer such assistance?
Staff recommends an amendment to authorize, but not require, the
transition planning policy to include postsecondary
transition, including a description of how students will be
assisted in completing the FAFSA and applications for
postsecondary educational institutions.
4) Report on transition. Existing law requires the
Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene a statewide
group with stakeholders from the community, advocacy
organizations, and education and probation department
leaders to develop a model and study existing successful
county programs and policies for the immediate transfer of
educational records, uniform systems for calculating and
awarding credits, transition planning, and the immediate
enrollment of students who are being transferred from
juvenile court schools. Existing law requires the
statewide group to report its findings and provide
recommendations for state action to the Legislature and
appropriate policy committees by January 1, 2016.
According to the California Department of Education, this
report has not yet been submitted to the Legislature;
submission is expected later this year.
5) Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee's analysis of the prior version of this bill,
this bill would impose unknown, likely minor, Proposition
98 state reimbursable mandated costs for county offices of
education to issue diplomas to students that complete
statewide coursework requirements for graduation while
attending juvenile court schools. There should be minor
workload associated with determining if the student meets
statewide graduation requirements.
SUPPORT
Anti-Recidivism Coalition
California School Boards Association
California State PTA
Chief Probation Officers of California
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Los Angeles County Office of Education
Los Angeles LGBT Center
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
Small School Districts' Association
Youth Law Center
OPPOSITION
None received.
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