BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION Senator Carol Liu, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Bill No: AB 2306 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Author: |Frazier | |-----------+-----------------------------------------------------| |Version: |June 14, 2016 Hearing | | |Date: June 29, 2016 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Consultant:|Lynn Lorber | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Juvenile court school pupils NOTE: This bill was previously heard by this Committee on June 8, 2016, where testimony was taken but no vote was taken. This bill has since been amended to remove the section of the bill relating to transition policy planning. 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)) AB 2306 (Frazier) Page 2 of ? 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 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. AB 2306 (Frazier) Page 3 of ? (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 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) 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 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 AB 2306 (Frazier) Page 4 of ? 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) 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. 7) 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. 8) 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 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. AB 2306 (Frazier) Page 5 of ? 3) Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, 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 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. -- END --