BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2791
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|Author: |Medina |
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|Version: |March 29, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: June 8, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Kathleen Chavira |
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Subject: Community colleges: Disability Services Program
SUMMARY
This bill expands the definition of "disabled students," for
purposes of apportionments to community college districts to
provide educational and support services for these students, to
include students who have applied to a community college and who
have exceptional needs due to a verified disability.
BACKGROUND
Existing law requires the Board of Governors (BOG) of the
California Community Colleges to adopt rules and regulations for
the administration and funding of educational programs and
support services to be provided to disabled students by
community college districts. These regulations are required to
provide for the apportionment of funding to districts to offset
the direct excess cost of providing specialized support services
or instruction, or both, to disabled students enrolled in state
supported educational programs or courses.
Existing law defines "direct excess costs" as those which exceed
the combined total of the average cost to the district of
providing services to non-disabled students times the number of
students served in the disabled students program, the indirect
cost of providing facilities and administrative support, the
revenue from average daily attendance in special classes, and
other funds received from federal, state or local sources.
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(Education Code § 84850)
ANALYSIS
This bill:
1) Expands the definition of disabled students beyond enrolled
students with exceptional needs to include students with
exceptional needs who have applied to a community college.
2) Authorizes the provisions of funding to districts to offset
the direct excess costs of providing specialized support
services or instruction, or both, for students who have
applied to a community college.
3) Makes technical cross reference corrections.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill. According to the author, this bill
clarifies what was, until recently the longstanding
practice at the California Community Colleges (CCC) to
provide Disability Services and Programs for Students
(DSPS) services to students who have applied to a college
DSPS program even though they may not yet have begun
attending college courses.
In January 2016, the Chancellor's Office issued revised
guidelines for implementing Title 5 DSPS regulations.
Although consistent with the language of the applicable
statutes, proponents are concerned that the new guidance
results in districts being unable to provide services to
students who have applied, but not yet enrolled in courses.
This bill would align the statutory definition of a
disabled student with the current practices of DSPS offices
throughout the California Community Colleges.
2) Chancellor's Office revised guidelines. According to the
Chancellor's Office, in its recent review and revision of
guidelines, it was determined that existing law requires
that a disabled student be enrolled in a class for a
district to receive DSPS funding. The recent update to
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DSPS implementation guidelines reflects this requirement by
having districts document verification of enrollment via
submission of specified information in the state management
information system. In some cases, this means students
would be required to have attended for at least two weeks
of one or more courses in order to be reported as
"enrolled."
According to the Chancellor's Office, these students often
need services before they are enrolled in a class. The
enactment of this bill would ensure that colleges can
continue to provide vital services like registration
assistance, pre-term counseling, specialized orientation,
and outreach to high schools, easing the transition into
college for these students.
3) Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) provide
support services and educational accommodations to students
with disabilities so that they can have full and equal
access to the community college experience. In addition,
many colleges provide specialized instruction as part of
their DSPS program. Examples of these services include:
test-proctoring; assessment for learning disabilities;
specialized counseling; interpreter or captioning services
for hearing-impaired or deaf students; mobility assistance;
note-taker services; reader services; speech services;
transcription services; on-campus transportation;
specialized tutoring; access to adaptive equipment; job
development/placement; registration assistance; and special
parking and specialized instruction.
SUPPORT
Board of Governors, California Community Colleges
California Association for Postsecondary Education and
Disability
North Orange Community College District
The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration
OPPOSITION
None received.
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