BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 1068 (Leyva) - Homeless children and youth: local
educational agency liaisons: training materials
-----------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| |
| |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Version: March 31, 2016 |Policy Vote: ED. 9 - 0 |
| | |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
| | |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Hearing Date: April 25, 2016 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill requires the California Department of
Education (CDE) to provide specified informational and training
materials to local educational agency (LEA) liaisons for
homeless youth (liaisons), and adopt policies and practices to
ensure that liaisons participate in professional development and
other technical assistance programs.
Fiscal
Impact:
The CDE estimates costs of about $50,000 to implement the
requirements of this bill. (Federal Funds)
SB 1068 (Leyva) Page 1 of
?
Background: Existing federal law, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act, requires state educational agencies to ensure that homeless
children and youth have equal access to the same free public
education as is provided to other children and youth. (42, USC §
11431, et seq.)
Federal law requires each LEA to designate a staff person as a
LEA liaison for homeless children and youth, and carry out
specific duties, such as ensuring immediate enrollment, access
to educational opportunities offered to other students,
referrals to appropriate services, and providing notice of the
rights of homeless youth. (42, USC § 11432)
General rights for homeless children and youth under federal law
establishes the choice of schools the youth is eligible to
attend; prohibits a homeless youth from being required to attend
a separate school; requires a homeless youth to be provided
comparable services, including transportation services,
educational services, and meals through school meal programs;
and states that a homeless youth should not be stigmatized by
school personnel. (42, USC § 11432)
Effective July 1, 2016 the federal Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA) amends requirements that are a condition of receiving
federal grants for states and locals to provide education of
homeless children and youths under the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act. State educational agencies are required to
provide professional development opportunities for LEA liaisons
and LEA personnel to assist in identifying and meeting the needs
of homeless youth. LEA liaisons must ensure that school
personnel providing services to homeless youth receive
professional development and other support. In addition, the
state and LEAs are required to adopt policies and practices to
ensure that LEA liaisons participate in professional development
and other technical assistance activities, as specified. (42
U.S.C. § 11432).
Existing state law requires a LEA liaison to ensure that public
notice of the educational rights of homeless children and youths
is disseminated in schools within the LEA liaison's LEA that
provide services. (Education Code § 48852.5)
Proposed Law:
SB 1068 (Leyva) Page 2 of
?
This bill requires the CDE to provide informational materials to
LEA liaisons regarding specified topics including:
1. The educational rights of homeless children and youths
under state and federal law as well as updates to these
rights under current law;
2. The responsibilities of LEA liaisons; and
3. The resources available to schools to assist homeless
children and youths.
This bill also requires the CDE to provide training materials to
LEA liaisons to assist them with providing professional
development and other support to school personnel providing
services pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act. This bill provides that these materials are
intended to support LEA liaisons in meeting requirement of the
ESSA (as described above).
Finally, this bill requires the CDE to adopt policies and
practices to ensure that LEA liaisons participate in
professional development and other technical assistance
programs, as specified, in accordance with the requirements of
the ESSA (as described above).
Related
Legislation: AB 951 (Medina, 2013) required school districts
that designate a liaison for homeless children and youths, as
required under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act, to ensure the liaison is properly trained regarding the
rights of these children to receive educational services. AB
951 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Staff Comments: New federal law requires LEAs to adopt policies
and practices to ensure that liaisons participate in
professional develop and other technical assistance activities,
SB 1068 (Leyva) Page 3 of
?
as specified. Initial estimates of the federal McKinney-Vento
grant indicate California will receive additional funding that
would likely be used to support these local requirements.
-- END --