BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1068|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1068
Author: Leyva (D)
Amended: 3/31/16
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 9-0, 4/13/16
AYES: Liu, Block, Hancock, Huff, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning, Pan,
Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 4/25/16
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza, Nielsen
SUBJECT: Homeless children and youth: local educational
agency liaisons: training materials
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: 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, and adopt policies and practices to ensure that
liaisons for homeless youth participate in professional
development and other technical assistance programs.
ANALYSIS: Existing federal law, the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act:
1) Defines "homeless children and youths" as children and youths
who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,
and includes children and youths who, among other situations,
are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of
housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; and are
living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds
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due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations.
(United States Code, Title 42, § 11431, et seq.)
2) 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. States
are required to review and undertake steps to revise any
laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as
barriers to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school
of homeless children and youth. (42, USC § 11431, et seq.)
3) Requires each LEA to designate a staff person as a 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)
4) Requires state educational agencies, effective July 1, 2016, as
amended by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, to develop
professional development opportunities for LEA liaisons and
other school personnel who provide services to homeless youth
to improve the identification of homeless youth and heighten
awareness of, and capacity to respond to, specific needs in
the education of homeless youth. (42, USC § 11432)
5) Establishes general rights for homeless children and youth as
follows:
a) The choice of schools the youth is eligible to attend.
b) No homeless youth shall be required to attend a separate
school.
c) Homeless youth shall be provided comparable services,
including transportation services, educational services,
and meals through school meal programs.
d) Homeless youth should not be stigmatized by school
personnel. (42, USC § 111432)
Existing federal law, the Every Student Succeeds Act:
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6) Requires the state plan to describe how the state education
agency will provide support to LEAs, and requires the LEA
plan to describe the services that will be provided to
support the enrollment, attendance, and success of homeless
youth.
7) Requires states to report disaggregated achievement and
graduation data for homeless youth.
8) Increases dedicated funding for LEAs for services to
homeless youth. (United States Code, Title 20)
Existing state law:
1) Requires an LEA liaison for homeless youth to ensure that
public notice of the educational rights of homeless children
and youths is disseminated in schools within the liaison's
LEA that provide services. (Education Code § 48852.5)
2) Requires LEAs to allow a student who is homeless to remain
in his or her school of origin through the duration in
homelessness, and imposes requirements related to the
transition between grade levels. (EC § 48852.7)
3) Establishes homeless youth as a subgroup for purposes of,
among other things, accountability, local control and
accountability plans, renewal of charter schools, advice and
assistance by the California Collaborative for Educational
Excellence, and intervention by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction. (EC § 52052, § 476607.3, § 52060, § 52066, §
52071, § 52071.5, § 52072, § 52072.5)
This bill requires the CDE to provide specified informational
and training materials to LEA liaisons for homeless youth, and
adopt policies and practices to ensure that liaisons for
homeless youth participate in professional development and other
technical assistance programs. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the CDE to provide informational materials to LEA
liaisons for homeless children and youth regarding the
educational rights of homeless children and youth under state
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and federal law, updates and changes to state and federal law
regarding the rights of homeless students, the
responsibilities of LEA liaisons relating to homeless
children and youth, and the resources available to schools to
assist homeless children and youth.
2)Requires the CDE to adopt policies and practices to ensure that
LEA liaisons for homeless children and youth participate in
professional development and other technical assistance
programs that are deemed appropriate by the Superintendent of
Public Instruction in accordance with the federal Every
Student Succeeds Act.
3)Requires the CDE to provide training materials to LEA liaisons
for homeless children and youth to assist liaisons with
providing professional development and other support to
school personnel providing services pursuant to the federal
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
4)Provides that the training materials are intended to support
liaisons in meeting the requirements of the federal Every
Student Succeeds Act.
5)Authorizes the CDE to use and adapt informational and training
materials from state or national sources when applicable and
appropriate.
Comments
Services for homeless youth. Existing law imposes general
requirements for services, such as the immediate enrollment in
school, access to educational opportunities offered to other
students, referrals to appropriate services, and providing
notice of the rights of homeless youth. LEAs are authorized to
use dedicated federal funds to provide tutoring or supplemental
instruction, expedited evaluations of needs, professional
development for educators, early education, and referral to
other services. This bill requires the CDE to provide
informational materials to LEA liaisons for homeless youth
regarding the educational rights of homeless youth, updates and
changes to state and federal law regarding the rights of
homeless students, the responsibilities of LEA liaisons relating
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to homeless youth, and the resources available to schools to
assist homeless children and youth. This information is
generally available on CDE's Web site, but in several different
locations; this bill requires CDE to provide all of the
information to liaisons, rather than relying upon liaisons to
gather the information themselves.
Professional development. The recently reauthorized federal
Every Student Succeeds Act, among other things, amended the
federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to require states
to develop professional development opportunities for LEA
liaisons and other school personnel who serve homeless youth.
This bill requires the CDE to provide training materials to LEA
liaisons for homeless youth to assist liaisons with providing
professional development and other support to school personnel
providing services to homeless youth. The CDE does not
currently directly provide training materials but provides links
to related information on its Web site.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the CDE
estimates costs of about $50,000 to implement the requirements
of this bill. (Federal Funds)
SUPPORT: (Verified4/25/16)
California Coalition for Youth
California Federation of Teachers
K to College
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Los Angeles Unified School District
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and
Youth
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
OPPOSITION: (Verified4/25/16)
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None received
Prepared by:Lynn Lorber / ED. / (916) 651-4105
4/27/16 15:57:20
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