BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 1375 Page 1 Date of Hearing: June 29, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair SB 1375 (Jackson) - As Amended June 20, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Education |Vote:|7 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | |Arts, Entertainment, Sports, | |7 - 0 | | |Tourism, and Internet Media | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable: Yes SUMMARY: This bill requires, by July 1, 2017, public and private schools that receive federal funds and are subject to the requirements SB 1375 Page 2 of federal Title IX, as well as local educational agencies, to post in a prominent and conspicuous location on their websites specific information regarding Title IX. Specifically, this bill: 1)Requires the notice to include the name and contact information of the Title IX coordinator for the LEA; internet links to official government websites that include information about Title IX rights and responsibilities; and a description of how to file a complaint under Title IX, as specified. 2)Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), on or before April 1, 2017, and annually thereafter, to send a letter through electronic means to all LEAs, as specified, to inform them of the requirements of the bill and of their responsibilities under Title IX. 3)Authorizes a public school that does not maintain an internet website to comply with the requirements of the bill by posting information on the website of its school district or county office of education. FISCAL EFFECT: 1)Proposition 98/GF state mandated costs, potentially in excess of $500,000, for public schools, school districts and county offices of education to develop the notice required by the bill and post it online. There are over 11,000 LEAs that could be impacted by the requirements of this bill. Actual costs will depend on size and types of claims LEAs submit to the Commission on State Mandates (CSM) to implement this measure. Charter schools and private schools would also incur costs to implement the requirements of this bill; however, these schools are not eligible to seek reimbursement from the CSM SB 1375 Page 3 for mandated activities. 2)Minor/absorbable costs to the California Department of Education to monitor compliance and to develop and send the letter to LEAs annually. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. According to the author's office, school districts are often unaware of the requirements of Title IX. Whereas many people typically correlate Title IX with gender equity in interscholastic athletics, many are unaware that Title IX forbids discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. This includes protections against gender bias, gender-based harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. This bill helps to fulfill the intent of Title IX and ensures that students, their families, and the public are informed of their rights, and to remind schools and school districts of their responsibilities under Title IX. This bill is also consistent with recent federal guidance. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a letter which stated, in part: "The Title IX coordinator's contact information must be widely distributed and should be easily found on the recipient's website and in various publications?OCR encourages recipients to create a page on the recipient's website that includes the name and contact information of its Title IX coordinator(s), relevant Title IX policies and grievance procedures, and other resources related to Title IX compliance and gender equity. A link to this page should SB 1375 Page 4 be prominently displayed on the recipient's homepage." Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081