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
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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
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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
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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
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be prominently displayed on the recipient's homepage."
Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081