BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1435
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB
1435 (Jackson)
As Amended August 4, 2016
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 30-3
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Education |5-1 |O'Donnell, McCarty, |Kim |
| | |Santiago, Thurmond, | |
| | |Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |14-5 |Gonzalez, Bloom, |Bigelow, Gallagher, |
| | |Bonilla, Bonta, |Jones, Obernolte, |
| | |Calderon, Daly, |Wagner |
| | |Eggman, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, | |
| | |Quirk, Santiago, | |
| | |Weber, Wood, Chau | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SB 1435
Page 2
SUMMARY: Requires that when the health framework is next
revised after January 1, 2017, the Instructional Quality
Commission (IQC) consider including comprehensive information
for grades K-8 on the development of healthy relationships.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires that, when the state health framework is next revised
after January 1, 2017, the IQC consider including
comprehensive, and age and developmentally appropriate
information for kindergarten through grade eight on the
development of healthy relationships. Requires that this
information be consistent with the health education standards
adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE).
2)Requires the IQC, should it include this content in the health
framework, to:
a) Ensure that information included in the health framework
is research-based and appropriate for students of all
races, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, and
ethnic and cultural backgrounds. States that this may
include reviewing other states' curricula
b) Consult with health teachers and educators with
expertise in curriculum for developing healthy
relationships
3)Defines, for purposes of this act, the "development of healthy
relationships" to include:
a) Understanding the principles of treating one another
with respect, dignity, and kindness
b) Demonstrating the ability to use interpersonal
SB 1435
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communication skills to address and resolve disagreement
and conflict
c) Recognizing when and how to respond to dangerous or
other situations that may result in the bullying,
harassment, harming, or hurting of another person
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor/absorbable costs to the California Department
of Education. The Budget Act of 2016 includes $362,000 in
one-time funds for the revision of the health framework,
editorial charges associated with the development of the science
framework, and the operational expenses of the IQC. According
to the California Department of Education (CDE), the healthy
relationship topics required by this bill are already covered in
the health education content standards which are the foundation
for the health framework.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes the IQC as an advisory body to the SBE, and
authorizes it to study problems of courses of study in the
schools of the state, and, upon request of the SBE, recommend
the adoption of minimum standards for courses of study in
preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools.
2)Requires the IQC to consider adding content to the health
curriculum framework for grades 9-12 on sexual harassment and
violence, including the affirmative consent standard, and
requires school districts which require a health course for
graduation to include this content.
3)Requires the IQC, during the next revision of the health
SB 1435
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curriculum framework, to consider including content on sexual
abuse and sex trafficking prevention, healthy boundaries for
relationships, how to recognize potentially harmful and
abusive relationships, and refusal skills to overcome peer
pressure and to avoid high-risk activities.
COMMENTS:
Need for the bill. The author's office states:
SB 1435 is the third in a series of measures to help
proactively address incidence of sexual harassment and
assault among children, adolescent teens, and young
adults.
In 2014, Senators de León and Jackson jointly authored SB
967 [Chapter 748] to establish an affirmative consent
standard at California's colleges and universities. In
response to a growing number of reports and disturbing
statistics on sexual harassment and assault among young
adults, SB 967 was pursued to address the challenges
facing the state's college and universities in providing
safe learning environments.
In 2015, the state adopted SB 695 (De León /Jackson),
[Chapter 424] which required that the topic of sexual
harassment and sexual assault be taught in high schools
that require health as a requirement for graduation.
Recognizing that increasing awareness at the collegiate
level among young adults, although helpful, was only the
first step, SB 695 acknowledged that sexual harassment
and assault education and awareness had to be taught in
high school as a proactive effort to prevent these
incidents from occurring later in life.
SB 1435
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However, in the development of SB 695 it became clear
that starting earlier by providing opportunities in
elementary and middle school is needed to help children
learn how to develop healthy relationships, to help them
understand the virtue of treating one another with
respect and dignity.
Health framework revision suspended due to recession, now
expected to be adopted in 2019. The state's health framework
was last revised in 2003. It does not reflect the state's
health content standards, which were adopted in 2008. The CDE's
Web site notes that the sections on family living are
inconsistent with current law.
Work on revising of the health framework was initiated in 2008.
In 2009 the state's fiscal emergency halted all work on
instructional materials adoptions and framework revisions until
the 2013-14 school year by AB 2 X4 (Evans) Chapter 2, Statutes
of 2009-10 Fourth Extraordinary Session. That suspension was
later extended until the 2015-16 school year by SB 70 (Budget
and Fiscal Review Committee), Chapter 7, Statutes of 2011. CDE
reports that the framework is now scheduled for adoption by the
SBE in 2019.
The Budget Act of 2016 includes $362,000 in one-time funds for
the revision of the health framework, editorial charges
associated with the development of the science framework, and
the operational expenses of the IQC. The Budget also includes
$135,000 for the CDE to contract with a researcher/writer with
expertise in sex trafficking and sexual abuse to draft a section
of the health framework for consideration by the IQC. This
appropriation is related to SB 1165 (Mitchell), Chapter 713,
Statutes of 2014, which requires the IQC to consider including
sexual abuse and sex trafficking prevention education in the
SB 1435
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health framework when it is next revised.
Analysis Prepared by:
Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN:
0003955