BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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                              UNFINISHED BUSINESS


          Bill No:  SB 1059
          Author:   Liu (D)
          Amended:  8/2/10
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  8-0, 4/21/10
          AYES:  Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Price,  
            Simitian, Wyland
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Maldonado

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  10-0, 5/24/10
          AYES:  Kehoe, Cox, Alquist, Corbett, Denham, Leno, Walters,  
            Wolk, Wyland, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Price

           SENATE FLOOR  :  33-0, 6/1/10
          AYES:  Alquist, Ashburn, Cedillo, Cogdill, Corbett, Correa,  
            Cox, Denham, DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Dutton, Florez,  
            Hancock, Harman, Hollingsworth, Huff, Kehoe, Leno, Liu,  
            Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Padilla, Pavley, Price,  
            Romero, Runner, Simitian, Steinberg, Strickland, Wolk,  
            Wright, Wyland, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Aanestad, Calderon, Oropeza, Walters,  
            Wiggins, Vacancy, Vacancy

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  64-8, 8/16/10 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Local educational agencies:  districts of  
          residence 

           SOURCE  :     Mental Health Advocacy Services, Inc.
                                                           CONTINUED





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                      Public Counsel Law Center


           DIGEST  :    This bill clarifies which local educational  
          agency is responsible for the provision and payment of  
          special education services for pupils with disabilities in  
          the foster care system that have been detained in a  
          juvenile hall and who are subsequently placed in a  
          residential treatment facility.

           Senate Floor Amendments  of 8/2/10 made technical and  
          clarifying changes.

           ANALYSIS  :    

          Current law:

          1. Provides that a pupil complies with the residency  
             requirements for school attendance in a school district,  
             if he/she is any of the following:

             A.    A pupil placed within the boundaries of that  
                school district in a group home or foster home.

             B.    A pupil for whom interdistrict attendance has been  
                approved.

             C.    An emancipated pupil whose residence is located  
                within the boundaries of that school district.

             D.    A pupil who lives in the home of a caregiving  
                adult that is located within the boundaries of that  
                school district.

             E.    A pupil residing in a state hospital located  
                within the boundaries of that school district.  

             F.    Until July 1, 2012, a school district may deem a  
                pupil to have complied with the residency  
                requirements in the district if at least one parent  
                is physically employed within the boundaries of that  
                district.  

          2. Requires the county board of education to administer and  







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             operate juvenile court schools.  

          3. Requires, when an assessment determines that a pupil is  
             seriously emotionally disturbed and any member of the  
             individualized education program (IEP) team recommends  
             residential placement based on relevant assessment  
             information, the IEP team to be expanded to include a  
             representative of the county mental health department.  

          4. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to  
             ensure that local education agencies provide special  
             education and those related services and designated  
             instruction and services contained in a pupil's IEP that  
             are necessary for the pupil to benefit educationally  
             from his or her instructional program.  

          5. Provides that the involvement of an administrator of the  
             special education local plan area in the IEP team  
             discussion of where to place the pupil shall in no way  
             obligate a public education agency to pay for the  
             residential costs and the cost of non-educational  
             services for a pupil placed in a group home or foster  
             family home.

          6. Requires a local educational agency to appoint a  
             surrogate parent for a pupil under one or more of the  
             following circumstances:

             A.    The pupil is a dependent or ward of the court, has  
                no responsible adult to represent him/her, and either  
                has an IEP in place or has been referred for  
                assessment of special needs.

             B.    No parent for the pupil can be identified.

             C.    The local educational agency, after reasonable  
                efforts, cannot discover the location of a parent.

          7. Provides that the surrogate parent shall serve as the  
             pupil's parent and shall have the rights relative to the  
             pupil's education that a parent has.  The surrogate  
             parent may represent the pupil in matters relating to  
             special education and related services, including the  
             identification, assessment, instructional planning and  







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             development, educational placement, reviewing and  
             revising the IEP, and in all other matters relating to  
             the provision of a free appropriate public education of  
             the pupil.  

          State regulations require the local education agency to be  
          financially responsible for:

          1. The transportation of a pupil with a disability to and  
             from the mental health services specified in the pupil's  
             IEP.

          2. The transportation of a pupil to and from the  
             residential placement as specified in the IEP.

          3. The special education instruction, non-mental health  
             related services, and designated instruction and  
             services agreed upon in the non-public, non-sectarian  
             school services contract or a public program arranged  
             with another special education local plan area or local  
             education agency.  

          Federal regulations require:

          1. A recipient of federal Individuals with Disabilities  
             Education Act (IDEA) funds that operates a public  
             elementary or secondary education program or activity to  
             provide a free appropriate public education to each  
             qualified handicapped person who is in the recipient's  
             jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of  
             the person's handicap.  This section authorizes a  
             recipient to place or refer a handicapped person for  
             aid, benefits, or services other than those that it  
             operates or provides, and specifies that the recipient  
             remains responsible for ensuring that the requirements  
             of federal IDEA regulations are met with respect to any  
             handicapped person so placed or referred.  

          2. A placement in a public or private residential program,  
             including non-medial care and room and board, to be at  
             no cost to the parents of the child if such placement is  
             necessary to provide special education and related  
             services to a child with a disability.  








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          This bill: 

          1. States that for a pupil placed in a licensed children's  
             institution (LCI), or a licensed foster home, or a  
             family home, as specified, the school district in which  
             the pupil resides is the district of residence and  
             assigns that district responsibility for providing that  
             pupil with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). 

          2. Provides that for pupils in juvenile hall, the county  
             board of education shall be responsible for the  
             provision of FAPE for pupils with disabilities, however  
             if a determination is made that residential placement is  
             appropriate, the following shall apply regarding which  
             school district is responsible for paying for and  
             providing FAPE: 

               A.     For pupils that have a biological or adoptive  
                 parent; a legal guardian; or an individual acting as  
                 a parent, including a grandparent, stepparent, or  
                 other relative or an individual who is legally  
                 responsible for the child's welfare, the responsible  
                 district is the district in which that parent,  
                 guardian, or individual resides; 

               B.     For pupils who have a foster parent, surrogate  
                 parent, or responsible adult holding educational  
                 rights, as defined, the responsible district is the  
                 district in which the pupil will be placed for the  
                 residential placement; and, 

               C.     For pupils who have a foster parent, surrogate  
                 parent, or responsible adult holding educational  
                 rights, as defined, and who are placed in an  
                 out-of-state residential facility, the responsible  
                 district is the last district in which the pupil was  
                 enrolled prior to the pupil's detainment in juvenile  
                 hall. 

          3. Requires the county office of education (COE) to  
             determine the responsible school district, as specified,  
             and to notify that district of its responsibility, and  
             stipulates that the responsible school district shall  
             remain the district of residence for that pupil  







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             throughout the duration of the residential placement,  
             including, as necessary, after disposition of the  
             pupil's juvenile delinquency case. 

          4. Requires the responsible school district to transition a  
             pupil into a subsequent education placement if a  
             determination is made that a less restrictive  
             environment is appropriate for that pupil, including by  
             creating a transition plan, as specified. 

          5. Provides that in cases of disputes regarding  
             responsibility for education placement or services, the  
             responsible school district shall implement the IEP,  
             including, but not necessarily limited to, paying and  
             providing for the education placement and any other  
             related service, during the duration of the dispute. 

          6. Allows impacted districts to appeal the designation of  
             responsibility to the county board of education, which  
             is be required to issue a decision within 60 days and  
             provides that the decision is final. 

          7. Allows the county superintendent of schools to draw a  
             requisition against the funds of the responsible school  
             district in favor of the provider of educational  
             services if the responsible school district fails or  
             refuses to assume the educational costs, as specified. 

          8. Stipulates that for children who are placed in a LCI, or  
             a licensed foster home, or a family home, the school  
             district of residence is the school district where the  
             child resides, and states that the residence of a  
             surrogate parent appointed pursuant to current law or of  
             the person responsible for making educational decisions  
             for the child does not determine the school district of  
             residence.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  Yes

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/17/10)

          Mental Health Advocacy Services, Inc. (co-source)
          Public Counsel Law Center (co-source)







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          Augustin Egelsee, L.L.P.
          California Association for Parent-Child Advocacy
          Center for Juvenile Law and Policy, Loyola Law School
          Children's Advocacy Institute
          Children's Law Center
          National Center for Youth Law
          California State PTA
          Office of the Public Defender
          San Diego County of Education

           OPPOSITION  :    (Verified  8/17/10)

          Special Education Local Plan Area Administrators  
          Association
          Orange County Department of Education


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Tom  
            Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley,  
            Caballero, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, De La  
            Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,  
            Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Gatto,  
            Gilmore, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huffman,  
            Jeffries, Jones, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,  
            Mendoza, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, V. Manuel  
            Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Skinner,  
            Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson,  
            Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
          NOES:  Anderson, DeVore, Garrick, Hagman, Huber, Knight,  
            Miller, Nielsen
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Bass, Blakeslee, Buchanan, Charles  
            Calderon, Davis, Norby, Silva, Vacancy


          PQ:mw  8/17/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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