BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1290
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 4, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
SB 1290 (Kehoe) - As Amended: June 23, 2010
Policy Committee: EducationVote:6-1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) and the
Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission
(the Commission), during the next revision of the physical
education (PE) framework, to include self-defense instruction
and safety instruction for grades 7-12, inclusive.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Defines "safety instruction" as including, but not limited to,
awareness and avoidance of potentially dangerous situations.
2)Defines "self-defense instruction" as including, but not
limited to, martial arts, boxing, and other defense
techniques.
FISCAL EFFECT
GF administrative costs to SDE, likely between $100,000 and
$140,000, to establish a panel for the purpose of revising the
PE curriculum framework to include self-defense instruction, as
specified. This assumes all or a portion of the Commission's
funding is restored to complete the revision of the PE
curriculum framework, as specified.
Due to the enactment of AB 2 X4 (Evans), Chapter 2, Statutes of
2009 (see below), the governor vetoed $705,000 (GF) for the
curriculum commission, which conducts the majority of the work
associated with instructional materials (IM) adoptions,
including developing curriculum frameworks. Specifically, the
governor stated, "it is unnecessary for the curriculum
commission to continue to advise the SBE on content frameworks
and IM adoptions for the next five years or until an agreed-upon
SB 1290
Page 2
process is reestablished. This reduction removes funding for
unnecessary commission per diem and travel as well as funding
for SDE staff."
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . Current law requires the SBE to adopt PE model
content standards for grades K-12. The content standards
provide guidance for PE programs by identifying what each
student should know and be able to do at each grade level.
The K-12 PE Curriculum Framework, adopted by the SBE in
September 2008, aids local education agencies (LEAs) in
implementing PE programs for pupils. The curriculum framework
"charges administrators and teachers with instituting
standards-based PE instruction and programs that are effective
for every student."
The author states I am "concerned that students are
increasingly becoming victims of violent crime at younger and
younger ages. Hundreds of San Diego residents, and other
proponents of self-defense, believe that school districts are
in a good position to familiarize students with self-defense
techniques that can help them manage and avoid physically
threatening situations. The state needs to take a leadership
role in developing core learning principles on which defense
and safety instruction curriculum can be based. As required
by this bill, those principles would be developed when the
physical education frameworks for Grades 7-12 are revised by
the SBE and the curriculum commission."
2)The PE Curriculum Framework and self defense . The curriculum
framework suggests self-defense instruction in grade 10.
Specifically, it states: "Self-defense is one option for
addressing the content area of combatives. Because it is
directly related to student safety, it is an important area
for physical educators to teach and students to learn. The
emphasis of this unit is on how to defend, not how to fight.
The unit begins with students learning about potentially
unsafe situations and how to avoid them. Safety skills are the
initial focus of instruction. Only after learning safety
skills do students begin to learn how to protect themselves
should they be attacked."
This bill requires the SBE and curriculum commission to
SB 1290
Page 3
include self-defense instruction and safety instruction for
grades 7-12, inclusive.
3)AB 2 X4 (Evans), Chapter 2, Statutes of 2009 , specified that
LEAs are not required to purchase IM through the 2012-13
fiscal year. Consistent with the non-purchasing requirement,
Chapter 2 also suspended the requirement for SBE to adopt IM
or conduct other procedures associated with adoption (i.e.,
adopting curriculum frameworks) until the 2013-14 school year.
This bill requires the SBE to self-defense instruction as
part of the PE Curriculum Framework at its next revision. The
next revision date for this framework has not been determined.
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
319-2081