BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 227
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 227 (Hall)
As Amended April 6, 2011
Majority vote
EDUCATION 7-3 APPROPRIATIONS 12-3
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Ammiano, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Blumenfield, |
| |Buchanan, Butler, Carter, | |Bradford, Charles |
| |Eng, Williams | |Calderon, Campos, Davis, |
| | | |Gatto, Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| | | |Mitchell, Solorio |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Norby, Halderman, Wagner |Nays:|Harkey, Donnelly, Nielsen |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Modifies the guidelines and criteria required for the
development of district education technology plans, as
specified, and encourages districts to partner with the
California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP), information
technology companies and nonprofit organizations to develop
tools to supplement the existing Internet safety curriculum.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the education component of the guidelines and
criteria developed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) for education technology plans to include, but not be
limited, to a component to educate pupils and teachers on all
of the following:
a) The prevention of cyberbullying and legal consequences
for pupils engaging in cyberbullying;
b) The active use of content control software; and,
c) Responsible use by pupils of mobile communication
technology.
2)Encourages school districts to partner with the CTAP,
information technology companies, and nonprofit organizations
to develop tools to supplement the existing Internet safety
curriculum that addresses the educational component of the
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guidelines and criteria developed by the SPI.
3)Provides that school districts that have a current
three-to-five-year education technology plan as of July 1,
2012, are not required to include the specified components
until after the plan expires or is voluntarily replaced.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, General Fund administrative costs, likely less than
$50,000, to the California Department of Education (CDE) to
update the guidelines and criteria school districts use to
develop and revise their education technology plans, as
specified.
COMMENTS : In order to receive education technology funds, a
county office of education, school district, or direct-funded
charter school must have an approved education technology plan.
Once a district's technology plan is approved, this technology
plan is also used to apply for the Education-rate (E-rate)
federal program that provides eligible K-12 public schools and
libraries 20% to 90% discounts on approved telecommunications,
Internet access, and internal connections costs.
Current law requires the SPI to develop guidelines and criteria
to be included in the education technology plan, and requires
the guidelines and criteria to include a component to educate
pupils and teachers on specified components. The SPI has
developed the following broad categories for criteria to be
included in education technology plans: plan duration,
stakeholders, curriculum, professional development, hardware,
software, infrastructure, funding and budget, monitoring and
evaluation, adult literacy providers, and research-based
methods.
As a result of AB 307 (Chavez), Chapter 313, Statutes of 2006,
the curriculum criteria now include Internet safety and the
ethical use of technology. The Internet safety criterion and
guidelines require, "A list of goals and an implementation plan
that describe how the district will address Internet safety,
including how to protect online privacy and avoid online
predators." This requirement applies to all technology plans
submitted in 2008-09 and after. This bill adds the following
components to the curriculum criteria of the plan:
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a) The prevention of cyber bullying and legal consequences
for pupils engaging in cyber bullying;
b) The active use of parental content control software;
and,
c) Responsible use by pupils of mobile communication
technology.
Under current law, pursuant to the federal Children's Internet
Protection Act (CIPA), schools and libraries may not receive the
discounts offered by the E-rate program unless they certify that
they have an Internet safety policy and technology protection
measures in place. An Internet safety policy must include
technology protection measures to block or filter Internet
access to specified content and to monitor online activities of
minors.
Existing mechanisms ensure schools have Internet safety policies
in place as well as protection measures to filter access to
specified content. This bill seeks to expand the educational
component of the technology plans to ensure pupils and teachers
learn about preventing cyber bullying and the consequence for
engaging in such activities, as well as using content control
software, and using mobile communication technology responsibly.
What is cyber bullying? Cyber bullying is the use of electronic
devices and information, such as e-mail, instant messages, text
messages, mobile phones, and Web sites, to send or post harmful
messages or images about an individual or a group.
According to the author, "Recent incidents of harassment and
cyber bullying across the country have led to violence against
youth and the tragic suicides of middle, high school and college
students. These tragedies have raised a nationwide awareness of
this crisis and a demand for states to take a more active role
to protect students from bullying, intimidation and harassment."
The author further contends, "AB 227 is an important step to
protect students using the Internet and fight cyber bullying by
requiring a school district seeking state or federal technology
grants to use content control software on school computers, to
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establish clear guidelines to prevent cyber bullying and to
inform students of the legal consequences of cyber bullying
whether they are using a school computer or a mobile device."
A poll commissioned in 2006 by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids,
showed that one in three teens and one in six preteens have been
victims of cyber bullying and that more than 2 million of those
victims told no one about the attacks. In September of 2007,
the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Task Force
on School and Campus Safety released a report that includes
specific recommendations to address school safety issues.
Recommendations from the NAAG Task Force included a
recommendation for states to "continue to implement and expand
bullying prevention measures, including cyber bullying." The
report stated, "Bullying was recognized as an important issue in
examining school violence. The growth in the use of technology
and social networking sites by younger Americans has fueled a
fear among professionals that cyber bullying will become the
means most often utilized to harass, threaten or otherwise cause
distress. And while certainly more prevalent in the elementary
and secondary school setting, issues related to bullying or
intimidation are increasingly relevant in other nontraditional
settings."
Prior legislation: AB 678 (Hall) of 2009, modifies the
guidelines and criteria required for the development of district
education technology plans, as specified, and encourages
districts to partner with information technology companies and
nonprofit organizations to develop tools to supplement the
existing Internet safety curriculum. AB 678 (Hall) was held in
the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 86 (Lieu), Chapter 646, Statutes of 2008, adds bullying and
bullying committed by means of an electronic act to the list of
reasons for which a student may be suspended or recommended for
expulsion.
AB 88 (Lieu) of 2007 requires the CDE to work with the
Department of Consumer Affairs to ensure that the list of
resources regarding Internet safety from the California Cyber
Safety Resource Center addresses specified criteria. Requires
CDE to distribute, and make available on its Internet Web site
the list of Internet safety resources and allowed local
educational agencies to incorporate the resources into existing
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curricula. AB 88 (Lieu) was placed on the Senate floor inactive
file.
AB 307 (Chavez), Chapter 313, Statutes of 2006 requires the SPI,
by July 1, 2007, to develop guidelines for information regarding
the safe use of the Internet that should be included in a school
district's education technology plan.
Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Avina / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0000304