BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Alan Lowenthal, Chair
2011-2012 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 2262
AUTHOR: Bradford
AMENDED: April 10, 2012
FISCAL COMM: No HEARING DATE: May 16, 2012
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Daniel Alvarez
SUBJECT : School district governing boards: notification of
parent rights and
responsibilities.
SUMMARY
This bill permits a school district to provide notification of
parent rights and responsibilities, by providing access to the
notice electronically, if a parent or guardian requests to
receive the notice in electronic format.
BACKGROUND
Current law:
1) Requires that, at the beginning of the first semester or
quarter of the regular school term, the governing board
of each school district notify the parent or guardian of
a minor pupil regarding the right or responsibility of
the parent or guardian under specified law, as well as
other specified information.
2) Requires the above notice to be sent by regular mail or
by other method normally used to communicate with the
parents and guardians in writing.
3) Requires parents and guardians to provide a signed
acknowledgement of being informed of the required notice,
as specified.
4) Requires if 15 percent or more of the pupils in a school
speak a primary language other than English, as
determined by census data, all notices, reports,
statements, or records shall be written in the primary
language, in addition to being written in English.
AB 2262
Page 2
(Education Code � 48980 - 48985)
ANALYSIS
This bill permits a school district to provide notification of
parent rights and responsibilities, by providing access to the
notice electronically, if a parent or guardian requests to
receive the notice in electronic format.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the sponsor, Los
Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the district is
facing its 5th year of budget deficits, and it is
currently wrestling with a deficit of over $300 million
for fiscal year 2012-13. In an effort to find new and
innovative ways to cut costs, LAUSD would like to have
the option to distribute parent-student handbooks
electronically. If even half of LAUSD families elected
to receive the parent-student handbook electronically,
the district could save approximately $200,000 per year.
2) Additional background . Current law, specifies more than
20 items of information deemed important for parents and
guardians to have and include district policies on
discipline, attendance, excused/unexcused absences,
fingerprinting, sexual harassment, and residency; rights
of parents or guardians to excuse their pupils from
sexual education classes and rights of students to
refrain from participation in an education project
harmful to animals; and information important for high
school graduation and entry into college.
The length of the notices vary from district to district,
ranging from under 20 pages to over 100 pages. Some
districts combine the parent notice with other school
policies and procedures, resulting in a sizeable document
(for example, a parent-student handbook).
3) Electronic distribution is a reasonable option. The
electronic distribution of parent rights and
responsibilities notification seems reasonable in light
of (1) the continued requirement of providing written
AB 2262
Page 3
notice, unless a parent or guardian requests an
electronic version, and (2) general comfort and broad
usage of electronic texts and emails.
The bill, however, maybe somewhat ambiguous because (1)
it does not provide assurance that a parent has to
acknowledge receipt of an electronic version of the
notification, and (2) do electronic versions conform to
the primary language requirement of Education Code �
48985?
If it is the desire of the committee to move this
measure, staff recommends amendments that clarify any
electronic format version of parent rights and
responsibilities notification must include a signed
acknowledgement by the parent that they have received the
notice, and that any electronic format notice must
conform with the 15 percent primary language threshold.
SUPPORT
Los Angeles Unified School District
OPPOSITION
None on file