BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 614
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 614 (Kehoe)
As Amended April 26, 2011
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :33-1
EDUCATION 8-2
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Norby, Ammiano, | | |
| | Buchanan, | | |
| |Butler, Carter, Eng, | | |
| | Williams | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Beth Gaines, Morrell | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Authorizes the After School Education and Safety
Programs (ASES) to offer age-and gender-appropriate self-defense
and safety awareness training. Finds and declares that
amendments to the ASES program further the purposes of the ASES
Program Act of 2002.
FISCAL EFFECT : This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative
Counsel.
COMMENTS : The ASES program, passed by voters as Proposition 49
in 2002, provides almost $550 million annually to before and
after school programs for students in kindergarten through grade
nine. In 2010-11, 450 predominantly districts and county
offices of education received grants, although local governments
and nonprofit organizations working in partnership with local
educational agencies may also apply. After school programs must
commence right after school and at least until 6 p.m. for 15
hours per week. Direct grants are provided in three one-year
increments with maximum grants at $112,500 per year for
elementary schools and $150,000 per year for middle or junior
high schools based on a per pupil amount of $7.50 per day.
Priority for funding goes to schools where at least 50% of the
pupils are eligible for free- or reduced-priced lunch. Each
program is required to provide a match equal to not less than
one-third of the total grant. Facilities may count towards 25%
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of the local contribution.
Participating after school programs are required to have the
following elements:
1)An educational and literacy component in which tutoring or
homework assistance is provided in one or more of the
following areas: language arts, mathematics, history and
social science, computer training, or sciences.
2)An educational enrichment component, which may include, but is
not limited to, fine arts, career technical education,
recreation, physical fitness and prevention activities.
This bill specifies that opportunities for physical activity may
include age- and gender-appropriate self-defense and safety
awareness training. The author states, "Although districts have
authority to provide age-appropriate self-defense and safety
awareness training in specified grade levels, they are generally
prevented from offering that training due to fiscal constraints.
ASES programs provide an opportunity for schools to offer
physical activity in the form of self-defense and safety
awareness training, which are included by the State Board of
Education in physical education curriculum frameworks, but ASES
programs do not have explicit authority to provide self-defense
and safety awareness training to students."
The ASES program does not dictate what type of educational
enrichment activity must be offered. It can be argued that
self-defense and safety awareness training is a type of physical
activity and can therefore be offered currently. In fact, some
programs currently offer martial arts training, which can be
considered a type of self-defense activity. The author is
concerned that victims of violent crime are occurring at younger
and younger ages and advocates for a greater state and school
district role in familiarizing students with self-defense
techniques that can help them manage and avoid physically
threatening situations. Last year, the author introduced SB
1290 (Kehoe), Chapter 703, Statutes of 2010, which requires the
State Board of Education and the Curriculum Development
Commission and Supplemental Materials Commission to include
self-defense and safety training instruction in the next
revision of the physical education framework. The process for
adopting frameworks and instructional materials, which are based
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on those frameworks, has been suspended until 2015-16 due to the
budget crisis.
The California National Organization for Women, the sponsor of
this bill, states, "In recent years, we have seen an unfortunate
number of teenage and pre-teen children experiencing physical
attacks, assaults, and kidnappings, which too frequently turn
fatal. While we recognize that there is no way to completely
ensure that a child will be safe from a violent attack, our
state should not fail to take every precaution possible to
reduce and eliminate this possibility."
Related legislation: SB 429 (DeSaulnier), pending in the
Assembly, authorizes after school programs to use ASES
supplemental grants to extend summer, intersession or vacation
programs from three hours to six hours, enroll any student
attending a school in the district, operate at an alternate
location, and make adjustments to attendance accounting
procedures for operating a six hour program.
Prior related legislation: AB 2705 (Hall) of 2010, would have
required specified time requirements for moderate to vigorous
physical activity for pupils in physical education courses and
pupils participating in the ASES program. The bill was held in
the Assembly Appropriations Committee on the suspense file.
SB 1290 (Kehoe), Chapter 703, Statutes of 2010, requires the
State Board of Education and the Curriculum Development
Commission and Supplemental Materials Commission to include
self-defense and safety training instruction in the next
revision of the physical education framework.
AB 2843 (Karnette) of 2008, would have expanded the educational
enrichment component of the ASES program to include foreign
languages and revised the term "fine arts" to "visual and
performing arts." The bill was vetoed by Governor
Schwarzenegger, stating in his veto message that statutory
authorization is not necessary.
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
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FN: 0001363