BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1806
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 9, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                 AB 1806 (Bloom) - As Introduced:  February 18, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              EducationVote:6-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              Yes

           SUMMARY  

          This bill makes policies and procedures for suspension,  
          expulsion, graduation requirements and completed coursework for  
          homeless youth comparable to existing law as it relates to  
          foster youth.  Specifically, this bill:

          1)Requires each Local Educational Agency (LEA), when  
            recommending expulsion or suspension of a pupil who has  
            exceptional needs, to notify the LEA's liaison for homeless  
            children and youth of a manifestation determination meeting, a  
            suspension hearing, or an expulsion hearing of a homeless  
            youth. (A manifestation determination is a decision as to  
            whether the pupil's violation of the school code of conduct is  
            determined to be a manifestation of the child's disability.)

          2)Exempts homeless pupils from completing graduation  
            requirements in excess of the state graduation requirements if  
            the homeless pupil transfers after his or her second year of  
            high school. 

          3)Requires, if a homeless pupil transfers schools, the LEA to  
            award partial or full credit, as specified, for courses  
            completed at a pupil's previous school.

           FISCAL EFFECT 

          Minor, absorbable, GF/98 state reimbursable mandated costs to  
          LEAs, as these policies and procedures are already in place for  
          foster youth. 

           COMMENTS  









                                                                  AB 1806
                                                                  Page  2

           1)Purpose  . This bill attempts to remove some of the barriers  
            that may hinder homeless children and youth from achieving in  
            school.  The proposed changes mirror existing law as it  
            relates to foster youth.

           2)Background . For the 2011-12 school year, California reported  
            248,904 homeless children and youth enrolled in school. During  
            the 2012-13 fiscal year, 82 LEAs received grant money under  
            the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act in amounts ranging from $220  
            to $24,308.  Yet, in an independent survey conducted by the  
            California Research Bureau, three quarters of California's  
            homeless youth were not in school. In this same survey, most  
            of the 54 youth surveyed were between 17 and 24, yet only six  
            had graduated from high school or attained a GED. At the same  
            time, a majority of California youth surveyed expressed the  
            desire to return to school and had life goals (such as  
            becoming a teacher, social worker, or working in the medical  
            field) that require extensive education to achieve. 



           Analysis Prepared by  :    Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081