BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 237
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Date of Hearing: June 12, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Joan Buchanan, Chair
SB 237 (Calderon) - As Amended: June 4, 2013
[Note: This bill is doubled referred to the Assembly Veterans
Affairs Committee and will be heard as it relates to issues
under its jurisdiction.]
SENATE VOTE : 36-0
SUBJECT : High School Diplomas: Veterans
SUMMARY : Expands the pool of veterans who may receive a
retroactive high school diploma to include people who served in
the military after the Vietnam War. Specifically, this bill :
1) Expands the group of veterans who may be granted a
retroactive high school diploma by striking the reference
to veterans of World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam
War.
2) Expands the definition of "veteran" to include those who
served in the United States military during a humanitarian
mission.
3) Requires a school district or county office of education,
before granting a retroactive high school diploma, to a
veteran that began his or her service after May 1, 1973, to
require the otherwise eligible veteran to pass the high
school exit exam or have satisfactorily completed half of
the work required for grade 12.
EXISTING LAW :
Retroactive High School Diplomas
1) Authorizes school districts and county offices of
education to retroactively grant a high school diploma to a
person who has not received a diploma if he or she meets
either of the following:
a) The person was interned by order of the federal
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government during World War II and was enrolled in a
high school immediately preceding his or her
internment and did not receive a diploma because his
or her education was interrupted due to internment.
b) The person is a veteran of World War II, the
Korean War, or the Vietnam War, was honorably
discharged from military service, was enrolled in high
school immediately preceding his or her military
service in those wars, and did not receive a diploma
because his or her education was interrupted due to
military service in those wars.
1) Authorizes school districts and county offices of
education, for a former member of the Armed Forces who is a
resident of California and who has received an honorable
discharge, or for an active member of the Armed Forces who
is a resident of California, who has not received a high
school diploma to do all of the following:
a) Evaluate classes completed in any high school,
community college, or state college.
b) Grant credit toward graduation for military
service and training received while in the military
service of the United States.
c) Grant a diploma of graduation if satisfied that
the person has completed the equivalent of the
requirements for graduation from high school.
1) Requires a high school to grant a diploma of graduation
to a veteran who was enrolled in that high school in grade
12 at the time of entering military and had satisfactorily
completed the first half of the work required for
completion of grade 12.
2) Defines a veteran as a person who has served 90 days or
more in the military service of the United States during a
war with a foreign power or during any national emergency
declared by the President of the United States and who has
received an honorable discharge from that service.
3) Provides that war with a foreign power exists under any
of the following conditions:
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a) Whenever Congress has declared war and peace has
not been formally restored.
b) Whenever the United States is engaged in active
military operations against any foreign power, whether
or not war has been formally declared.
c) Whenever the United States is assisting the
United Nations, in actions involving the use of armed
forces, or to maintain or restore international peace
and security.
High school graduation requirements
1) Requires a pupil to pass both the English language arts and
mathematics portions of the California High School Exit
Exam and complete the following courses as a condition of
graduating from high school:
a) Three years of English;
b) Two years of mathematics;
c) Two years of science, including biological and
physical sciences;
d) Three years of social studies, including United
States history and geography; world history, culture,
and geography; one semester of American government and
civics; and one semester of economics;
e) One year of visual or performing arts, foreign
language, or beginning with the 2012-13 school year,
career technical education; and
f) Two years of physical education.
2) Requires one of the two years of mathematics to meet or
exceed the rigor of the content standards for Algebra I.
3) Authorizes school districts to impose additional coursework
requirements as a condition of graduation from high school.
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FISCAL EFFECT : This bill is keyed as non-fiscal by Legislative
Counsel.
COMMENTS : For those members of the armed forces that left high
school early due to enlistment, this is an important recognition
of their formidable sacrifice. While current law recognizes
only those who served in WWII, the war in Korea, and the Vietnam
War, this bill would make this recognition available to those
thousands of men and women who have served in military actions
including, but not limited to:
Persian Gulf War
NATO and United States Intervention in Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Invasion of Afghanistan
Invasion of Iraq
Leaving high school to enter the military . The United States
military has not relied on conscription (the draft) since the
Vietnam War. Current law authorizes a retroactive diploma to be
awarded to people whose education was interrupted due to
military service, but does not require that service to be due to
a draft or by means other than volunteering to serve. The
veterans to whom this bill could apply, voluntarily entered the
military prior to graduating from high school, which is not
inconsistent with current law. According to the United States
Department of Defense, "a high school diploma is most desirable
[though] candidates with a GED can enlist, but some Services may
limit opportunities. It is very difficult to be considered a
serious candidate without either a high school diploma or
accepted alternative credential." Therefore, as applied to
recent military actions, this bill would only apply to a limited
number of veterans.
Humanitarian missions . This bill expands the definition of
"veteran" to include those who served in the United States
military during a humanitarian mission. However, such missions
are military operations and the veteran would still have to had
served a minimum amount of time and been honorably discharged
from the military to be eligible for a retroactive high school
diploma.
New Requirement s. This bill imposes a new requirement that may
make it more difficult for veterans to earn a retroactive high
school diploma. Current law allows for a retroactive high
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school diploma for any veteran of specified wars to be awarded a
high school diploma if their education was interrupted by
service in the military. This bill requires the governing board
of the school district or county office of education to require
that, as a condition of awarding a retroactive high school
diploma to a veteran who began his or her service after May 1,
1973, the veteran must have either passed the California High
School Exit Exam or have satisfactorily completed a least
one-half of the coursework required for completion of grade 12.
The United States has not issued a draft call since December 7,
1972, so the May 1, 1973 date is intended to exclude all of
those men and women who began their service prior to the draft
conducted during the Vietnam War. This language is taken from
existing language that requires the governing board to grant a
high school diploma to those veterans who left that high school
in the 12th grade to serve in the military, and who have
completed at least the first half of the high school's 12th
grade requirements. This amendment extends those provisions to
any California high school for any veteran, as specified,
whether or not he or she was enrolled at the time of enlistment.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
American Legion
AMVETS, Department of California
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Department of California
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Jill Rice / ED. / (916) 319-2087