BILL NUMBER: SB 1348 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 26, 2000
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 3, 2000
INTRODUCED BY Senator Vasconcellos
JANUARY 11, 2000
An act to add Sections 48645.8 and 51220.6 to the
Education Code, and to add Sections 885.5, 896.5, 1122.5, and 1857.5
to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to parenting.
An act relating to parenting.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1348, as amended, Vasconcellos. Parenting education.
Existing law requires the State Department of Health Services to
maintain a program of maternal and child health.
This bill would require the department to convene a summit on or
before March 31, 2001, to develop a master plan for parenting
education in nonschool settings. The bill would require the various
state departments to participate in the summit and collect, complete,
and submit to the summit available research regarding the causal
relationship between the presence or absence of parenting skills and
dysfunctional behavior. The bill would require the department to
submit a proposed master plan for parenting education based upon the
recommendations of the summit to the Legislature on or before January
1, 2002.
Existing law authorizes the county board of education to provide
for the administration and operation of juvenile court schools either
by the county superintendent of schools or by contract with
respective governing boards of the schools in which the juvenile
court school is located.
This bill would require a juvenile court school to provide a
course in parenting education to each pupil who is at least 12 years
old.
Existing law requires the governing board of each school district
that maintains a junior or senior high school to adopt standards of
proficiency in basic skills for pupils attending school within its
school district. Existing law sets forth the required courses of
study in grades 7 to 12. Existing law requires that the course of
study for grade 7 or 8 include course content in parenting skills and
education.
This bill would require, commencing in the 2001-02 school year, a
school district to ensure that all pupils in grades 9 to 12,
inclusive, or the equivalent thereof, receive parenting education
from adequately trained instructors in appropriate courses. This
bill would require the State Department of Education to submit to the
Legislature an evaluation of the parenting education required by
this provision, on or before January 1, 2005.
Existing law requires the Board of Corrections to adopt and
prescribe the minimum standards of programs of education and training
for juvenile homes, ranches, camps, or forestry camps. Existing law
also requires the board to adopt and prescribe the minimum standards
of programs of education and training for regional youth educational
facilities and youth correctional centers. Existing law establishes
within the Department of the Youth Authority a correctional
education authority to carry out the education and training of wards
committed to the authority.
This bill would require the board and the Department of the Youth
Authority to ensure that the above described facilities provide to
each ward committed to the facility a course in parenting education.
This bill would impose a state-mandated local program by requiring
the schools to which it applies to provide to certain pupils a
course in parenting education.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement, including the creation of a State Mandates Claims Fund
to pay the costs of mandates that do not exceed $1,000,000 statewide
and other procedures for claims whose statewide costs exceed
$1,000,000.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes no .
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting
this act that the state design and implement a comprehensive
parenting education plan that would foster the development of
healthier parents, families, children, and adults.
(b) The Director of Health Services shall convene a summit on or
before March 31, 2001, for the purpose of developing a master plan
for parenting education in nonschool settings. The master plan shall
especially accommodate those persons who are no longer attending
school in the year 2001.
(c) The summit shall include interested parties of all ideologies
and persuasions, legislative experts in parenting issues,
representatives of current providers, academic experts, business
leaders, family and child development experts, health professionals,
experts in public school parenting education programs, parents, and
children.
(d) The director, or his or her designee, of each of the
departments listed in subdivision (e) shall participate in the
summit. To the extent that his or her department has jurisdiction,
each director shall collect, complete, and submit to the summit the
best research available regarding the causal relationship between
good and healthy parenting, or lack thereof, to dysfunctional
behavior. The research submitted to the summit shall also address
the public costs that result from dysfunctional behavior.
(e) The director, or his or her designee, of each of the following
departments shall participate in the summit as provided in
subdivision (d):
(1) Department of Corrections.
(2) Department of the Youth Authority.
(3) State Department of Social Services.
(4) State Department of Mental Health.
(5) State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.
(6) State Department of Education.
(f) The objectives of the summit shall include, but not be limited
to, the following:
(1) Development of an inventory of all parenting education
programs currently available in California.
(2) Development of a method and curriculum by
which parents of newborns may receive parenting education in an
appropriate range of public and private nonschool settings.
(3) Identification of the classifications of licensed
professionals who would be the most appropriate educators of
parenting skills in nonschool settings, assessment of the need for
the establishment of instructor training and continuing education
requirements for these professionals, and development of mechanisms
by which these professionals can be engaged in the practice of
parenting education.
(4) Creation of a means for coordinating parenting education
services, in consultation with the State Department of Education.
(5) Identification of the ways and means for developing the
funding for the various options for parenting education.
(6) Identification and development of additional methods by which
each of the state departments participating in this summit can ensure
that Californians receive effective and useful parenting education.
(g) The State Department of Health Services shall organize the
recommendations of the summit into a proposed California master plan
for parenting education, and shall submit that plan to the
Legislature on or before January 1, 2002.
(h) The State Department of Health Services shall make every
reasonable effort to secure private funding to underwrite the cost of
this summit.
(i) The State Department of Health Services shall not be
responsible for travel costs and per diem associated with this summit
for any participant, except when required by state law or
administrative policy.
(j) After making available copies of the master plan to the
Legislature and appropriate persons in the executive branch, the
State Department of Health Services may make additional copies
available to interested persons at a reasonable charge to cover costs
of printing and mailing.
(k) The State Department of Health Services shall evaluate the
implementation of the summit's recommendations and shall make every
reasonable effort to either use existing resources or secure private
funding to underwrite this evaluation.
SEC. 2. Section 48645.8 is added to the Education Code, to read:
48645.8. A juvenile court school shall provide a course in
parenting education to each pupil who is at least 12 years old, with
content designed to develop a knowledge of topics described in
subdivision (b) of Section 51220.6.
SEC. 3. Section 51220.6 is added to the Education Code, to read:
51220.6. (a) Commencing in the 2001-02 school year, each school
district shall ensure that all pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive,
or the equivalent thereof, receive parenting education from
adequately trained instructors in appropriate courses, including, but
not limited to, home economics careers and technology education. To
the extent practicable, school districts shall include parenting
education in existing appropriate education courses. For purposes of
this subdivision, "school district" includes county boards of
education, county superintendents of schools, and state schools for
the handicapped.
(b) The required parenting education shall be designed to develop
knowledge of topics including, but not limited to, all of the
following:
(1) Parental responsibilities.
(2) Child growth and development.
(3) Maintaining healthy relationships.
(4) Child abuse and neglect issues.
(5) Self-esteem.
(6) Personal hygiene.
(7) Household budgeting.
(8) Teen parenting issues.
(9) Positive communication and problem solving skills.
(c) A teacher of parenting education shall meet at least one of
the following qualifications:
(1) Hold a valid California teaching credential that includes
preparation to teach child growth and development, family and
interpersonal relationships, and parenting education.
(2) Within five years of initially becoming a teacher of parenting
education, have completed at least 40 hours of in-service
instruction in child growth and development, family and interpersonal
relationships, and parenting education, as approved by the State
Department of Education.
(d) Parenting education may be offered by a team of teachers
functioning under the direction or supervision of a teacher who holds
the teaching credential described in paragraph (1) of subdivision
(c).
(e) In accordance with state law and the policy of the school
district, each school district shall give the following to the parent
or guardian of a pupil who is currently enrolled in a course in
which parenting education is taught:
(1) Adequate notice of the pupil's proposed participation in the
parenting education curriculum set forth in this section.
(2) Access to the parenting education instructional materials for
his or her review.
(f) It is the intent of the Legislature that each school district
ensure that all pupils known to be pregnant, and all pupils who are
known to be prospective fathers shall be enrolled in the next
scheduled parenting education course.
(g) On or before January 1, 2005, the State Department of
Education shall submit to the Legislature an evaluation of the
effectiveness of the parenting education required by this section.
SEC. 4. Section 885.5 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
885.5. The Board of Corrections, in consultation with the
Department of the Youth Authority, shall ensure that a juvenile home,
ranch, camp, or forestry camp shall provide to each ward committed
to the home, ranch, or camp who is at least 12 years old a course in
parenting education, with content designed to develop a knowledge of
topics described in subdivision (b) of Section 51220.6 of the
Education Code.
SEC. 5. Section 896.5 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
896.5. The Board of Corrections, in consultation with the
Department of the Youth Authority, shall ensure that a regional youth
educational facility shall provide to each ward committed to the
facility a course in parenting education, with content designed to
develop a knowledge of topics described in subdivision (b) of Section
51220.6 of the Education Code.
SEC. 6. Section 1122.5 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
1122.5. The Department of the Youth Authority shall ensure that
an institution under this chapter shall provide to each ward
committed to that institution a course in parenting education, with
content designed to develop a knowledge of topics described in
subdivision (b) of Section 51220.6 of the Education Code.
SEC. 7. Section 1857.5 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
1857.5. The Board of Corrections, in consultation with the
Department of the Youth Authority, shall ensure that a youth
correctional center shall provide to each ward committed to the
center a course in parenting education, with content designed to
develop a knowledge of topics described in subdivision (b) of Section
51220.6 of the Education Code.
SEC. 8. Notwithstanding Section 17610 of the Government Code, if
the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains
costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and
school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7
(commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the
Government Code. If the statewide cost of the claim for
reimbursement does not exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000),
reimbursement shall be made from the State Mandates Claims Fund.