Bill Text: CA SB691 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: State Board of Education: student members: truancy notifications.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-04-29 - From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED. [SB691 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB691-Amended.html
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Amended
IN
Assembly
April 29, 2024 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
January 11, 2024 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
January 03, 2024 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 691
| Introduced by Senator Portantino |
February 16, 2023 |
An act to amend Section Sections 33000.5 and 48260.5 of the Education Code, relating to the State Board of Education. elementary and secondary education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 691, as amended, Portantino.
State Board of Education: student members. members: truancy notifications.
Existing
(1) Existing law establishes the State Board of Education, consisting of 10 members who are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of 2/3 of the Senate and one student member who is appointed by the Governor, pursuant to a specified selection process, with the advice and consent of 2/3 of the Senate.
Under existing law, the student member is a voting member with the full rights and duties of the other 10 members of the state board. Existing law requires, as part of the selection process for the student member, a screening committee of the state board to select 12 semifinalists from among those who apply for the student member position. Existing law requires the California Association of Student Councils to select a maximum of 6 final candidates from the list of semifinalists. Existing law requires the state board to select 3 finalists from the candidates selected by the California Association of Student Councils and requires the Governor to appoint the student member from among those finalists.
This bill would instead require the state board to present for the Governor’s consideration all of the final candidates selected by the California Association of Student Councils. The bill would require the Governor to appoint 2 additional student members to the state
board, as provided, and would require those student members to have preferential voting rights, as described.
(2) Existing law requires a pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without a valid excuse 3 full days in one school year, or tardy or absent for more than a 30-minute period during the schoolday without a valid excuse on 3 occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, to be classified as a truant. Existing law requires, upon a pupil’s initial classification as a truant, a school district to notify the pupil’s parent or guardian of specified information, including, among other information, that the pupil and parent or guardian of the pupil may be subject to prosecution, as specified, and that it is recommended that the parent or guardian accompany the pupil to school and
attend classes with the pupil for one day.
This bill would remove those specific pieces of information from that notification and would require that notification to include additional information, including, among other information, that mental health and supportive services may be available to the pupil and the family and that school personnel look forward to meeting with the pupil and family to develop strategies to support and welcome the pupil at school. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on school district officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(3) 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.
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 the statutory provisions noted above.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 33000.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:33000.5.
(a) Notwithstanding Sections 33000 and 33001, the Governor shall also appoint three student members to the state board with the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate.(b) The term of office of each student member is one year, and shall begin on August 1. An individual may serve only one term as a student member.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding Section 1020 of the Government Code, each student member shall be, at the time the student member’s one-year term commences, a student enrolled in good standing in grade 12 in a public high school. The student members shall be selected from the finalists presented
to the Governor by the state board pursuant to subdivision (d). One student member shall be a voting member with the full rights and duties of the other 10 members of the state board. The remaining student members appointed to the state board shall have preferential voting rights.
(2) “Preferential voting,” as used in this section, means a formal expression of opinion that is recorded in the minutes and cast before the official vote of the state board. A preferential vote shall not serve in determining the final numerical outcome of a vote. No preferential vote shall be solicited on matters subject to closed session discussion.
(d) The process for selecting the student members shall be as follows:
(1) Each
year, the state board shall notify every school district that applications are being accepted for the student
member positions.
(2) A screening committee of the state board shall select 12 semifinalists for the student member positions. Those semifinalists shall be presented to the California Association of Student Councils, which shall select a maximum of six final candidates for presentation to the state board.
(3) Each year, the state board shall present the finalists for the Governor’s consideration and may rank the finalists
according to its preference.
SEC. 2.
Section 48260.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:48260.5.
Upon a pupil’s initial classification as a truant, the school district shall notify the pupil’s parent or guardian using the most cost-effective method possible, which may include electronic mail or a telephone call:(a) That the pupil is truant.
(b) That the parent or guardian is obligated to compel the attendance of the pupil at school.
(c)That parents or guardians who fail to meet this obligation may be guilty of an infraction and subject to prosecution pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 48290).
(d)
(c) That alternative educational programs are available in the school district.
(e)
(d) That the parent or guardian has the right to meet with appropriate school personnel to discuss solutions to the pupil’s truancy.
(f)That the pupil may be subject to prosecution under Section 48264.
(g)That it is recommended that the parent or guardian accompany the pupil to school and attend classes with the pupil for one day.
(e) That mental health and supportive services may be available to the pupil and the family.
(f) That school personnel look forward to meeting with the pupil and family to develop strategies to support and welcome the pupil at school.
(g) That research shows that missing 10 percent of school, or about 18 days, negatively affects a pupil’s academic performance, that poor attendance can influence whether pupils read proficiently by the end of third grade or will be held back, and that by sixth grade chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator that a pupil will drop out of high school.
