California 2013 2013-2014 Regular Session

California Senate Bill SB1107 Amended / Bill

Filed 04/03/2014

 BILL NUMBER: SB 1107AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 3, 2014 INTRODUCED BY Senator Monning FEBRUARY 19, 2014 An act to add Section 48070.7 to the Education Code, relating to pupil attendance. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1107, as amended, Monning. Pupil attendance: Attorney General report: truancy.  Existing   (1)     Existing  law authorizes the establishment of county and local school attendance review boards, and provides that any minor pupil who is a habitual truant, is irregular in attendance at school, or is habitually insubordinate or disorderly during attendance at school may be referred to a school attendance review board. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to adopt rules and regulations to require the appropriate officers and employees of the district to gather and transmit to the county superintendent of schools the number and types of referrals to school attendance review boards and of requests for petitions to the juvenile court. This bill would, subject to available funding, on or before September 30, 2015, and annually thereafter, require the Attorney General  and the State Department of Education  to  jointly  submit a report  on elementary school truancy and chronic absenteeism in California public schools  to the Governor, the Legislature, and to the State Board of Education,  on elementary school truancy and chronic absenteeism in California public schools,  as specified. The bill would require the  Attorney General's  report to include information on pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 5, inclusive, including, among other things, attendance-related data and information regarding truancy prevention and intervention efforts by local educational agencies, as defined, or county or local prosecuting authorities, as specified. The bill would, upon the request of the Attorney General,   General or the department,  require  the State Department of Education, local educational agencies, and  county and local prosecuting authorities  or local educational agencies, respectively,  to provide the Attorney General  or the department  with specified  information.   information in anonymized format.  By imposing additional duties on local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.  (2) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to coordinate and administer a state school attendance review board, as provided. Existing law requires the Superintendent to convene the state school attendance review board at least 4 times during the year. Existing law requires the state school attendance review board to, among other things, make recommendations annually to the Superintendent, and to other state agencies as deemed appropriate, regarding the needs and services provided to high-risk youth, including youth with school attendance or behavioral problems, in the state public schools.   This bill would require the state school attendance review board to annually discuss the report jointly submitted by the Attorney General and the department at a regularly scheduled meeting. The bill would authorize the state school attendance review board to provide recommendations based on the report.   The   (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 these statutory provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 48070.7 is added to the Education Code, to read: 48070.7. (a) Subject to available funding, on or before September 30, 2015, and annually thereafter, the Attorney General  and the department  shall  jointly  submit a report to the Governor, the Legislature, and the state board on elementary school truancy and chronic absenteeism in California public schools. The Attorney General  and the department  shall utilize data produced by the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System pursuant to Section 60900 and other available data in developing the report. (b) The report required by subdivision (a) shall include, but is not limited to,  all of  the following information regarding pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 5, inclusive, for the school year with the most recent available data, including comparisons with the prior school year: (1) Attendance-related data, as described in subdivision (c) of Section 60901. (2) Information regarding truancy prevention and intervention efforts by local educational agencies, or county or local prosecuting authorities, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (A) Information regarding the notifications required by subdivision (a) of Section 48260 and Sections 48260.5 and 48261. (B) Information regarding the activities of county and local school attendance review boards established pursuant to Section 48321. (C) Information regarding the outcomes of prosecutions and mediation or diversion programs for pupils who are truant or who have irregular attendance, or whether the prosecuting authority declined to prosecute referrals of those pupils. (3) An analysis, if data is available, of whether  schools or  local educational agencies are complying with the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 48260 and Sections 48260.5, 48261, and 48273, as applicable. (c) For purposes of this section, "local educational agency" means a  school,  charter school,  a  county office of education,  a  school district, or  a  county or local school attendance review board.  (d) Upon the Attorney General's request, the department shall provide the Attorney General the attendance-related data described in subdivision (c) of Section 60901 in anonymized format.   (e)   (d)   (1)    Upon the Attorney General' s request,  local educational agencies, and  county and local prosecuting  authorities,   authorities  shall provide the Attorney General the information and analysis described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b) in anonymized format.  (2) Upon the department's request, local educational agencies shall provide the department the information and analysis described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b) in anonymized format.   (f)   (e)  (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under subdivision (a) is inoperative on September 30, 2019, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code. (2) A report submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.  (f) The state school attendance review board, established pursuant to Section 48325, shall annually discuss the report submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) during a regularly scheduled meeting. The state school attendance review board may provide recommendations based on the report, as appropriate.  SEC. 2. 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.