California Assembly Bill AB2521 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2521AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 17, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Cooley FEBRUARY 19, 2016 An act  to add Article 4 (commencing with Section 78050) to Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code,  relating to community colleges. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2521, as amended, Cooley.  Community colleges: support for students with special needs: funding.   Los Rios Community College Pilot Program to Support Special Needs Students.  Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to adopt rules and regulations for the administration and funding of educational programs and support services provided to disabled students by community college districts. This bill would  express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to fund personal, educational, and academic supports for students with special needs attending community colleges.   authorize the Los Rios Community College District to   establish the Los Rios Community College Pilot Program to Support Special Needs Students to provide various forms of academic and personal support to students with special needs, including autism spectrum disorders. The pilot program would require specified individuals who provide support to these students to submit progress reports to the district and would require the district to compile this information and post it on its Internet Web site.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION   1.   The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:   (a) Providing comprehensive support services to special needs students empowers them to advocate for themselves, master the skills needed to live independently, and make daily life decisions. In doing so, these students also develop rewarding and appropriate relationships with peers and adults.   (b) With coaching from an independent living skills instructor, special needs students can learn to use public transportation, manage their money, pay bills, shop for groceries, prepare meals, clean their apartments, and do their laundry. These individualized supports complement these students' higher education goals and prepares them to transition confidently to independent living, employment, and adulthood.   SEC   .   2.   Article   4 (commencing with Section 78050) is added to Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the   Education Code   , to read:   Article 4. Los Rios Community College Pilot Program to Support Special Needs Students 78050. This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Los Rios Community College Pilot Program to Support Special Needs Students. 78051. The Los Rios Community College Pilot Program to Support Special Needs Students may be established by the Los Rios Community College District to provide access to learning supports for students with special needs, such as autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger Syndrome, social and emotional maturation issues, and other related disabilities. As part of the pilot program, the district may contract with public or private programs that provide a network of comprehensive services, including the support of resident advisors, tutors, mentors, psychologists, academic liaisons, site directors, and others to help special needs students become more self-sufficient, independent, confident, and successful in their academic endeavors. 78052. The pilot program shall provide special needs students with all of the following: (a) Comprehensive academic support that includes helping them apply to community college and register and enroll in community college classes. (b) An independent living skills instructor and encouragement and support in seeking apartments near campus with one or more roommates. (c) An individually assigned mentor, ideally a graduate student in psychology, to provide additional academic and personal support. (d) (1) Additional support provided by a dedicated team that includes the program's director, a psychologist, additional tutors and mentors, and a resident assistant, as appropriate. (2) Individuals who provide support pursuant to subdivisions (b) to (d), inclusive, shall submit progress reports for their special needs students participating in the pilot program to the Los Rios Community College District. The district shall compile the information in these reports and post it on the district's Internet Web site for parents and teachers to access. (3) The information posted pursuant to paragraph (2) shall be posted in a manner that provides appropriate protections for the privacy of students involved consistent with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g). 78053. The pilot program shall allow special needs students who have not completed high school to simultaneously earn a high school diploma, or its equivalent, and college credits at community colleges within the district. 78054. Funding for the pilot program may be derived from any source, including, but not limited to, state and nonstate funding sources.   SECTION 1.   It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to fund personal, educational, and academic supports for students with special needs attending community colleges.