policy
New laws prompt need for board policy revisions
Gov. Jerry Brown signed more than 1,000 bills this year, about a tenth of which impact K-12 schools. Most of those will become effective Jan. 1, 2019.
“While boards should be reviewing and updating policies all year long, this is a particularly busy time of year for districts and county offices of education as they work to understand the implications of the new laws,” said Tezeta Stewartz, senior policy manual consultant for CSBA. “CSBA’s policy services can help governance teams to update their policies and consider best practices for effective implementation.”
Among the issues that districts will face in the coming months are:
- Local Control and Accountability Plan: State law requires districts, COEs and charter schools to address parent involvement among the state priorities in their LCAP, and now Assembly Bill 2878 (Chávez, R-Oceanside) broadens this priority to include family engagement. AB 1808, an education finance trailer bill, requires consultation with special education local plan area administrator(s) as part of LCAP review and development, and requires a Local Control Funding Formula budget overview for parents to be developed in conjunction with the LCAP. Policy impact: BP/AR 0460 – Local Control and Accountability Plan.
- School plans: AB 716 (O’Donnell, D-Long Beach) amends statutes related to school site councils and the single plan for student achievement to better align with the LCFF and the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Certain small schools will be allowed to share a school site council. Policy impact: BP/AR 0420 – School Plans/Site Councils.
- Comprehensive school safety plan: Along with consultation with law enforcement in the development of a comprehensive school safety plan, AB 1747 (Rodriguez, D-Pomona) requires consultation with a fire department and other first responder entities. It also adds a requirement that the plan contain procedures for conducting tactical responses to criminal incidents, including procedures related to individuals with guns on school campuses and at school-related functions. Policy impact: AR 0450 Comprehensive Safety Plan.
“As always, it is important for district leadership to effectively communicate policy changes to all affected staff and to the community. This will encourage public accountability, as well as consistency between policy and district practices.”
- Attire at graduation ceremonies: AB 1248 (Gloria, D-San Diego) gives students the right to wear religious or cultural adornments attached to, or worn with, the cap and gown at graduation ceremonies. Schools retain the discretion to prohibit an item that is likely to cause a substantial disruption of the ceremony. Policy impact: BP 5127 – Graduation Ceremonies and Activities.
- Migratory students: The exemption from local graduation requirements which currently applies to foster youth, homeless students, children of military families and former juvenile court school students who transfer between high schools in their junior or senior year has been extended by AB 2121 (Caballero, D-Salinas) to include migratory students and newly arrived immigrant students participating in an English language proficiency program. Policy impact: BP/AR 6175 – Migrant Education Program, BP 6146.1 – High School Graduation Requirements and BP/AR 1312.3 – Uniform Complaint Procedures.
- Debt collection: Pursuant to AB 1974 (Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego), districts cannot bill or take any negative action against students and former students for any debt owed to a school or district, provided the debt is not owed as a result of vandalism or the need to replace books, supplies or property that was willfully damaged or not returned by the student. Policy impact: BP/AR 3260 – Fees and Charges.
- School bus safety: The deadline for installing a child safety alert system on school buses is pushed back to March 1, 2019, under AB 1840 (Committee on Budget). Districts, COEs and charter schools with 4,000 or fewer students may be granted an additional six months if they provide documentation that they have ordered or purchased the systems by March 1. Policy impact: BP 3543 – Transportation Safety and Emergencies.
“Even when new laws dictate certain actions, the local policy development process provides an opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions about the issues and develop effective strategies to meet the needs of each district,” Stewartz advised. “As always, it is important for district leadership to effectively communicate policy changes to all affected staff and to the community. This will encourage public accountability, as well as consistency between policy and district practices.”