On Aug. 11, California became the first state to require a COVID-19 vaccination or regular testing for school staff when Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a new public health order during a press conference at Oakland Unified School District’s Carl B. Munck Elementary School. The mandate requires that all TK-12 school staff, both public and private, either show proof of full vaccination or be tested at least once per week. The order does not extend to home schools, child care centers or institutions of higher education.

The order took effect on Aug. 12, 2021, and schools must be fully compliant by Oct. 15, 2021. Under the policy, school staff will be required to present a COVID-19 vaccination record card or photographic or QR code documentation of the card that includes the name of the employee, the type of vaccine received and the date of the final dose. (Vaccinated individuals can generate a QR code here: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/).

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity offered by a recipient of federal financial assistance, which includes school districts and county offices of education. OCR issued the memo to clarify how it will enforce Title IX moving forward. The memo stated that though OCR has long recognized that Title IX protects all students, including LGBTQ students, from harassment and other forms of sex discrimination, OCR has at times in the past stated that Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination does not encompass discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Sen. Anthony Portantino’s (D-La Cañada Flintridge) Senate Bill 328, a follow-up bill to the legislation that created the “late start” law in 2019, was ultimately not set for hearing by the Assembly Education Committee and will likely not be taken up again until the second year of the legislative session. CSBA had taken an Oppose Unless Amended position on SB 328, seeking amendments to delay implementation of the current late start requirement by two years; remove ambiguous language prohibiting a local city or county from adopting an ordinance interfering with a local educational agency’s ability to comply with the requirement; and more clearly define what is and is not a rural, middle, junior high and high school for purposes of the late start requirement. With the follow-up bill now delayed, implementation questions may arise for the existing late start requirement, which will go into effect for the 2022–23 school year and CSBA is now evaluating the existing statute to determine whether there is enough flexibility in the bill to address these concerns.

Research shows that access to high-quality early education opportunities improves children’s social-emotional development, school readiness and long-term academic achievement. In the 2021–22 state budget, California signaled its commitment to early childhood education through the universal transitional kindergarten provision contained in Assembly Bill 130. Local educational agency boards should know the benefits of providing transitional kindergarten, the specifics of the law, and areas of concern regarding implementation identified by CSBA.

According to the State of Preschool 2020, a report by the National Institute for Early Education Research, this focus comes at a time when current transitional kindergarten programs in the state are struggling to meet the quality standard benchmarks set by the institute. The benchmarks are meant to help guide policymakers seeking to enhance and support high-quality programs and include: comprehensive early learning and development standards, supports for curriculum implementation, lead teacher with a degree and specialized training in early childhood education, an assistant teacher with an appropriate degree, teacher professional development, maximum class size of 20, staff-child ratio 1:10, health screenings and referrals, and a continuous quality improvement system.

While the California State Preschool program met six of the 10 quality standards, the state’s current TK program met just three: early learning and development standards, curriculum supports and lead teacher with a degree.

California’s Safe Schools for All Team updated its K-12 Schools frequently asked questions (https://bit.ly/3ARga4I) on Aug. 6 to address a question about doctor’s notes and parental or self-attestation for mask exemptions. As per the California Department of Public Health guidance on face coverings, “persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a mask” as well as “persons who are hearing impaired” are exempt from mask requirements.

The CCBE Board of Directors held its annual planning retreat July 30–Aug. 1 at the Embassy Suites in Sacramento, wearing masks and in person for the first time in a year and a half.

Meeting facilitator Lauren Ball began the retreat on a positive note, asking everyone to introduce themselves and share something good they experienced because of the pandemic. Board members also shared their personal expectations for the meeting’s outcomes.

During the course of the weekend, the Board of Directors analyzed the past year’s accomplishments and discussed ideas for strengthening the organization, improving communication with its members, and empowering county board of education trustees in their roles as leaders. At the forefront of the Board of Directors’ goals and accomplishments are more in-depth training for CCBE members on how to improve their desired skills, implementation of the new CCBE Computer Science program, and the excitement building for the Annual Conference.