CA SB 897

Title: Pupil attendance: interdistrict attendance: school districts of choice.
Author: Josh Newman

Summary
SB 897, as amended, Newman. Pupil attendance: interdistrict attendance: school districts of choice. (1) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to accept pupils from other school districts by adopting a resolution to become a school district of choice, in accordance with various programmatic and procedural requirements and limitations, as provided.Existing law prohibits school districts of choice from targeting their communications to individual parents or residential neighborhoods on the basis of a pupil’s or pupils’ actual or perceived academic skill or other personal characteristics.This bill would expand that prohibition to also prohibit school districts of choice from targeting their communications to individual parents or residential neighborhoods on the basis of a pupil’s or pupils' actual or perceived proficiency in English, family income, or their disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of a hate crime, as defined.(2) Existing law authorizes a school district of choice to reject the transfer of a pupil if the transfer of that pupil would require the school district to create a new program to serve that pupil, except that a school district of choice is prohibited from rejecting the transfer of a special needs pupil, including an individual with exceptional needs, as defined, and an English learner.This bill would expand that prohibition to further prohibit a school district of choice from rejecting the transfer of a pupil who is a foster youth, as defined, or a homeless child or youth, as defined.(3) Existing law requires school districts of choice to give first priority for attendance to siblings of children already in attendance in the school district, and requires school districts of choice to give second priority for attendance to pupils eligible for free or reduced-price meals.This bill would require school districts of choice to also give second priority for attendance to pupils who are foster youth or homeless children or youth.(4) Existing law authorizes school districts of residence with an average daily attendance greater than 50,000 to limit the number of pupils transferring out each year to 1% of its current year estimated average daily attendance. Existing law authorizes school districts of residence with an average daily attendance of 50,000 or less to limit the number of pupils transferring out to 3% of its current year estimated average daily attendance, and to limit the maximum number of pupils transferring out for the duration of the school district of choice program to 10% of the average daily attendance for that period.For purposes of the above-described authorization for school districts of residence with an average daily attendance greater than 50,000, the bill would change the 1% transfer cap to be based off the average daily attendance as reported as of the first principal apportionment of the prior fiscal year instead of its current year estimated average daily attendance. The bill would authorize school districts of residence with an average daily attendance of 50,000 or less to instead limit the number of pupils transferring out to 10% of its average daily attendance, as reported as of the first principal apportionment of the prior fiscal year, and would also delete the 10% duration-of-the-program limitation.(5) Existing law requires an application requesting a transfer pursuant to the school district of choice program to be submitted by the parent of a pupil to the school district of choice before January 1 of the school year preceding the school year for which the pupil is requesting to be transferred, and authorizes an applicant to request enrollment of the pupil in a specific school or program of the school district of choice. If an application is rejected, existing law requires the governing board of the school district of

Status
April 8 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file.

Bill Documents
CA SB 897 - 03/11/24 - Amended Senate
03/11/24 - CA SB 897 (03/11/24 - Amended Senate)