Today's Law As Amended


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AB-891 Pupil services: transportation.(2015-2016)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.
 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, without a high school diploma, Americans are almost twice as likely to live in poverty.
(2) Several independent academic studies indicate a marked increase in school participation and graduation rates among children who were guaranteed transportation to and from school.
(3) Research shows that pupils, especially girls, benefit from improved health and academic outcomes when they participate in after school programs.
(4) There is recent evidence suggesting that increasing access to books can even mitigate the effects of poverty on school achievement and literacy development.
(5) According to a recent report by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, poverty and financial instability is the number one cause of truancy in the state.
(6) Participation in a summer youth job program has been proven to increase the high school graduation rate of children in low-income homes.
(b) Based on the findings and declarations in subdivision (a), it is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would support school participation and high school attainment among low-income youth.

SEC. 2.

 Section 39800.1 is added to the Education Code, to read:

39800.1.
 (a) Notwithstanding any other law, a pupil entitled to free or reduced-price meals, as that term is used in Section 42238.01, or who attends a school that participates in the Community Eligibility Option, shall be entitled to free transportation, from the local educational agency, to and from school, if either of the following conditions are met:
(1) The pupil resides more than one-half mile from the school.
(2) The neighborhood through which the pupil must travel to get to school is unsafe because of stray dogs, no sidewalks, known gang activity, or another reason documented by stakeholders pursuant to paragraph (c).
(b) (1) A local educational agency shall designate a liaison that shall be responsible for implementing a plan to ensure that all pupils entitled to free transportation pursuant to subdivision (a) receive the transportation in a timely manner.
(2) The liaison shall be trained to identify and accommodate the special rights of homeless youth, as defined to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 11301 et seq.), and pupils in a CalWORKs assistance unit, as described in Section 11265.45 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(c) (1) The plan required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) shall be developed with the consultation of teachers, school administrators, regional local transit authorities, the Air Resources Board, the Department of Transportation, parents, pupils, and other stakeholders.
(2) The plan shall address the ability of pupils in the local educational agency’s jurisdiction to make regular visits to the public library.
(d) If free, dependable, and timely transportation is not available for pupils entitled to transportation services pursuant to this section, the local educational agency shall ensure that free transportation be provided using its existing funds.
SEC. 3.
 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.