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AB-1520 Pupil instruction: State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead.(2023-2024)



Current Version: 04/18/23 - Amended Assembly

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AB1520:v97#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 18, 2023
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 23, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 1520

Introduced by Assembly Member Bonta

February 17, 2023

An act to add Article 7.6 (commencing with Section 51785) to Chapter 5 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of Section 51471.5 to the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1520, as amended, Bonta. Pupil instruction: civic engagement practicums. State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead.
Existing law requires, on or before January 1, 2020, the Superintendent of Public Instruction to recommend to the State Board of Education criteria for awarding a State Seal of Civic Engagement to pupils who have demonstrated excellence in civics education and participation and have demonstrated an understanding of the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and the democratic system of government.
This bill would establish the State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead for the purpose of providing support and technical assistance to local educational agencies to improve equitable statewide access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement. The bill would, on or before July 1, 2024, require the Superintendent, in consultation with the executive director of the state board, to select a partnership, consisting of an applicant county office of education and a community organization, to administer the State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead, as provided. The bill would require the State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead to, among other duties, coordinate support, provide technical assistance, and deliver professional learning to improve equitable statewide access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement, research and publish best practices in the civic engagement of underserved pupil populations, as provided, and sponsor and promote civic engagement practicums to expand the breadth of support from local educational agencies and community partners for pupils pursuing the State Seal of Civic Engagement, as provided. The bill would require the State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead to submit a report to the State Department of Education by January 1, 2027, that makes findings and recommendations related to evidence-based strategies to provide equitable pupil access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement throughout a local educational agency. The bill would require the department to submit this report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, as provided. The bill would make the implementation of these provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes.

Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer courses in, among other things, social studies, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. Existing law requires this instruction to, among other things, provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America.

This bill would require school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to work with registered community organizations, as defined, to voluntarily integrate pupils into civic engagement practicums, as defined, that address community needs and social and individual development. The bill would, among other things, require civic engagement practicums to include activities, training, and training materials that meet specified requirements, including, among others, that they be appropriate for pupils of all races, religions, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, and diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, pupils with disabilities, and English learners. The bill would require the written consent of a pupil’s parent, legal guardian, or educational rights holder to participate in a civic engagement practicum, and would authorize a pupil to opt out at any time. The bill would require a participating registered community organization to be responsible for any costs associated with a pupil’s integration into a civic engagement practicum. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YESNO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 51471.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:

51471.5.
 (a) The State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead is hereby established for the purpose of providing support and technical assistance to local educational agencies to improve equitable statewide access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
(b) (1) On or before July 1, 2024, the Superintendent, in consultation with the executive director of the state board, shall select a partnership, consisting of a county office of education and a community organization, to administer the State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead.
(2) The Superintendent shall allocate moneys appropriated for purposes of this section to the county office of education selected pursuant to paragraph (1).
(c) The Superintendent shall require that applicants to become the State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead demonstrate both of the following:
(1) The partnership’s capacity to provide support and technical assistance to local educational agencies to improve equitable statewide access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
(2) The members of the partnership’s expertise in fostering local educational agency change management, commitment to racial equity, and experience effectively supporting local educational agencies in providing equitable pupil access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
(d) The State Seal of Civic Engagement Resource Lead shall do all of the following:
(1) Coordinate support, provide technical assistance, and deliver professional learning to improve equitable statewide access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
(2) Allow for the sharing of problems of practice, promising practices, lessons learned, and relevant resources for different local educational agency settings and stakeholder types, with specific emphasis on establishing partnerships between local educational agencies and community organizations to support equitable pupil access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
(3) Establish and standardize, where possible, high-quality civics learning resources and model metrics to inform the continuous improvement of State Seal of Civic Engagement criteria, guidance, and support for relevant, rigorous, and engaging pupil learning and authentic assessments.
(4) Build statewide capacity to further support partnerships between local educational agencies and community organizations to support high-quality civic engagement practicums and projects and expand pupil access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement, especially for underserved pupils and those from marginalized communities.
(5) Identify methodologies to expand access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement for underserved pupils and those from marginalized communities, including rural and tribal communities.
(6) Research and publish best practices in the civic engagement of underserved pupil populations. The best practices shall be posted to the State Seal of Civic Engagement’s internet website maintained by the department and shared with CaliforniaVolunteers.
(7) Sponsor and promote civic engagement practicums to expand the breadth of support from local educational agencies and community partners for pupils pursuing the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
(8) Ensure that pupils throughout the state, particularly those in communities with high populations of underserved pupils, have equal access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
(9) Work directly with local educational agencies to build capacity to engage community organizations in collaborating with schools and teachers to increase awareness of, and support equitable pupil access to and participation in, the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
(10) Align its efforts with the State Seal of Civic Engagement Implementation Roadmap.
(11) By January 1, 2027, submit a report to the department that details the activities carried out in compliance with this section, and that makes findings and recommendations related to evidence-based strategies to provide equitable pupil access to the State Seal of Civic Engagement throughout a local educational agency.
(e) No later than 30 days after receipt of the report described in paragraph (11) of subdivision (d), the department shall submit the report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(f) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “CaliforniaVolunteers” means CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order No. S-24-06.
(2) “Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.
(g) (1) The implementation of this section shall be contingent upon an appropriation of funds for these purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute.
(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that any appropriation made pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a)Civics education includes both learning and doing.

(b)In the classroom, civic education teaches the theory of democracy, the forms and structures of our federal, state, and local governments, and the elements of both the Constitution of the United States and the California Constitution.

(c)In the community, civics education guides pupils to engage in a practicum for their individual or group involvement in nonpartisan community development, which further prepares them to work with others in a fair and equitable manner based on listening, questioning, respectful dialogue, cooperation, and compromise.

(d)A civic engagement practicum educates for democracy and will help protect and promote democracy for future generations, and increase understanding of the power of democracy for all children.

(e)A practicum based on equitable civic engagement develops conduct that permits the growth of ethics and values. Direct civic involvement teaches the attributes of public service and fosters an informed citizenry, a strong democracy, and the development of our nation’s future leaders.

(f)Pupils participating in civic engagement practicums learn basic skills for personal, academic, and career success, including practicing consideration of different perspectives, logical reasoning with supportive evidence, engagement in civil discourse, and understanding of the connections between federal, state, and local policies, including those that may impact the pupil’s school or community.

SEC. 2.Article 7.6 (commencing with Section 51785) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:
7.6.Civic Engagement Practicums
51785.

(a)School districts, county offices of education, and charter schools shall work with registered community organizations to voluntarily integrate pupils into civic engagement practicums that address community needs and social and individual development.

(b)A civic engagement practicum for purposes of subdivision (a) shall include activities, training, and training materials that meet all of the following requirements:

(1)Are appropriate for pupils of all races, religions, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, and diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, pupils with disabilities, and English learners.

(2)Do not reflect or promote, directly or indirectly, any bias, bigotry, or discrimination against any person or group of persons.

(3)Do not promote or practice religious doctrine.

(4)Are nonpartisan in nature.

(c)A participating registered community organization shall comply with any applicable legal requirements, including, but not limited to, any requirements relating to liability, insurance, background checks, and the management and supervision of all persons, employees, or volunteers, who interact with pupils, including those specified in Section 45125.1.

(d)(1)Participation in a civic engagement practicum shall require the written consent of a pupil’s parent, legal guardian, or educational rights holder.

(2)A pupil may opt out of a civic engagement practicum at any time.

(e)A participating registered community organization shall be responsible for any costs associated with a pupil’s integration into a civic engagement practicum.

(f)For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:

(1)“Civic engagement practicum” means a practical activity and training that develops civic-mindedness through organizing and mobilizing human and material resources for efforts to revitalize and develop the quality of life, including, but not limited to, organizing community cleanups, public health campaigns, and promoting and educating the community about public resources, such as events sponsored by public parks, libraries, and fire and police departments.

(2)“Registered community organization” means a legal entity with community stakeholder or community partnership capacity, registered with the Secretary of State, that is nonpartisan in nature, and which may include, but is not limited to, a nonprofit public benefit corporation that is formed pursuant to the Nonprofit Corporation Law (Division 2 (commencing with Section 5000) of Title 1 of the Corporations Code), qualified to do business in California, and qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

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.