Code Section

51225.8.  

(a) Commencing with the 2020–21 school year, the governing board of a school district and the governing body of a charter school, as appropriate, shall ensure that each of its pupils receives information on how to properly complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act application, as appropriate, at least once before the pupil enters grade 12. The manner in which information is provided pursuant to this section shall be at the discretion of the governing board of the school district or the governing body of the charter school, as appropriate, and may include, but not necessarily be limited to, information dissemination through in-class instruction, an existing program, family information sessions, or group or individual sessions with school counselors.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), commencing with participation of a local educational agency in the California College Guidance Initiative’s implementation of universal basic pupil accounts on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform, and in furtherance of satisfying the requirements of subdivision (b) of Section 51225.7, the governing board of a school district and the governing body of a charter school, as appropriate, shall ensure that each pupil in grade 11 is advised to complete the grade 11 financial aid lessons on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform operated by the California College Guidance Initiative pursuant to Section 10861.

(c) The manner in which information is provided pursuant to subdivision (a) and the grade 11 financial aid lessons described in subdivision (b) shall be developed in partnership with the Student Aid Commission in order to ensure timely communication to pupils of changes in the process for applying for financial aid. A memorandum of understanding shall be established between the California College Guidance Initiative and the Student Aid Commission, detailing the partnership in creation of these lessons. These lessons are provided to pupils at the discretion of the governing board of the school district or the governing body of the charter school, as appropriate, and may include, but not be limited to, information dissemination through in-class instruction, an existing program, family information sessions, or group or individual sessions with school counselors. The grade 11 financial aid lessons provided pursuant to subdivision (b) shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, material related to all of the following:

(1) The types of documentation and personal information that each student financial aid application requires, including, but not necessarily limited to, documents relating to income taxes, finances and income, college choices, academic status, and personal identification such as social security or taxpayer identification numbers.

(2) An explanation of definitions used for each application. These definitions may include, but are not necessarily limited to, definitions of “legal guardianship,” “household size,” “parent,” “dependent,” and “taxable college grants and scholarships.”

(3) Eligibility requirements for student financial aid that may be applied for using the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application.

(4) Application timelines and submission deadlines.

(5) The importance of submitting applications early, especially when student financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

(d) The governing board of a school district and the governing body of a charter school shall ensure that both of the following occurs:

(1) A paper copy of the FAFSA or the California Dream Act application is provided to each pupil, upon request by that pupil or upon request of a parent or guardian of that pupil.

(2) Commencing with participation of a local educational agency in the California College Guidance Initiative’s basic universal pupil accounts on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform, a representative of the school district and the charter school, as applicable, has a district administrator account registered on the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform for purposes of this representative serving as the district administrator to support grade 11 pupils in completing the grade 11 financial aid lessons provided pursuant to this section.

(e) The governing board of a school district and the governing body of a charter school shall ensure that any information shared by parents, guardians, and pupils under this section is handled according to applicable state and federal privacy laws and regulations.