Home California Assembly Passes Leyva Bill Helping Homeless Students

Assembly Passes Leyva Bill Helping Homeless Students

by ECT

SB 1068 Advances to Governor Brown’s Desk for Consideration

SACRAMENTO – Legislation authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) that would develop a more comprehensive and coordinated network of services for homeless students in California passed out of the California State Assembly with strong bipartisan support and now moves to the Governor for his consideration of the bill.

SB 1068 would require the California Department of Education (CDE) to provide valuable training and informational materials to local education agencies’ homeless student liaisons. These materials will help homeless student liaisons stay informed about state and federal laws and offer support for liaisons as they provide professional development for school staff.  By requiring the CDE to ensure that liaisons participate in professional development in accordance with federal law, SB 1068 would also improve the standard of services provided to homeless students.

“The almost 300,000 homeless students in California face serious and chronic issues that extend beyond not having somewhere reliable to sleep at night,” Senator Leyva said.  “They also typically have difficulties getting to and from school, finding a place to do their homework, trying to participate in extracurricular activities and finding a path toward graduation,” Senator Leyva said.  “By increasing the assistance that we offer homeless student liaisons, SB 1068 will help homeless students succeed in school and in their daily lives.  I am proud that SB 1068 passed out of the Legislature with strong bipartisan support and am hopeful that Governor Brown will also appreciate the importance of developing a broader and more coordinated network of services for homeless students in California.”

Federal law currently requires school districts and county offices of education to designate a homeless student liaison to help identify homeless students and assist them in accessing the rights and resources available to them by law.  These liaisons oftentimes serve hundreds or even thousands of these students in their district and, in many cases, the homeless student liaison is just one of several responsibilities held by a single staff person.  Since California does not currently provide a robust support system or instructional materials to help liaisons assist students, SB 1068 would ensure the development of vital training and support services for homeless student liaisons to utilize.

SB 1068 is supported by the California Coalition for Youth, California Federation of Teachers, K to College, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District, National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, and the National Association of Social Workers.

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1 comment

Old Pittsburg/Antioch Hwy Border Aug 19, 2016 - 6:51 am

ECT, why was AB 961 held up in appropriations committee? Why the strong support now with SB 1068? Why would we need a bill to ensure LEA’s are giving training on how to use state and federal resources to assist the homeless students? No mention of money allocation to support the training or payments to staff the choose to be LEA’s in the districts. Need more investigative reporting on his bill.

Old Pittsburg/Antioch Hwy Border Aug 19, 2016 - 6:53 am

A bill that enforces common sense?

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