Governor Signs Leyva Bill Helping Homeless Students

SACRAMENTO – Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) is pleased to announce that SB 1068—which develops a more comprehensive and coordinated network of services for homeless students in California—was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Friday.

Under SB 1068, the California Department of Education (CDE) will be required 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.  SB 1068 will also improve the standard of services provided to homeless students by requiring the CDE to ensure that liaisons participate in professional development in accordance with federal law.

“With over 300,000 homeless students, California has a clear responsibility to ensure that these traditionally underserved students receive the much needed support and services that will help set them on a path to future success,” Senator Leyva said.  “Everyday things that many students take for granted—such as getting to and from school safely, being able to do their homework in a quiet place or even the ability to participate in after school activities—can be very difficult for students who do not have a consistent place to call home.  By increasing the assistance that we offer homeless student liaisons across the state, SB 1068 will help homeless students excel both academically and personally by making sure that the staff responsible for providing services and helping them navigate the education system are well trained and have the necessary support from the state.  I thank Governor Brown for signing this important bill that underscores California’s commitment to homeless students in our state.”

School districts and county offices of education are currently required 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 are tasked with identifying and providing services to 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.

SB 1068 did not receive any “No” votes during its legislative journey and will take effect on January 1, 2017.  The bill was 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.