Bills on school safety moving through Capitol
April 16 , 2018 EDCAL 1
Periodicals Dated Material
Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators Volume 47 | Number 26 | April 16 , 2018
AG offers guidance on personal info requests for undocumented students
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has issued new guidance to help schools better understand protections that safeguard the privacy of undocumented students and their families , and to serve as a model for local school districts .
“ Every student , regardless of immigration status , is entitled to feel safe and secure at school ,” Becerra said . “ In California , nearly half of all children have at least one immigrant parent . It ’ s our duty as public officials and school administrators to uphold the rights of these students so that their education is not disrupted .”
Approximately 250,000 undocumented children ages 3-17 are enrolled in California public schools , and 750,000 K-12 students in California have an undocumented parent
U . S . Sen . Kamala Harris shared her concerns about equity at a recent town hall meeting in Sacramento .
Harris town hall has focus on equity
United States Sen . Kamala Harris , D-Calif ., recently held a town hall meeting in Sacramento . Topics discussed were wide ranging , and although Harris did not speak to any specific education issues , she demonstrated that she shares a similar concern for equity with ACSA .
“ The issue of equality is one issue , and the issue of equity is a different issue ,” Harris said . “ It is critically important that we have equity in addition to equality . I will support that . We need to bring resources to our communities that experience trauma , and those are communities that experience trauma based on violence and poverty .
– illuminating the need for the state and its educators to do everything within their control to ensure that all California schools are safe havens for their students and families .
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced his approval of the new guidelines .
“ This guide gives students , parents , educators , and the public , valuable information about the laws and the limits of immigration enforcement ,” Torlakson said . “ It ’ s a big step forward in support of all of our efforts to make sure students and their parents , regardless of citizenship status , feel safe and welcome at public schools .”
The guide provides recommendations for handling personal information from students and their families . It also provides
Poverty inflicts trauma . We must find what we can do to heal and uplift dealing with economic opportunity .”
ACSA offers a number of equity resources , in addition to belonging to the California Equity Leadership Alliance , along with such groups as Education Trust-West , California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators , California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators , California Association of School Business Officials , California County Superintendents Educational Services Association , California School Boards Association and California State PTA . guidance on how to respond to information requests regarding immigration status ; a warrant or court order regarding immigration enforcement ; immigration agents requesting access to school grounds ; hate crimes related to national origin ; and the detention of a student ’ s family member .
This guide is being issued pursuant to Assembly Bill 699 , which was passed to address the fear and confusion expressed by school officials in the wake of the Trump administration ’ s immigration enforcement-related activities and anti-immigrant rhetoric . The guide describes courses of action that public schools and their administrators can take when interacting with officers who are enforcing immigration laws .
See GUIDANCE , page 7
Bills on school safety moving through Capitol
School safety has been a high profile issue nationally , and certainly California has just as much concern over creating a safe school environment for students as any state in the U . S . So , not surprisingly , ACSA Legislative Advocate Ivan Carrillo reports there are a number of school safety bills making their way through the Capitol .
Carrillo is tracking these bills for ACSA and reported on several of the more key bills that have been proposed in the state Assembly . They are as follows , along with some of their key provisions :
Assembly Bill 2067 , Gallagher , School safety – armed security guards .
Requires school districts to hire at least one School Resource Officer ( SRO ) to be present at the school at all times when children are on campus . This bill : 1 ) Requires a school district to hire , or contract for , at least one SRO for each school in the district , including charter schools .
2 ) Specifies that the SRO must be present at each school during regular school hours and any other time when pupils are present on campus . AB 1747 , Rodriguez , School safety plans . This bill would expand the required elements of school safety plans , including procedures to respond to active shooter situations ; requires schools to conduct annual active shooter drills ; and requires the California Department of Education to provide additional guidance and oversight of safety plans . It requires consultation with any first responder entity .
Some of the provisions of this bill include :
• Requires a school site council or school
See
SAFETY , page 8
The midway point in National Autism Awareness Month is an opportune time to watch the ACSA Communications interview with Temple Grandin , available on the new Resource Hub at https :// content . acsa . org .
Grandin is arguably the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world . She is an expert in humane livestock treatment , prolific author and tireless advocate for those who think differently . Grandin uses her ACSA platform to explain the importance of valuing each and
Write now . The theme of the September / October 2018 Leadership magazine is “ School Safety ,” and editors are seeking your articles . Suggested topics include : Mental health awareness , arming teachers , student protest and educator involvement , crisis communications , school climate , student voice , active shooter training , safe schools planning , counseling , parent awareness , and community outreach . Deadline is June 18 . Send manuscripts to Communications Director Naj Alikhan at nalikhan @ acsa . org . Find the full 2018-19 Themes list and quick writer guidelines at www . acsa . org / publications .
Dashboard videos . Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation has made some videos available on its website to help educate parents and communities about the new California School Dashboard . Developed by the Alliance for Continuous Improvement , the video series – by parents , for parents – is available in English , with Spanish and Vietnamese subtitles anticipated in the future . The third video is in Spanish and includes English subtitles . The videos can be accessed on CDE Foundation ’ s website at http :// bit . ly / 2EihC2r under Meet the Dash Parent Videos ; on Collaboration in Common at http :// bit . ly / 2GyYgfv ; or on YouTube at http :// bit . ly / 2q5KxBD .
CalPERS election . An official notice of election was released by CalPERS , announcing the intent to seek re-election by incumbent board members Theresa Taylor ( state ), Rob Feckner ( school ) and Priya Mathur ( public agency ), whose four-year terms expire Jan . 15 , 2019 . Nomination petitions with required signatures and candidate statements , are due by 5 p . m . May 17 . More information is available at www . calpers . ca . gov / boardelection .
Correction . EdCal ran an incorrect ad last week for Brandman University . A correct Brandman ad is in this issue on page 10 . EdCal regrets the error .
April encourages autism acceptance and inclusion
every child ’ s ability to contribute . Explaining the complicated Autism Spectrum , Grandin says by the time students are 5 years old , there will be one group that “ ought to be in Silicon Valley and another that can ’ t dress themselves .” Each group – and the many in between – must be educated with outcomes in mind , she said .
“ I want to see kids be successful . If a smart kid ends up playing video games in the basement instead of working for Google
See AUTISM , page 9