Cal Grant Program: graduation verification.

The Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C award, and the Cal Grant T award under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. As part of these eligibility requirements, existing law authorizes the commission to require the verification of high school graduation or its equivalent to be electronically submitted to the commission for all former grade 12 pupils who graduated from public schools, including charter schools, in the prior academic year, except for pupils who have opted out, as specified. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that high schools or high school districts verify the graduation of their pupils in time to meet specified deadlines. This bill would require the commission, if it requires the verification of high school graduation or its equivalent, to provide guidance to high schools or high school districts to ensure that high schools and high school districts verify the graduation of their pupils as soon as possible upon a pupil's graduation and no later than August 31 of the academic year following the pupils' graduation, as specified.