Existing law establishes the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, known collectively as the California School for the Deaf, and the California School for the Blind as the state special schools, under the administration of the State Department of Education. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district, at the beginning of the first semester or quarter of each school year, to notify parents or guardians of minor pupils of specified rights and responsibilities of the parent or guardian and of specified school district policies and procedures. This bill would require the notification to a parent or guardian of a pupil who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind to additionally include information regarding the option for the pupil to attend a state special school, as provided. Commencing with the 2027–28 school year, if a local educational agency develops, reviews, or revises an individualized education program for a pupil who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind, the bill would require the individualized education program team of the local educational agency to provide the pupil's parent, guardian, or educational rights holder with information about the state special schools and the option for the pupil to attend one of those schools, as specified. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2027, to provide that information to local educational agencies. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies or local officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law authorizes the governing boards of 2 or more school districts to enter into an agreement, for a term not to exceed 5 school years, for the interdistrict attendance of pupils who are residents of the school districts. If a school district enters into an agreement, existing law requires, among other things, (1) that the agreement stipulate the terms and conditions under which interdistrict attendance will be permitted or denied, (2) that the school district post on its internet website the procedures and timelines regarding a request for an interdistrict transfer permit, as provided, (3) the notification of a parent submitting a current year request of its final decision within 30 calendar days from the date the request was received, and (4) if the school district denies a request for an interdistrict transfer, that the school district advise the parent, in writing, of the right to appeal to the county board of education within 30 calendar days from the date of the final denial. This bill would require the governing board of a school that has entered into an agreement, on or after January 1, 2027, for the interdistrict attendance of pupils to adopt, and post on its internet website, a policy that includes specified provisions, including that if the school district determines that a request received from a parent is incomplete, the school district is required to notify the parent, within 30 calendar days of receipt of the request, identifying any missing information or documentation, as provided. The bill would allow for certain extensions of the above-described 30-day requirement to notify a parent of its final decision when an application is determined to be incomplete or if an individualized education program meeting has been scheduled or is pending, as provided. The bill would require all interdistrict agreements entered into on or after January 1, 2027, to also contain those specified provisions, as provided. The bill would authorize the parent or guardian of a pupil to submit an interdistrict transfer request concurrently to the school district of residence and the school district of proposed agreement if there is an interdistrict agreement between the 2 school districts, and would require the school district of proposed enrollment to begin reviewing the request upon receipt, as provided.
Existing law, the Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the State Department of Social Services, establishes a system of childcare and development services for children up to 13 years of age, which includes various programs and services, including, among others, general childcare and development programs and migrant childcare and development programs. Existing law, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) , provides that a record or signature may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form. This bill would specify that a signature required by the Child Care and Development Services Act may be satisfied by use of an electronic signature in compliance with the UETA. The bill would authorize documents with an electronic signature to be created and stored in an electronic format in compliance with the UETA, and would authorize the department to adopt regulations to implement these provisions. Existing law, the Early Education Act, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to, among other things, provide an inclusive and cost-effective preschool program. The Early Education Act and the Child Care and Development Services Act authorize contractors operating or providing services under the acts to use digital signatures that comply with state and federal standards, including specified state regulations. This bill would instead condition the authority of contractors operating under the Early Education Act and the Child Care and Development Services Act to use an electronic signature on compliance with the UETA.
Existing law prohibits the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District from issuing general obligation or revenue bonds, or any other form of long-term indebtedness, except to finance an interim system of buses and ferries or to finance capital improvements or modifications relating to seismic safety of the Golden Gate Bridge. This bill would authorize the district to accept contributions and loans from this state and the United States for the purpose of financing capital improvements or modifications related to seismic safety on the Golden Gate Bridge, as specified.
California House Resolution 138 designates the week of October 4 through October 10, 2026, as National 4-H Week throughout the state. The resolution encourages citizens to recognize the impact of the 4-H program, which is described as the largest youth development organization in the United States. It highlights how the program, delivered by the University of California Cooperative Extension, helps young people develop leadership skills through hands-on projects in health, science, agriculture, and civic engagement.
California Assembly Resolution 131 proclaims October 11 through 17, 2026, as Student Cancer Education, Detection, and Prevention Week. The resolution encourages middle schools, high schools, colleges, public health agencies, pediatricians, and community health providers to promote educational campaigns on cancer prevention and detection. These efforts aim to inform students about risk factors, warning signs, and the importance of timely screenings to support better health outcomes for young people in the state.
Existing law requires the California Community Colleges, on or before July 1, 2027, to adopt a common course numbering system for all general education requirement courses and transfer pathway courses, and requires each community college campus, on or before July 1, 2027, to incorporate common course numbers from the adopted system into its course catalog. The Budget Act of 2021 allocated $10,000,000 to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish a workgroup to support the development of that system. That workgroup recommended, among other things, the development of a common course numbering template for each course subject to the requirement described above. This bill would require the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates of the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, on or before July 1, 2027, to establish an agreement for implementing streamlined system-level articulation by using the common course numbering templates, rather than individual course review, as provided. If the intersegmental committee has not established an agreement on or before July 1, 2027, the bill would require the respective administrative bodies of the segments, on or before December 31, 2027, to establish an agreement for implementing streamlined system-level articulation by using the common course numbering templates, rather than individual course review, as provided. This bill would require, commencing with the fall term of the 2028–29 academic year, the streamlined system-level articulation agreement to be the only articulation agreement used for community college courses subject to the common course numbering system described above. This bill would require, on or before June 1 of each year, the respective administrative bodies of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and request the University of California, to publicly post on their respective internet websites a report on the results of the streamlined systemwide articulation agreement, as provided. This bill would require each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and request each campus of the University of California, to publicly post, on or before June 1 of each year, the name and contact information of the articulation lead or individual responsible for managing the course articulation process at the campus. By imposing additional duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with the administrative bodies of the California State University and the University of California, to identify a limited-term funding plan that would provide funding to the California State University and the University of California to support the intersegmental implementation of the common course numbering system, as provided. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law establishes the State Board of Education and requires the state board to study educational conditions and needs of the state and to make plans for the improvement of the administration and efficiency of the public schools of the state. Existing law establishes the State Department of Education under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and assigns to the department numerous responsibilities relating to the governance of the public elementary and secondary schools in the state. This bill would require a working group, proposed to be established by Assembly Bill 2225 of the 2025–26 Regular Session, to include as part of a report to the Governor and the Legislature, proposed to be required by Assembly Bill 2225 of the 2025–26 Regular Session, recommendations for the development of a State of the Achievement Gap Dashboard that would be annually updated to assess the state in its progress towards closing pupil academic achievement gaps. The bill would require the recommendations to include, among other things, a series of specified proposed metrics, as provided. This bill would become operative only if AB 2225 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2027, and adds Section 52090 to the Education Code.
Existing law establishes the State Council on Developmental Disabilities to, among other things, serve as the state planning council responsible for developing the California Developmental Disabilities State Plan and monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the plan. Existing law requires the council to conduct activities related to meeting the objectives of the state plan. Existing law requires these activities to include, among other things, supporting and conducting technical assistance activities to assist public and private entities to contribute to the objectives of the state plan, and authorizes the activities to include, among other things, supporting and conducting activities to assist neighborhoods and communities to respond positively to individuals with disabilities and their families. This bill would require the council to establish and administer a Statewide Special Education Parent Advocacy Collaborative to build statewide capacity for parent and pupil engagement in special education advocacy, systems change, and policy development. The bill would require the council to conduct a competitive grant process to award $800,000 annually for 3 fiscal years to a statewide advocacy organization. The bill would require the selected grantee to conduct outreach and training through meetings or forums to provide information on statewide special education advocacy, as specified. The bill would also require the grantee to, among other things, (1) identify key challenges and opportunities in state policy relating to improving outcomes for pupils with disabilities, (2) establish and facilitate a statewide collaborative of parents, pupils, and stakeholders to build advocacy and leadership skills for state-level advocacy, and (3) establish measurable outcomes aligned with statewide accountability systems, as provided. The bill would require the grantee to submit an annual report to the council and would require the council to submit a report, on or before December 31, 2030, to the Legislature and the Governor that includes the outcomes achieved, as provided. The bill would make these provisions contingent upon an appropriation for these purposes.
Existing law establishes the State Board of Education and requires the state board to study educational conditions and needs of the state and to make plans for the improvement of the administration and efficiency of the public schools of the state. Existing law establishes the State Department of Education under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and assigns to the department numerous responsibilities relating to the governance of the public elementary and secondary schools in the state. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office, on or before December 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, and as a component of the assessment of the state budget, to assess and publicly report to the Legislature and the Governor the state's progress in closing pupil academic achievement gaps and to include recommendations of actions that the state can take to meet its specific goals and benchmarks to support local educational agencies in closing the achievement gap proposed to be established by AB 2225 of the 2025–26 Regular Session. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to consult with education stakeholders to develop each annual report. This bill would become operative only if AB 2225 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2027, and adds Section 52090 to the Education Code.
