SB 322: Charter schools: pupils: suspension and expulsion: admissions.

(1)The Charter Schools Act of 1992 (the act) permits teachers and parents to petition the governing board of a school district to approve a charter school to operate independently from the existing school district structure as a method of accomplishing, among other things, improved pupil learning. The act prohibits the governing board of a school district from denying a petition for the establishment of a charter school unless the governing board of the school district finds that the petition does not contain specified information, including, among other information, the procedures by which pupils can be suspended or expelled.

Existing law enumerates the acts for which a pupil may be suspended or expelled from a traditional public school and sets forth procedures a school district is required to follow in suspending or expelling a pupil. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to refer a pupil who has been expelled from school to a program of study that meets certain conditions, including that the program not be provided at a comprehensive middle, junior, or senior high school, or at any elementary school.

This bill would require the charter school suspension and expulsion procedures described in the charter petition to meet certain minimum requirements, including, among other things, meeting the constitutional due process requirement of providing notice and an opportunity to be heard, various procedural requirements, identifying a list of acts for which a pupil enrolled in the charter school may be suspended or expelled, and identifying the maximum length of time for which a pupil may be suspended. The bill also would require a charter school to ensure no loss of instructional days for a pupil pending final determination of the expulsion hearing by providing the pupil access to educational programming, and and, upon a final determination to expel a pupil, to ensure the pupil is provided access to educational programing until the charter school has confirmed the pupil has been provided a suitable educational placement. To the extent this bill would impose additional duties on charter schools, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. The bill also would authorize a pupil to appeal his or her expulsion to the applicable county board of education. To the extent this would impose additional duties on county board of education officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(2)The act requires, if the number of pupils who wish to attend a charter school exceeds its capacity, preference to be extended to pupils currently attending the charter school and to pupils who reside in the school district, and authorizes other preferences as permitted by the chartering authority on an individual school basis and only if consistent with the law.

This bill would instead authorize other preferences permitted by the chartering authority on an individual charter school basis only if certain conditions are met, including, among other conditions, that each type of preference is approved by the charter school at a public hearing, and that no preference requires mandatory parental volunteer hours as criterion for admission or continued enrollment. The bill also would authorize a charter school to encourage parental involvement, but would require the charter school to notify the parents and guardians of applicant pupils and currently enrolled pupils that parental involvement is not a requirement for acceptance to, or continued enrollment at, the charter school.

(3)This bill would state the intent of the Legislature in enacting its provisions, and would make other nonsubstantive changes.

(5)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 these statutory provisions.