Under existing law, the California Education Information System, which has been developed by the State Department of Education, establishes, conducts, and keeps up to date a basic, integrated, statewide information system for education. The system includes, among other things, data from the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, which maintains pupil data regarding demographic, program participation, enrollment, and statewide assessments.

This bill would require the Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union High School District, and Santee School District to, on school documentation that requests pupil demographic data, designate a Chaldean or Assyrian category under the ethnicity or race category in addition to the Middle Eastern category. By imposing additional duties on those school districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union High School District, and Santee School District.

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.

Date of Hearing: March 21, 2018

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Patrick O'Donnell, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2858 (

Author:Voepel) – As Introduced Ver:February 16, 2018

SUBJECT: Collection of pupil demographic data: Chaldean or Assyrian category

SUMMARY: Requires the Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union High School District, and Santee School District to designate a “Chaldean or Assyrian” category under the ethnicity or race category in addition to the Middle Eastern category, on school documentation that requests pupil demographic data. Specifically, this bill:

1. Finds and declares that:
   1. Historically, Chaldeans originate from north of Mesopotamia, southeast of modern day Turkey, and northeast of Syria. Many in those regions are considered Caucasian, white, or Middle Eastern, whereas Chaldeans only classify themselves as “Chaldean” or “Assyrian.”
   2. Chaldeans are Assyrian and speak the Chaldean Neo-Aramaic language. Chaldeans observe Roman Catholicism, while Assyrians are Orthodox Christian.
   3. In recent years, with the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Middle East, many Chaldeans have fled and have found refuge in East County of San Diego.
   4. The Chaldean American population in East County of San Diego alone is more than 60,000, and continues to grow due to the ISIS crisis in the Middle East.
   5. East County of San Diego is in Assembly District 71, which has the largest Chaldean American population in the United States after Detroit, Michigan.
   6. The cities with the largest Chaldean American population within East County of San Diego are El Cajon and Santee, in which the Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union High School District, and Santee School District are located.
   7. As the Chaldean American population grows due to immigration into Assembly District 71, more pupils of Chaldean descent are attending the Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union High School District, and Santee School District.
   8. Due to the large Chaldean American pupil population in the Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union High School District, and Santee School District, pupils in those school districts would benefit from a “Chaldean or Assyrian” category on school documentation under the ethnicity or race category in addition to the Middle Eastern category.
2. Requires the Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union High School District, and Santee School District to, on school documentation that requests pupil demographic data, designate a “Chaldean or Assyrian” category under the ethnicity or race category in addition to the Middle Eastern category.

EXISTING LAW: Requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to collect pupil demographic information through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS).

FISCAL EFFECT: State-mandated local program

COMMENTS: CALPADS is a statewide database that contains data on pupil achievement and demographics. CALPADS currently includes the following ethnic/racial categories for reporting purposes:

• American Indian/Alaska Native
• Asian Indian
• Black/African American
• Cambodian
• Chinese
• Filipino
• Guamanian
• Hawaiian
• Hmong
• Japanese
• Korean
• Laotian
• Other Asian
• Other Pacific Islander
• Samoan
• Tahitian
• Vietnamese
• White

There is no category for "Middle Eastern."

Chaldean/Assyrian. According to chaldeansonline.org, Chaldeans originated in the area now covered by Iraq, east Syria, and southeast Turkey and are a "continuation of all the indigenous people of Mesopotamia whether their tribal names were Sumerians, Akkadians, Amorites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Aramaeans." It also reports that "there are approximately 150,000 Chaldeans in the US, in addition to another 100,000 who go by Assyrians, in addition to approximately 30,000 who go by Syriacs (Suryoyo). The centers of the Chaldeans are Metropolitan Detroit, MI (where the majority of the Chaldeans are), San Diego, CA, and a smaller population in Phoenix, AZ and Chicago, IL. While the Assyrians have their biggest concentration in Chicago, IL, [there is a] sizable population in San Francisco Bay Area and Turlock-Modesto (around Sacramento area) of California. The Syriacs are found more in Los Angeles area with sizable concentrations in Chicago and Detroit."

This bill requires Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union School District, and Santee School District to add a category for Chaldean or Assyrian. While local education agencies (LEAs) are required to use the above-listed categories for CALPADS, they may use additional categories for their own purposes. Neither federal law nor CALPADS has a "Middle Eastern" category, and the CDE reports that an LEA that uses a Middle Eastern category, such as Chaldean, to identify pupils would report them as "white" on CALPADS. Accordingly, this bill would affect only the three districts it requires to collect this data; not the statewide system.

According to information provided by the author's office, "AB 2858 would help create a new demographic classification just for Chaldean or Assyrian on school papers at Cajon Valley Union School District, Grossmont Union School District, and the Santee School District." However, the author's office does not identify any benefits that would accrue to the districts or their pupils or any purpose that would be served from collecting this data. Moreover, under California's permissive Education Code, school districts already have the authority to collect this data if they see a value in it—they do not need specific statutory permission or direction. Therefore, the primary effect of this bill is to create a potentially state-reimbursable mandate that the districts themselves may see no value in. None of the three districts affected by this bill have expressed support for it.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

None received

Opposition

None received

Analysis Prepared by: Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087