AB 2668

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Under existing law, each person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not otherwise exempt is subject to compulsory full-time education. Existing law requires each person subject to compulsory full-time education to attend the public full-time day school in which the residency of either the parent or legal guardian is located, except as specified. Existing law authorizes a school district, county office of education, or charter school to offer independent study courses to pupils in accordance with prescribed conditions, including, among others, that the courses are annually certified to be of the same rigor and educational quality as equivalent classroom-based courses. Existing law prohibits the governing authority of a private or public elementary or secondary school, child care center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center from unconditionally admitting any person as a pupil of one of those institutions, unless, before his or her admission to that institution, he or she has been fully immunized against various diseases. Existing law exempts pupils in a home-based private school and pupils enrolled in an independent study program and who do not receive classroom-based instruction from that prohibition. This bill would delete private institutions, including private elementary and secondary schools, child care centers, day nurseries, nursery schools, family day care homes, and development centers, from these immunization requirements, thereby allowing pupils who do not meet those immunization requirements to enroll in those institutions. The bill would require the State Department of Education to award a grant, as prescribed, to a parent or guardian of a child who would otherwise be eligible to attend a public elementary or secondary school, child care center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center, except for the child not meeting those immunization requirements, to fund the child's attendance at a private elementary or secondary school, child care center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center. The bill would continuously appropriate from the General Fund to the department the amount required to award those grants. This bill would authorize a pupil who does not meet those immunization requirements to enroll in an independent study program that does not require classroom-based instruction and that is outside of the geographic boundaries of the school district or county in which the pupil resides if the school district or county office of education of residence, or a charter school within the geographic boundaries of the school district or county of residence, does not offer an independent study program that does not require classroom-based instruction. Existing law provides that community school and independent study average daily attendance shall be claimed by school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools only for pupils who are residents of the county in which the apportionment claim is reported, or who are residents of a county immediately adjacent to the county in which the apportionment claim is reported. This bill would additionally authorize independent study average daily attendance to be claimed for pupils who do not meet those residency requirements and who are enrolled in the school district, county office of education, or charter school pursuant to the bill's authorization for a pupil who is not fully immunized to enroll in an independent study program that is outside of the geographic boundaries of the pupil's school district or county of residence. This bill would provide that its provisions are severable.