Education Laws For Disadvantaged Youth

In California, new legislation has been set in place to help benefit disadvantaged students by reducing barriers to education. Here I will discuss two bills designed to broaden the assistance students with health or environmental disadvantages receive. Each of these bills is aimed to help children receive the educational support necessary to ensure a brighter future and keep them on track, limiting or even eliminating educational delays.

Senate Bill 1016 Special Education: Eligibility: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (Signed Into Lay September 27th, 2022)

Currently, there are laws that require all children with disabilities in the state of California, regardless of their disability's severity, to be located, identified, and assessed. Once identified, existing regulations for the State Board of Education allow any child determined to have a health impairment to receive the education services necessary for their development and care. These regulations have defined additional health impairment criteria as "having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the environment that is due to a chronic or acute health problem and adversely affects the child's educational performance."

The newly introduced bill 1016 would require the state to include fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in its current definition of "other health impairments." Additionally, it would reimburse local schools and agencies for the costs associated with this addition. By including fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the bill, it opens doors for children previously unable to receive special education support and services.

Assembly Bill 167/216 - Graduation For Foster Youth (Enacted January 1st, 2014)

Assembly Bill 127/216 provides exemptions from district graduation requirements for youth in the foster care system. Under this bill, students who have undergone multiple school placements after completing at least two years of high school only need the state's minimum credit requirement of 130 to graduate. This number is a significant reduction of the normal credits required for graduation, a move that will help make up for the differing credit requirements between districts and states. The student will still be required to complete their classes if they are capable, but allowing them the opportunity to graduate on time, helps ensure disadvantaged youth are not left behind.

Students must be evaluated within thirty days of transfer, and the bill only affects those who change schools in their 11th and 12th-grade years. The bill falls under Foster & Homeless Support and is an excellent way for youth with little or no say in their living situations to graduate at the appropriate time, which sets them on the right track for the future.

Both Senate Bill 1016 and Assembly Bill 167/216 are excellent additions to educational protections for disadvantaged children, providing them the support they need to overcome obstacles and receive the quality education they deserve.