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CA SB 400

About the Act

SB 400 Homeless children and youths: local educational agencies: collaboration, training, and reporting.

This act adds California Education Code section (Ca. Educ. Code §) 48851.5 with regards to the identification of students experiencing homelessness, and amends Ca. Educ. Code § 48852.5 with regards to homeless education informational materials and training, as outlined below.

Ca. Educ. Code § 48851.5 (Identification)

  • Local educational agency (LEA) liaisons for homeless children and youths shall ensure that homeless children and youths are identified by school personnel through outreach and coordination activities with other entities and agencies and that homeless families and homeless children and youths receive referrals to health care services, dental services, mental health and substance abuse services, housing services, and other appropriate services. 

Ca. Educ. Code § 48852.5 (Informational Materials and Training)

  • LEA liaisons shall ensure that public notice of the educational rights of homeless children and youths is disseminated in schools within the liaison’s LEA. 
  • The California Department of Education (CDE) shall provide informational materials to LEA liaisons about the educational rights of homeless children and youths and unaccompanied youths under state and federal law, updates and changes to state and federal law regarding the rights of homeless students, the responsibilities of LEA liaisons relating to homeless children and youths and unaccompanied youths, and the resources available to schools to assist homeless children and youths and unaccompanied youths.
  • CDE shall provide training materials to LEA homeless liaisons to assist liaisons with providing professional development and other support to school personnel providing services pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. 
  • CDE shall develop and implement a system to verify that LEAs are providing the required training to school personnel providing services to youth experiencing homelessness at least annually.
  • CDE shall adopt policies and practices to ensure LEA homeless liaisons participate in professional development and other technical assistance programs, as deemed appropriate under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
  • CDE shall develop and implement procedures for verifying key information submitted by LEAs to comply with the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
  • CDE shall review the information submitted by LEAs to comply with the federal McKinney-Vento ACT, and remind each LEA for which information about its policies is outdated to update their policies to reflect current requirements.
  • CDE shall develop both of the following:
    • Best practices that LEAs may use to identify and obtain accurate data on all homeless children and youths and unaccompanied youths enrolled in schools of the LEA.
    • A model housing questionnaire, based on the above best practices, that LEAs may use to identify and obtain accurate data on all homeless children and youths and unaccompanied youths enrolled in schools of the LEA.

Legislation

View the full text of SB 400