SB 1968

Under present law, if a student transfers from one school to another school in the same LEA, or from one LEA to another LEA, then a copy of the student's records, including the student's academic, disciplinary, behavioral, and special education records, m ust be provided to the school or LEA to which the student transfers within five business days of the date on which the student's records request was received by the school or LEA. This bill adds that a student's attendance records must be provided in the same manner as other required records upon the student's transfer. Present law requires local boards of education to adopt a progressive truancy plan that implements three tiers of intervention for students who violate compulsory attendance requirements prior to the filing of a truancy petition or a criminal prosecution for educational neglect. If a student withdraws from an LEA in which the student was receiving tier two or tier three interventions pursuant to the LEA's progressive truancy plan, and the student does not transfer to another LEA, then this bill requires the director of schools t o report the student's absences to the judge with juvenile jurisdiction in the county in which the student resides. This bill removes the five-hour limit on the amount of community service that a judge may order for the parent or guardian of a student who is adjudicated to be unruly because the student has accumulated five days or more of unexcused absences during any school year. The maximum fine remains $50.00. Under this bill, if a student transfers during the school year, then the number of unexcused absences accumulated in the school year by the student at the school or LEA from which the student is transferring must be included in the number of unexcused ab sences for the student at the receiving school or LEA. ON MARCH 2, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1968, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 limits the application of the bill from a student who was receiving tier two or tier three interventions, to a student who was receiving tier three interventions, and revises the transfer of records requirements to, instead:  Require th e attendance records for a student who transfers or withdraws from an LEA or public school, including a public charter school, after the school year has commenced to be maintained by the LEA or public school from which the student transferred or withdrew for the remainder of the school year.  Require an LEA or public school that enrolls a student after the school year has commenced to determine during the enrollment process whether the student was previously enrolled in another LEA or public school at any time during that same school year. If the LEA or public school determines that the student was previously enrolled in another LEA or public school in the same school year for which the student seeks to enroll in the LEA or public school, then the enrolling LEA or public school must request the student's attendance records from each LEA or public school at which the student was previously enrolled during that same school year. A former LEA or public school that receives such a request from another LEA or public school must provide the attendance records for the respective school year to the requesting LEA or public school within five business days of the date on which the request was received.  Require an LEA or public school that enrolls, after the school year has commenced, a student who was previously enrolled in another LEA or public school at any time during that same school year to include the number of any unexcused absences accumulated by the student at the student's former LEA or public school in the same school year in the number of unexcused absences for the student at the enrolling LEA or public school and to implement the appropriate tier of the enrolling LEA's progressive truancy plan, if applicable.