Transcript Highlights:

• as programs where we're engaging with students on those campuses where they can engage in HudsonAlpha
• as programs where we're engaging with students on those campuses where they can engage in HudsonAlpha
• as programs where we're engaging with students on those campuses where they can engage in HudsonAlpha
• as programs where we're engaging with students on those campuses where they can engage in HudsonAlpha
• as programs where we're engaging with students on those campuses where they can engage in HudsonAlpha

Bills: HB187 , HB98 , HB360 , HB394 , HB398 , HB388 , HB187 , HB98 , HB360 , HB394 , HB398 , HB388

Committee: House Ways and Means Education

Keywords: school safety, emergency response, training, public safety, Alyssa's Law, law enforcement, scholarship, tuition assistance, dependent education, Alabama, blackout license plate, HB360, Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday, sales tax holiday, firearms, guns, ammunition, bullets, primers, gun accessories

Transcript Highlights:

• From 7th to 12th grades, so students have repeated in early exposure to civic engagement.
• A civic engagement day encourages students to practice democracy in their everyday lives.
• I appreciate when we talk about civic engagement, especially for our students.
• So that would be a... ...how serious the actual engagement will be by students at large.
• students more and have this longer memory retention of the things that... ...engage students more and

Summary: The annual joint Senate and Assembly Education Committee hearing featured student proposals from the California Association of Student Councils and SABLE, with opening remarks from legislators emphasizing student voice and the value of hearing youth ideas. Committee members noted the hearing was being streamed and that they would review the testimony even though some members could not attend because of fog-related travel issues. The first panel proposed an annual civic engagement day for grades 7-12, with flexible school-led activities such as discussions, mock elections, and voter registration-related events. Members generally praised the idea but raised concerns about costs, instructional time tradeoffs, how to evaluate effectiveness, and whether the proposal should better connect to existing civics standards and local curriculum. The second panel proposed amending Education Code Section 35012 to require at least one student board member in every unified and high school district, with added training and the right to make motions. Legislators supported student representation in principle but questioned whether the proposal should require one or two student members to avoid board tie issues, why some districts do not already have student trustees, and how the mandate would be funded if it became a state requirement. They also raised technical concerns about the scope of motioning power and the fiscal impact of converting a voluntary local practice into a statewide mandate. Later panels proposed adding middle school financial literacy instruction, expanding restorative justice practices, and creating more structured mental health education time. On financial literacy, students suggested integrating finance into existing middle school classes and teacher training over time; members worried about curriculum overload and suggested aligning the idea with the already-approved high school finance course. On restorative justice, students proposed a CDE task force and training for PPS-certified staff; legislators discussed prior related bills, confidentiality concerns in discipline hearings, and the likely cost of a state task force. On mental health, students proposed short, twice-semester classroom sessions focused on coping skills and awareness of resources, but members questioned whether such brief lessons could be effective and suggested that wellness centers, student-led awareness, and outside referrals might be more practical. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational and ended with encouragement for students to refine their proposals and follow up with legislators.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sadly, this is the mindset of many students—those who don't get introduced to civic engagement opportunities
• Engaging with the community around the name change was led by our students.
• Despite these headlines, these polls, and these cherry-picked data sets, our students are engaged.
• This recognition is about creating a culture of civic engagement where students are motivated to engage
• We just want to make sure that students are engaging with their state and engaging with their tribes

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:16:19.519><c> engagement</c><00:16:20.120><c> Specialists</c><00:16:20.759><c> and</c> Student engagement
• We are going to have a student engagement specialist who will provide an intense level of service, be
• All Minneapolis students in the household will receive student engagement specialist support as needed
• > specialist</c> to have a student engagement specialist to have a student engagement specialist who<
• All Minneapolis students in the household will receive student engagement specialist support as needed

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Civic engagement empowers student populations while cultivating a sense of purpose and identity.
• From seventh to twelfth grades, so students have repeated early exposure to civic engagement.
• Encouraging positive exposure to civic engagement early, we don't just excite students about voting,
• I appreciate when we talk about civic engagement, especially for our students.
• How serious the actual engagement will be by students at large.

Summary: The Senate and Assembly Education Committees held their annual joint hearing with the California Association of Student Councils and SABLE, where student delegates presented policy ideas developed over two days. Committee members repeatedly praised student voice and noted that several past student proposals had become law. The hearing began with opening remarks from legislators and student organizers, who emphasized the importance of civic participation and the value of hearing directly from students. The chair also reviewed hearing rules and explained that the panels would be treated as peers in a formal policy discussion. The first panel proposed an annual civic engagement day for grades 7-12, with flexible activities such as mock elections, civic fairs, Socratic seminars, and public comment practice. Members asked about costs, grade-level flexibility, voter registration, and how the proposal would fit within existing curriculum time. The second panel proposed amending Education Code Section 35012 to require at least one student board member in every unified and high school district, with expanded training and motion rights. Legislators supported the concept but raised technical concerns about fiscal impact, the need for odd-numbered boards, the scope of motioning authority, and whether districts would need reimbursement if the mandate became statewide. A third panel proposed adding middle school financial literacy instruction by embedding it into existing classes, with curriculum and teacher training developed over time by state agencies. Members questioned how it would fit into adopted materials and whether the state should wait until the new high school financial literacy course is fully implemented before designing middle school instruction. The fourth panel proposed expanding restorative justice by creating a CDE task force and authorizing PPS-certified staff to use restorative justice training materials in discipline processes. Senators discussed prior legislation, confidentiality concerns in closed-session hearings, and the fiscal cost of a state task force, while expressing support for stronger restorative practices. The final panel proposed more active mental health education through short, twice-semester classroom sessions for grades 7-12 focused on coping skills, time management, and awareness of resources. Assemblymember Castillo and Senator Cortese questioned whether teachers and counselors could effectively deliver the program, whether it would duplicate or overburden existing efforts, and whether wellness centers or student-led awareness efforts might be more effective. Committee members generally agreed the topic was important but were skeptical that another curriculum mandate was the best solution, and no votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Civic engagement empowers student populations while cultivating a sense of purpose and identity.
• From 7th to 12th grades, so students have repeated early exposure to civic engagement.
• I appreciate when we talk about civic engagement, especially for our students.
• So that would be a—” “How serious the actual engagement will be by students at large.
• students more and have this longer memory retention of the things that. engage students more and have

Summary: The joint Senate and Assembly Education Committee hearing featured opening remarks from legislators welcoming students from the California Association of Student Councils and SABLE, with members emphasizing student voice and noting that several past student proposals had become law. The hearing then moved through multiple student panels presenting policy ideas, with members responding in a mix of support, technical questions, and cautions about cost, implementation, and tradeoffs in instructional time. The first panel proposed an annual civic engagement day for grades 7-12 to increase civic literacy and participation through flexible school-based activities. Members asked about costs, flexibility for sixth grade, voter registration, and how the proposal would fit within existing curriculum and standards. The second panel proposed amending Education Code Section 35012 to require at least one student board member in every unified and high school district, with added motioning rights and training on budgeting and LCAPs; members raised concerns about mandate costs, board size, and the scope of motioning authority. The third panel proposed middle school financial literacy instruction, potentially embedded in existing classes like math, with a 10-year phase-in for teacher training and curriculum updates; members questioned whether the state should wait for the already-approved high school financial literacy course to be implemented first. The fourth panel proposed expanding restorative justice by creating a CDE task force and authorizing PPS-certified staff to use restorative justice materials in discipline processes; members discussed prior legislation, confidentiality in expulsion hearings, and the likely cost of a state task force. The fifth panel proposed short, twice-a-semester mental health and life-skills sessions for grades 7-12, but members expressed skepticism that brief classroom sessions could meaningfully address mental health needs and suggested wellness centers or student-led awareness efforts instead. The hearing then began panel six on AI implementation in classrooms, with students arguing that districts need clearer guidance on AI use and that education must adapt rather than ignore the technology.

Transcript Highlights:

• It demands opportunities that show students how to actively engage in their schools and communities to
• Civic engagement empowers student populations while cultivating a sense of purpose and identity.
• From seventh to twelfth grades, students have repeated early exposure to civic engagement.
• I appreciate when we talk about civic engagement, especially for our students.
• How serious the actual engagement will be by students at large.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It demands opportunities that show students how to actively engage in their schools and communities to
• Civic engagement empowers student populations while cultivating a sense of purpose and identity.
• From seventh to twelfth grades, students have repeated early exposure to civic engagement.
• I appreciate when we talk about civic engagement, especially for our students.
• How serious the actual engagement will be by students at large.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Departments that faculty have engaged have provided this opportunity to students to be engaged through
• engage with outside groups.
• She added that through many of the courses, the Center for Community Engaged Learning works with students
• She added that through many of the courses, the Center for Community Engaged Learning works with students
• She added that through many of the courses, the Center for Community Engaged Learning works with students

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:37:36.960><c> engaged</c><00:37:37.359><c> in</c> students engaged in students engaged in civics.
• This is a way to incentivize both students and teachers to engage in increased civic engagement.
• It is about creating a culture of civic engagement where students are motivated to engage with their
• It is about creating a culture of civic engagement where students are motivated to engage with their
• </c> engage to try to find did that student engage to try to find did that student leave<01:09:18.400

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• , student achievement and engagement, and school climate, access to a broad course of study, and other
• student outcomes.
• What are you doing for student engagement? How are you creating collaborative partnerships?
• One is the input around data, student information, student data, and achievement data.
• Students, foster, homeless student populations.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , student achievement and engagement, and school...
• Standards, family engagement, student achievement and engagement, and school climate, access to a broad
• What are you doing for student engagement? How are you creating collaborative partnerships?
• do engagement well.
• Students in foster and homeless student populations.

Summary: The joint hearing focused on coherence in California’s education planning and reporting systems, especially the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and related grant plans. Committee chairs and members described widespread frustration with duplicative, lengthy, and sometimes conflicting reporting requirements, while emphasizing that the goal was not to reduce accountability but to make planning more useful, stable, and student-centered. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond also previewed the Governor’s education budget priorities, including expanded learning, community schools, universal transitional kindergarten, literacy supports, and concerns about the proposed Prop. 98 deferral. Panelists from the State Board of Education, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, and the Legislative Analyst’s Office said the LCAP was intended to balance local flexibility with statewide transparency, but has become overloaded by repeated revisions and additional requirements. They argued for fewer core reporting elements, more stability over time, better alignment of planning cycles, and integrated systems that reduce duplication. Fresno County staff described a multi-year calendar and support tools that help districts manage timelines, but said these tools only ease the burden rather than solve the underlying problem. The LAO noted that some newer plans, such as expanded learning and transportation plans, are narrative-heavy and often less informative than separate reporting requirements. Local district leaders and county officials described the practical effects of the current system: staff time diverted from instruction, multiple portals and forms, audit risk aversion, and planning documents that can exceed 100 pages. Several superintendents said coherent systems work best when districts have clear priorities, stable governance, and aligned budgets, and when state requirements are predictable and tied to outcomes like literacy, attendance, and student achievement. The California Federation of Teachers added that coherence also depends on meaningful collaboration with educators, classified staff, parents, and communities. Committee members repeatedly asked whether the state should streamline reporting, create a uniform portal, or develop a more unified grant-reporting structure, and Thurmond said the department was piloting a simplified common form and was willing to work with the Legislature and districts on broader solutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• As you think about broader academic changes that might be needed to ensure engagement and to build student
• However, the overall The overall idea of the program is to allow students to engage with the community
• See in 2026 getting 2,000 students, and then 4,000 students, and then to 8,000 students.
• Engaging the students is how you're going to keep them in.
• Trying to think back to the Study out of 2,400 students that they tracked that they re-engaged: 300 graduated

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, the problem, to answer your question, is I don't know how many students I engage with in my
• and engaging about 1,500 students each academic year in a wide array of social, cultural, and religious
• To people beyond the actors who are engaged in the offending conduct and the impact on Jewish students
• engages in hate or misconduct or harassment against a Black student, against a Latino student, against
• are the graduate students, and engaging them... ...students are the graduate students, and engaging

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The meeting opened with approval of the July 9, 2025 minutes and a roll call confirming quorum. DESE Commissioner Pedro Martinez gave his first official testimony, affirming the department’s commitment to preventing antisemitism and societal bias in schools, saying DESE supports the commission’s recommendations and will add staff resources to help develop and disseminate guidance and instructional materials. He said DESE’s rubric and guidance for identifying effective curricula and resources should be finalized in late fall, and commissioners welcomed the partnership and asked about the ongoing Section 98A work. The commission then heard from Professor Eitan Hirsch of Tufts, who presented research on antisemitism and campus climate. He described survey findings showing sharply different Jewish and non-Jewish views on Israel, increasing social pressure on Jewish students, and a growing tendency for Jewish students to hide their identity or feel penalized for participating in Jewish life. He argued that colleges need to do more to teach students how to handle dissent and build cultures of viewpoint diversity, and commissioners asked about best practices, regional differences, and the role of campus climate surveys. Rabbi Fine of UMass Amherst Hillel and student Sky Landau testified about antisemitism at UMass, especially since October 7. Fine described both a thriving Jewish student community and serious incidents including harassment, vandalism, classroom issues, protests, and students hiding Jewish identity; he said the university is working with Hillel and DEI leadership on goals and strategy for Jewish inclusion, and he urged more training and structured dialogue. Landau described antisemitic incidents she experienced or witnessed, including hostile BDS meetings, exclusion of Zionist students, Holocaust denial, threats, and social ostracism, and said Hillel was the only consistently safe space for her. Commissioners discussed reporting pathways, affinity groups, mental health supports, and ways to distinguish criticism of Israel from antisemitism. Later, the commission moved to its recommendations and made several edits before voting, including deleting offensive wording in a footnote, adding a citation to recent FBI hate crime data, and restoring language tied to an existing DESE regulation, 603 CMR 26.05, on classroom neutrality and fact-based instruction. Commissioners also reiterated that criticism of Israel’s government is not inherently antisemitic. The meeting included a brief interruption by a protester, after which the commission recessed and then resumed its work on the draft recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Egra's student students, right, Ms.
• , and student parents.
• hurt students and families.
• Inland Empire, and Ruth Sosa-Martinez, who will provide student testimony as only students can make
• Would give students the foundation we need to engage with the world around us.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard a series of bills focused largely on school safety, immigrant student protections, Holocaust and genocide education, civic engagement, and workforce pathways. SB 631 would expand the charter school revolving loan fund by increasing loan amounts and broadening eligibility, including for charter schools affected by natural disasters; it drew support from the Treasurer’s Office and the California Charter Schools Association and was advanced on a 4-0 vote, with the bill held on call. SB 472 would reinforce Holocaust, slavery, and genocide education requirements and create or expand teacher training and grants; it received strong support from survivors, educators, and Jewish organizations and passed 6-0, with several members asking to be added as coauthors. The committee also took up a package of immigration-related school bills. SB 48 would bar school officials from allowing immigration enforcement access to campuses without a judicial warrant and protect student records; it was backed by Superintendent Tony Thurmond, teachers, school districts, and many advocacy groups, and passed 5-0 to the Judiciary Committee. SB 98 would require K-12 schools and higher education institutions to notify campus communities when immigration enforcement is present; it also drew broad support from student groups, colleges, and education organizations and passed 3-0 to Higher Education, with the bill held on call. Both measures were presented as responses to recent immigration enforcement activity near schools and the chilling effect on attendance and student well-being. Other measures advanced included SB 848, which would strengthen protections against employee sexual misconduct in schools by updating safety plans, training, reporting, and misconduct tracking; it was supported by education groups and a survivor who described grooming at her high school, and passed 6-0 to Public Safety. SB 638 would create a statewide coordinating entity for education and workforce programs and support career pathways, with testimony emphasizing the need to align fragmented funding and improve access for underserved communities; it passed 7-0 to Higher Education. SB 316, on high school voter registration and pre-registration, passed 8-0 to Elections after testimony from students and civic engagement advocates, and SB 334, which would add sexual harassment prevention content and a Sexual Harassment Safety Week to school curriculum, was presented with support from student advocates and AAUW, with no opposition noted in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• engage meaningfully and intentionally<00:08:42.399><c> with</c><00:08:42.560><c> students</c><00:08:
• My question is just in regards to the level of student engagement you all have already had, maybe how
• not going to get as much student engagement as we want to be able to do.
• So when you talk about students, I guess I know if I'm limited to just University students, but my engagement
• So when you talk about students, I guess I know if I'm limited to just University students, but my engagement

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Through this initiative, we've been able to re-engage over 200 students, and we are close to about 50
• Because I think that we have to include, besides the proficiency levels, how our students are engaged
• How many, what's the percentage of students here that are engaged in some kind of project or program
• And engage middle school students earlier to keep them engaged.
• She is doing it seamlessly and moving throughout the classroom, keeping those students engaged.

Transcript Highlights:

• So then we asked, what grade is your student in?
• So then we asked, what grade is your student in?
• Family engagement predicts positive transition outcomes, and that IEPs are central to ensuring students
• It's for all students.
• All of our students who are on IEPs are students first, and they should have access to all of the resources

Keywords: 1212, all

Summary: The Employment Subcommittee of the Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities met on April 27 and approved the prior meeting minutes. The main presentation was from the Lawrence Partnership for Transition to Employment (LPTE), a five-year grant project focused on improving transition outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Lawrence. Presenters described the project’s community conversations, consortium, and four work groups, with emphasis on the family-partnership work group and a family survey designed to better understand engagement barriers and transition needs. The survey results showed that family participation increased sharply when Lawrence Public Schools helped distribute the survey, rising from about a dozen responses to more than 200. Key findings included barriers such as scheduling conflicts, language access, childcare, and limited understanding of the IEP and transition process. Many families said they wanted their children to pursue college or employment after high school, but fewer reported access to pre-employment training, suggesting a gap between expectations and awareness of available services. The Lawrence team also described a bilingual transition website, workshops offered at different times with interpretation and childcare, and efforts to make transition planning more visible and accessible. Committee members responded with questions and comments about cultural barriers, early transition planning, college and community college pathways, trades, summer youth employment, and how to reach families earlier, especially in middle school. Presenters said Lawrence has a strong transition team and existing resources, but needs more real-world work experiences and better communication so families understand and use them. The meeting ended with thanks to the presenters, a note that committee members would meet with SEED later in the week about Massachusetts as a model employer, and an announcement that the May meeting would feature the Office of Veterans Affairs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Family engagement predicts positive transition outcomes, and IEPs are central to ensuring students receive
• So it is about the engagement.
• It's for all students.
• All of our students who are on IEPs are students first, and they should have access to all of the resources
• It's for all students.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Employment Subcommittee of the Permit Commission on Status of Persons with Disabilities met on April 27 and approved the prior meeting minutes before hearing a presentation from the Lawrence Partnership for Transition to Employment (LPTE). Presenters from UMass Boston’s Institute for Community Inclusion, the Arc of Greater Haverhill-Newburyport, Northeast, and Lawrence Public Schools described LPTE as a five-year grant focused on improving transition outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Lawrence through community partnerships, work groups, and family engagement. A major focus was a family survey designed to better understand barriers to transition planning and IEP participation. Presenters said the survey response rate increased sharply after Lawrence Public Schools helped distribute it, rising from about a dozen responses to more than 200. Survey findings showed common barriers such as scheduling conflicts, language access, childcare, transportation, and limited understanding of IEPs and transition planning. The data also suggested that many families expect college or employment outcomes for their children, but fewer reported access to pre-employment training, indicating a communication gap rather than a lack of services. Lawrence school staff explained that the district has a five-person transition team, bilingual resources, workshops, and a developing online transition hub, and that they are using the survey results to improve visibility and access to existing supports. Committee members discussed the need to start transition planning earlier, expand real-world work experiences, improve outreach to Latino families, and better connect students with college, trade, and employment pathways. Several members suggested partnerships with summer youth employment, volunteer programs, and college or alumni panels. The presenters said the grant ends in September, but the resource hub will continue through the Arc and they are exploring ways to sustain the consortium model. The meeting ended with thanks to the presenters, an update that committee members would meet with Seed on Massachusetts as a model employer, and notice that the next meeting would feature the Office of Veteran Affairs before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Relevance to students equals engagement for students.
• Relevance to students equals engagement for students.
• Relevance to students equals engagement for students.
• </c><01:04:46.160><c> uh</c> engaging for high school students uh engaging for high school students uh
• engage in their expand how students engage in their learning<01:16:22.480><c> after</c><01:16:22.719

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all