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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
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<ns0:ActionDate>2026-01-05</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:ActionDate>2026-01-12</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Jackson</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Name>Jackson</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title>An act to add Article 11 (commencing with Section 54810) to Chapter 9 of Part 29 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to pupil services.</ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>pupil services</ns0:RelatingClause>
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<ns0:Subject>Unaccompanied homeless pupils: Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law states the intent of the Legislature to ensure that all pupils in foster care and those who are homeless, as defined, have a meaningful opportunity to meet the challenging state pupil academic achievement standards to which all pupils are held. Existing law requires educators, county placing agencies, care providers, advocates, and the juvenile courts to work together to maintain stable school placements and to ensure that each pupil is placed in the least restrictive educational programs, and has access to the academic resources, services, and extracurricular and enrichment activities that are available to all pupils, as provided.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would require the State Department of Education, in consultation with the State Department of Social
Services, to administer competitive grants as part of a pilot program, to be known as the Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program, for school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to provide supports necessary to improve school attendance, pupil engagement, pupil graduation rates, and pupil wellbeing for unaccompanied youth, as defined, who are 16 and 17 years of age, including connecting youth with resources to find stable housing. The bill would require 5-year grants to be awarded to local educational agencies to support unaccompanied youth, and would require grant funds to be used for, among other things, referrals to existing social services support systems, and providing basic needs
supports and educational support services, as specified. The bill would require funding preference under the program to be given to local educational agencies that have significant experience working with unaccompanied youth and existing partnerships with certain entities, as specified. The bill would require local educational agencies applying for grant funds under the program to submit an application that includes, among other things, a
detailed plan describing how grant funds will be used to identify eligible pupils, the types of supports to be provided based on the eligible uses of grant funds, and the methods and metrics the local educational agency will use to measure progress towards program goals. The bill would require local educational agencies awarded grant funds under the program to submit annual reports to the department that include, among other things, a description of the expenditure of funds and the number and characteristics of unaccompanied youth served.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
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Youth who are experiencing homelessness include those who are runaways or unaccompanied minors, those who have left home for one or more nights or have been told to leave home, and those who have been abandoned or deserted. They survive without a trusted guardian or caretaker.
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(b)
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In a 2023 national survey, California reported the largest number of unaccompanied youth, 10,173 people, accounting for more than one-third of all unaccompanied youth nationally.
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(c)
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Local educational agencies, including charter schools, reported 286,853 enrolled homeless pupils for the 2023–24 school year as part of the annual End of Year 3 data submission in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System. Out of this total, 8,831 pupils were unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. Approximately 74 percent were pupils enrolled in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, and 60 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino, 17 percent identified as White, 10 percent identified as African American, 5 percent identified as two or more races, 3 percent identified as Asian, and 2 percent identified as American Indian or Alaska Native.
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(d)
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Children experiencing homelessness face extensive barriers to academic success. In comparison to their peers, homeless pupils are more likely to be suspended and chronically
absent and are less likely to graduate from high school or attend college.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Article 11 (commencing with Section 54810) is added to Chapter 9 of Part 29 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the
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, to read:
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<ns0:Num>11.</ns0:Num>
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<ns0:LawHeadingText>Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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(a)
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(1)
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The department, in consultation with the State Department of Social Services, shall administer competitive grants as part of a pilot program, to be known as the Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program, to local educational agencies for the purpose of providing supports necessary to improve school attendance, pupil engagement, pupil graduation rates, and pupil wellbeing for unaccompanied youth who are 16 and 17 years of age, including connecting youth with resources to find stable housing.
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<html:p>
(2)
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Grant funds shall be awarded to a local educational agency and shall be available for expenditure for five years from the date of receipt.
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(3)
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Eligible
uses of grant funds include all of the following:
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<html:p>
(A)
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Authorizing school staff to support connections and establish referrals to existing structures, including county welfare departments, foster care placement options, Youth Homelessness Prevention Centers administered by Community Care Licensing and the State Department of Social Services, local continuums of care, county office of education Foster Youth Services Coordinating Programs, homeless education liaisons, and other related services, with an emphasis on finding stable housing options for the pupils served by this grant.
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(B)
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Providing basic needs supports, including items such as clothing, food, and stipends for transportation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
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Providing educational support services and tutoring provided directly by the local educational agency or through a partner
nonprofit or service provider.
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(D)
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Providing employment readiness and skills development, including skills related to independent living.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(E)
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Supporting connections and establishing referrals to health, behavioral health, and other supportive services.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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When awarding grants to local educational agencies, the department shall prioritize grants for applications that demonstrate both of the following:
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(1)
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Significant experience working with unaccompanied youth.
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(2)
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Existing partnerships with county welfare departments, continuums of care, or nonprofits working on youth homelessness and other related services.
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(c)
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(1)
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A local educational agency applying for a grant under the program shall submit an application to the department in the form and manner prescribed by the department.
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(2)
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The application shall include all of the following information:
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<html:p>
(A)
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A description of the local educational agency.
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<html:p>
(B)
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A description of existing partnerships between the local educational agency and other agencies or organizations to support unaccompanied youth, as applicable.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
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A detailed plan describing how grant funds will be used to identify eligible pupils, the types of supports to be provided based on the eligible uses of grant funds, and the methods and metrics the local educational agency will use to measure progress towards program goals.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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The department may establish additional application requirements or criteria necessary to ensure effective program administration, accountability, and equitable geographic distribution of grant awards consistent with the purpose and the eligible grant uses pursuant to this section.
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<html:p>
(d)
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(1)
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A local educational agency awarded grant funds under the program shall submit an annual report to the department, in the form and manner prescribed by the department, describing the expenditure of funds, the number and characteristics of unaccompanied youth served, the services and housing provided, and measurable outcomes related to housing stability, school attendance, and educational attainment.
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<html:p>
(2)
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Upon completion of the five-year grant cycle, the department shall submit a report to the appropriate policy
and fiscal committees of the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, evaluating program outcomes and recommending whether the program should be expanded or made permanent.
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<html:p>
(e)
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Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) and Section 33308.5, the department may implement this section through management bulletins or similar letters of instruction.
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<html:p>
(f)
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For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
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<html:p>
(1)
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“Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.
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(2)
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“Nonprofit” means a nonprofit public benefit corporation.
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<html:p>
(3)
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“Program” means the Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program created pursuant to this section.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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“Unaccompanied youth” means a homeless child or youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian as defined in Section 11434a(6) of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 11301 et seq.).
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