There’s still time to get your tickets to the game and just a few spots remaining for kids to high-five the players in the tunnel. Call, today!

Back by popular demand, the Antioch Recreation Department is proud to present its 5th Annual Big Truck Day! This year, Big Truck Day will take place on September 19th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm in the Antioch Community Center parking lot at Prewett Family Park, 4703 Lone Tree Way.

It will also be Food Truck Thursday, hosted by Foodie Crew SF, offering a variety of food options throughout the evening. To see the food truck lineup, follow @foodiecrewsf

If you or your company wishes to reserve a space for your vehicle or large equipment, please visit antiochca.gov/big-truck-day/. Applications will close Friday, September 13th.

After Supervisors made the estimated 10,000 residents in county eligible 

“While Medi-Cal…includes undocumented residents, some…earn too much money to qualify. And they are not eligible for CoveredCA because they’re undocumented.” 

By Contra Costa Health

Contra Costa Health is now offering affordable health care coverage to uninsured county residents who don’t qualify for Medi-Cal or CoveredCA. 

Potentially eligible residents can now call a financial counselor at 1-800-771-4270 to ask about enrolling in Basic Health Care, which offers coverage for primary care, medications, X-rays and more. 

While Medi-Cal has expanded to include undocumented residents, some of those residents earn too much money to qualify. And they are not eligible for CoveredCA because they’re undocumented. 

“We’re still seeing some people in our community fall through the cracks, unable to get health insurance,” said Gilbert Salinas, chief equity officer for Contra Costa Health (CCH). “Basic Health Care will help fill that gap and give people access to medical care.”

Earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors made undocumented residents eligible for Basic Health Care. It’s estimated that more than 10,000 undocumented residents in Contra Costa are eligible for Basic Health Care. 

To qualify for Basic Health Care, residents must have incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level. People enrolled in Basic Health Care will pay a sliding-scale quarterly premium depending on their income up to $20 a month. Enrollment in this program will not be considered as part of a public charge test for immigrants.  

Basic Health Care enrollees will be able to access care at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and the County’s outpatient health centers.  

“By improving access to primary medical services through Basic Health Care, we aim to reduce unnecessary visits to local hospital emergency departments,” Salinas said. 

For more information, visit our Basic Health Care webpage.  

County, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation and The Unity Council receive funding to offer affordable care for 1,634 infants, toddlers, and preschool children

By Tish Gallegos, Community & Media Relations Director, Contra Costa County Office of Communications & Media

(Martinez, CA) – The Administration for Children & Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), has awarded Head Start grants to three Contra Costa agencies. The five-year awards provide $29.7 million in the first year and similar amounts in each of the subsequent four to provide early childhood education (ECE) to infants, toddlers and preschool children throughout the County. 

The grant to Contra Costa County enables it to fully fund its current childcare centers, and to continue existing subcontractor partnerships with KinderCare, Aspiranet, Crossroads/Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD), and Tiny Toes.  Head Start is also directly funding the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF) and The Unity Council to deliver services to Contra Costa children and families.

“We will have Head Start funding for a total of 1,634 slots in Contra Costa County,” explained District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover, Chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. “We welcome MAOF and The Unity Council as partners that can help Contra Costa expand access to infant-toddler care and preschool, especially for our Spanish-speaking and immigrant families in parts of East, Central and West County.”

“Contra Costa County is strongly committed to supporting the health and well-being of our children and families through our high-quality child development and education programs” said John Gioia, District 1 Supervisor who chairs the Head Start Committee for the County Board of Supervisors. “We are grateful and proud that the Federal Office of Head Start recognizes our outstanding teachers, administrators, and Early Childhood Education programs by continuing to fund us over the next five years to be the largest Head Start provider in Contra Costa.”

Head Start is a federal program that promotes school readiness for the most vulnerable young children from birth to age five, emphasizing the role of parents as their child’s first and most important teacher. Head Start operates locally to help young children from low-income families prepare to succeed in school, promoting their development through learning, health, and family wellbeing.

In Contra Costa County, funding for the 1,634 childcare slots in Early Head Start (infants and toddlers) and Head Start Preschool (3- and 4-year-old children) is as follows:

Recipient                                HS Preschool                         Early Head Start                               Total

Contra Costa County                          764                                          437                                          1,201

MAOF                                                  97                                          116                                             213

The Unity Council                                88                                          132                                             220

Total                                                    949                                          685                                          1,634

“With over six decades of dedication to empowering under-resourced families, MAOF is proud to expand our Head Start services in Contra Costa County,” said Dr. Ciriaco Pinedo, President and CEO of MAOF.  “For 30 years, we have been committed to laying the foundation for the future of generations of families through our Head Start programs and services, and today, through this partnership with the Office of Head Start, we continue this mission with renewed energy and purpose. MAOF will offer full-day year-round services through directly operated sites and partnerships with the YMCA of East Bay, Contra Costa College, and Child Start Inc. We are committed to ensuring that every child in the communities of Antioch, Hercules, Martinez, Pittsburg, Pinole, Richmond, Rodeo, and San Pablo has access to the early education they deserve.  As we continue to grow and serve, we carry with us the unwavering belief in the potential of every child to succeed.”

“Celebrating 60 years of The Unity Council and 11 years in Concord, we’re excited that we are expanding our Head Start services to more communities like Richmond, Pittsburg, and Oakley,” said Chris Iglesias, Chief Executive Officer of The Unity Council. “This grant allows us to continue our mission of serving those who need it most. We are grateful to the Office of Head Start for their support as we look forward to reaching even more families across Contra Costa County.”

To Apply

Families are encouraged to apply for current Head Start and Early Head Start openings by contacting the funded agencies:

Contra Costa County – (925) 272-4727 or [https://ehsd.org,]ehsd.org

MAOF – (510) 977-8667, sguerrero@maof.org, or maof.org

The Unity Council – unitycouncil.org, (925) 798-1013, or headstart@unitycouncil.org

Contra Costa County

The Employment & Human Services Department (EHSD) administers the County Head Start program. EHSD partners with the community to deliver quality services to ensure access to resources that support, protect, and empower individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency, Head Start families benefit from seamless coordination of services accessible through the full portfolio of County-operated programs including public assistance, nutrition assistance, health, housing, and child welfare. contracosta.ca.gov

Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF)

Since its founding in 1963 by community leader and civil rights activist Dionicio Morales, MAOF has become one of California’s most prominent nonprofits. MAOF maintains a $250 million operating budget and serves over 125,000 under-resourced individuals annually across nine counties: Contra Costa, Monterey, Kern, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego. Using a multi-generational approach, MAOF uplifts the whole family through early childhood care and education, community development, senior, and community partnership services. maof.org

The Unity Council

The Unity Council (officially known as the Spanish Speaking Unity Council) envisions a joyful, united, and engaged community where people have the power to shape their lives. Founded in 1964 as a nonprofit community development organization committed to enriching the quality of life primarily in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, its Mission is to promote social equity and improve quality of life by building vibrant communities where everyone can work, learn and thrive. unitycouncil.org

By Allen D. Payton

Adding to the tenant protections previously passed, during their meeting on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, on a 5-0 vote, the Antioch City Council approved a Just Cause Eviction ordinance limiting the ability of landlords to evict tenants except for specific reasons and, if they do, the landlord must give notice to both the tenant and the City and pay for the tenant’s relocation costs. The ordinance was negotiated between representatives of tenants, community organizations, the apartment owners’ association, city council and staff members.

According to the city staff report on the item, State law requires “just cause” for a landlord to evict a tenant who has continuously and lawfully occupied a residence for at least 12 months. The California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (“TPA”) limits rent increases and places restrictions on landlords’ ability to evict tenants, unless the eviction is as a result of a “just cause” that is defined by state law. The TPA also imposes certain notice and language requirements, “Just cause” includes “at-fault” evictions for wrongful or malicious conduct by tenants and “no-fault” evictions, such as when a property owner or their immediate family move into an otherwise occupied unit, remove a unit from the rental market, or when a landlord intends to demolish or “substantially remodel” a unit.

The city’s ordinance extends the time to 24 months after eviction for the former tenant to have first-right-of-refusal be offered from the landlord to rent the unit, again, without an increase in rent more than the allowable increases under state law and city ordinances.

In addition, under the City’s ordinance, if the tenant hasn’t done anything wrong, but the landlord is asking them to move out, then they must both notify the city and pay for the tenant’s relocation costs, in an “amount equal to two times the Tenant’s monthly rent in effect when the Landlord served the notice to terminate the tenancy.”

The city staff report claims the ordinance will require an additional city staff member and “increased future workloads for the City Attorney’s Office related to new inquiries and requests for services from tenants and landlords.”

For the public hearing there was only a proponent to speak in favor of the ordinance, but no opponent to speak against it. The proponent, an attorney, said, “Under Antioch’s new ordinance, everyone has just cause for eviction protections,” speaking specifically of renters.

Several members of the public spoke in favor of the ordinance, including representatives of ACCE Action and Rising Juntos Antioch and two council candidates in District 3, Addison Peterson and Antwon Webster.

During council member discussion of the ordinance, District 1 Councilwoman Torres-Walker said, “Now everyone in Antioch is covered.”

“Thank you all for pushing us,” Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson said. “We finally made it, but we have to keep on keeping them honest.”

Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe thanked, “the attorneys and everyone who participated in the meetings. This is a big deal for the community.” He mentioned it took almost four years to get the ordinance developed and adopted.

Following council discussion, the ordinance passed on a unanimous vote.

The audience erupted with cheers and shouts of, “Si, se puede” which means, “yes, we can.”

See City of Antioch Just Cause Eviction ordinance.

Attorney says agencies “utterly failed in their duties” to protect 18-month-old girl abused by parents also named in suit

Antioch childcare facility, Pittsburg pediatrician also named

CONTENT WARNING: Information included may be disturbing to some individuals

San Francisco, August 20, 2024 — A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed in the beating death of an 18-month-old child in Antioch, alleging that a litany of individuals and agencies charged with protecting the tiny girl utterly failed in their duties and led directly to her death as the result of trauma inflicted by her biological parents.

The case, filed last week in Federal District Court on behalf of the two older siblings of the toddler, names the following defendants as negligently responsible for her horrific death: the City of Antioch, Antioch Police Department, Contra Costa Child Protective Services, Contra Costa County Regional Health Foundation, and a childcare facility, The Learning Center (actually named, The Learning Experience – see below), as well as the toddler’s biological parents, Jessika Fulcher and Worren Young, Sr.

The child was removed from her parent’s custody within weeks of her birth in February 2021 because she was in danger of neglect and abuse. Yet, over the next 16 months, the very people and institutions who were supposed to protect the toddler and her siblings failed to report obvious signs of abuse and/or failed to take action to prevent further trauma to the girl.

The child died August 26, 2022, from trauma so severe that it severed her pancreas and caused bleeding in her brain, according to doctors and the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages, including punitive damages against the agencies and individuals named as responsible in the legal action.

“This child–who was still learning to walk–was brutally tortured and died a horrific death, all because the entire system that was supposed to protect her failed this innocent 18-month-old child,” said Brett Schreiber, attorney for the plaintiffs and partner at Singleton Schreiber law firm. “While her parents committed the physical abuse that killed her, their abuse was entirely enabled and abetted by social workers, police, hospitals and day care centers who should have stopped them.”

A juvenile court judge removed the toddler from the custody of her parents in March 2021, shortly after her birth.  When the child was born, both she and her mother had methamphetamines in their systems. In addition, both parents had outstanding warrants in Georgia. The children were placed in foster care.

Within weeks of the judge’s decision, however, Contra Costa County Child Protective Services (CPS) began a process intended to lead to reuniting the children with the parents, beginning with a “case plan” requiring close supervision of the parents. The case plan required the parents to submit to regular drug testing. The suit alleges that they missed half these mandated tests and failed many that they took.

A doctor at Pittsburg Health Center further noted injuries on the toddler, but neither the doctor nor the hospital notified CPS, and CPS never requested the hospital’s records.

Nonetheless, CPS soon allowed overnight visitations for the children with the parents, and by September 2021 enabled the parents to regain custody by concealing these and other facts from the judge.

The toddler returned to a household in turmoil, with Antioch police visiting the home at least three times in 2022. Yet the children remained in the home and no referral to CPS was made, even though the father was finally arrested for domestic violence and battery. The child’s daycare center, The Learning Center in Antioch, also alerted the mother regarding significant bruising on the toddler yet failed to make a mandated referral to CPS.

On August 25, 2022, Antioch Police Department officers and paramedics were called to the child’s home by her mother who reported that the girl was having trouble breathing. The girl was rushed to the hospital where doctors discovered she was the victim of severe, intentional injuries.

Her parents left the hospital during the night saying they were going out to smoke, but never returned. The girl died the following morning; a juvenile court hearing in April 2023 concluded that one or both parents were responsible for the fatal injuries.

“This was a complete dereliction of duty that resulted in the death of one young child and the lifelong loss and trauma for two others,” Schreiber said. “On behalf of those siblings, we are asking the court not only to compensate them for the life-long emotional scarring they will suffer, but also to punish those who failed to prevent this horrible tragedy so that it never happens again.”

Antioch City Attorney Thomas L. Smith and Interim Antioch Police Chief Brian Addington were asked on Tuesday afternoon if they had any comment about the lawsuit. Addington was also asked if lawsuits naming the police department are received by the chief or if they are handled by the city attorney’s office. Neither responded by publication time Wednesday evening.

Asked if the County had any comment on the lawsuit, Tish Gallegos, Community Relations and Media for the Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Department responded, “The County has not been served with the lawsuit, therefore has no comment at this time.”

Asked whom at the County was served with the lawsuit, Sam Singer, of Singer Associates Public Relations representing Singleton Schreiber said, “I know the lawsuit was filed but it may not have been served, yet.”

The press release shows the case is O.Y., W.Y., and A.Y. v. County of Contra Costa, City of Antioch, Jessika Fulcher, Worren Young, Sr., Colleen Sullivan, Flynne Lewis, Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation, The Learning Center, Raji Ponnaluri, and Does 1 through 50, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Correction, Details Provided on Named Parties

However, the name of the business is actually, The Learning Experience.

Provided with that information and asked how Sullivan, Lewis and Ponnaluri are related to the lawsuit, Singer shared details from the lawsuit, including: “over the next year, from March 2021 to April 2022, during the pendency of the dependency action, CPS workers—Defendants in this action— abysmally failed to protect O.Y. and W.Y. Defendants Colleen Sullivan and Does 1-10, CPS employees, repeatedly misled and deceived the juvenile court. They represented that Defendant Parents were complying with the court’s orders documented in a ‘case plan,’ when, in fact, Defendant Parents were violating the terms of the case plan.”

Singer also shared, “defendant Flynne Lewis was a pediatrician practicing medicine at the Pittsburg Health Center who was responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of Decedent O.Y. and Plaintiff W.Y. Defendant Lewis and staff working at the Pittsburg Health Center noted and documented signs of abuse and neglect of O.Y., but failed to report such information to CPS or any law enforcement agency.”

Finally, Singer provided details about the correct name for the business and its owner which reads, “At all relevant times, Defendant The Learning Experience was a daycare center located at 4831 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, CA 94531 which was owned and operated by Defendant Raji Ponnaluri.”

Singleton Schreiberis a client-centered law firm, specializing in mass torts/multi-district litigation, fire litigation, personal injury/wrongful death, civil rights, environmental law, and sexual abuse/trafficking. Over the last decade, the firm has recovered more than $2.5 billion for clients who have been harmed and sought justice. The firm also has the largest fire litigation practice in the country, having represented over 26,000 victims of wildfire, most notably serving plaintiffs in litigation related to the 2023 Maui wildfires, the Colorado Marshall wildfire, the Washington Gray wildfire, and others.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/Bethel.Island.Chamber.

Include requiring menstrual products in elementary boy’s bathrooms – supported by all of Contra Costa’s state legislators; allowing kids 12 or older to consent to mental health care without parental consent, keeping transgender student secrets from parents, climate change instruction, more

By Diana Lambert, Zaidee Stavely, Emma Gallegos, Mallika Seshadri, and Amy DiPierro, EdSource.org, republished with permission

California students, including those in elementary school, will have better access to mental health care, free menstrual products and information about climate change this school year. The expansion of transitional kindergarten also means there will be more 4-year-old students on elementary school campuses. 

These and other new pieces of education legislation will go into effect this school year, including a bill that bans schools from suspending students for willful defiance and another that offers college students more transparency around the cost of their courses and the materials they will need to purchase for them. 

Here are a few new laws that may impact students in the 2024-25 school year.

Climate change instruction required

Science instruction in all grades — first through 12th — must include an emphasis on the causes and effects of climate change, and methods to mitigate it and adapt to it. Although many schools are already teaching students about climate change, all schools must incorporate the topic into instruction beginning this school year.

Content related to climate change appears in some of the state curriculum frameworks, according to an analysis of Assembly Bill 285, the legislation that created the requirement.

Assemblymember Luz Rivas, D-Arieta, the author of the bill, said the legislation will give the next generation the tools needed to prepare for the future and will cultivate a new generation of climate policy leaders in California.

“Climate change is no longer a future problem waiting for us to act upon — it is already here,” Rivas said in a statement. “Extreme climate events are wreaking havoc across the globe and escalating in severity each year.”

Menstrual products in elementary bathrooms

A new law in effect this year adds elementary schools to the public schools that must offer a free and adequate supply of menstruation products — in order to help younger menstruating students.

Last school year, the Menstruation Equity for All Act went into effect, requiring public schools serving sixth- through 12th-grade students to provide menstruation products. It affected over 2,000 schools. 

The new law expands the requirement to public schools that serve third- through fifth-grade students. A Senate analysis of the legislation notes that 10% of menstruation periods begin by age 10, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

The new law requires affected schools to offer free menstrual products in all-gender bathrooms, women’s bathrooms and at least one men’s bathroom on each campus. The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes,D-San Bernardino, includes one men’s bathroom on each campus to offer access to transgender boys who menstruate.

Supporters of the bill note that menstruation isn’t always predictable and can strike at inopportune times, such as during a test. Menstruation products can also be pricey — especially for students who might also be struggling with food insecurity. 

Girl Scout Troop 76 in the Inland Empire advocated for the bill. Scout Ava Firnkoess said that menstruation access is important to young girls, like her, who started menstruating early. 

“I have another friend who also started at a young age. She had to use toilet paper and paper towels because she did not have access to menstrual products,” Firnkoess said in a statement. “We think young students who start their periods need to have access to products, not just those who start in sixth grade or later.”

According to the California Legislative Information website, State Senators Steve Glazer (D-SD7, Orinda) and Nancy Skinner (D-SD9, Berkeley), and Assemblymembers Tim Grayson (D-AD15, Concord), Lori Wilson (D-AD11, Suisun City), Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-AD16, Orinda) and Buffy Wicks (D-AD14, Oakland) all voted for the bill.

Younger students on campus

Elementary students may seem to be getting a little smaller this year, as transitional kindergarten classes are expanded to children who will turn age 5 between Sept. 2 and June 2. 

Transitional kindergarten, an additional grade before kindergarten, was created for 4-year-old children who turn 5 before Dec. 2. It has been expanded each year since 2022 to include more children aged 4. All 4-year-old students will be eligible in the fall of 2025.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond have celebrated the expansion of transitional kindergarten, pointing to numbers that show enrollment doubled over the past two years, from 75,000 in 2021-22, to 151,000 in 2023-24. However, a recent analysis by CalMatters found that the percentage of children eligible for transitional kindergarten who actually enrolled had gone down 4 to 7 percentage points.

Colleges must disclose costs

The typical California college student is expected to spend $1,062 on books and supplies in the 2024-25 academic year, according to the California Student Aid Commission.

The exact costs can be hard for students to predict, leaving them uncertain about how much money to budget for a given class. Assembly Bill 607, which Newsom signed last year, requires California State University campuses and community colleges to disclose upfront the estimated costs of course materials and fees for some of their courses this school year. The bill asks University of California campuses to do the same, but does not make it a requirement.

The schools must provide information for at least 40% of courses by Jan. 1 of next year, increasing that percentage each year until there are cost disclosures for 75% of courses by 2028. This year, campuses should also highlight courses that use free digital course materials and low-cost print materials, according to the legislation.

Proponents of the law, which was co-authored by Assemblymembers Ash Kalra, D-San Jose; Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles; and Sabrina Cervantes, D-Inland Empire, said it will promote price transparency. The bill covers digital and physical textbooks as well as software subscriptions and devices like calculators. 

A student speaking in support of AB 607 in May 2023 said she felt “helplessly exposed and vulnerable” when she had to appeal to a professor for help covering the surprise costs of a textbook’s online course content.

“If I would have known that a month ahead of time, I could have organized and evaluated my budget in an effective manner for the entire semester,” said Rashal Azar. “This would have prevented my financial anxiety and not triggered my mental health as well.”

TK exempt from English language test

Students enrolled in transitional kindergarten, also known as TK, are no longer required to take the initial English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC). The test, which measures proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing in English, is required to be taken within 30 days of enrollment in kindergarten through 12th grade, if parents indicate in a survey that their children speak another language at home.

Previously, transitional kindergartners also had to take the ELPAC when enrolling. But many school district staff and advocates for English learners said the test was not designed for 4-year-old children and that it was not identifying English learners accurately, because the children were too young to answer questions correctly.

The California Department of Education has directed school districts to mark children’s English language acquisition status as “to be determined” in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, if their parents indicate on the home language survey that their primary or native language is a language other than English. These students will take the initial ELPAC when they begin kindergarten the following year.

Californians Together, which advocates for English learners, and Early Edge California, which advocates for quality early education for all children, were among the organizations that celebrated the bill.

“As the parent of bilingual children and a dual language learner myself, I deeply appreciate Governor Newsom, Assemblymember (Al) Muratsuchi, and California’s legislators for supporting our young multilingual learners by championing AB 2268,” said Patricia Lozano, executive director of Early Edge California in a news release. “This bill will create more support tailored to their needs and strengths, so they can learn and thrive from the early years onward.”

Kids can consent to mental health care

A new law that took effect in July makes it easier for children on Medi-Cal who are 12 or older to consent to mental health treatment inside and outside of schools. Children older than 12 on private insurance can already consent to mental health care without parental consent.

Previously, students in this age group could only consent to mental health treatment without parental approval under a limited number of circumstances: incest, child abuse or serious danger, such as suicidal ideation.

“From mass shootings in public spaces and, in particular, school shootings, as well as fentanyl overdoses and social media bullying, young people are experiencing a new reality,” said Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, author of the bill. “The new law is about “making sure all young people, regardless if they have private health insurance or are Medi-Cal recipients, have access to mental health resources.”

Children who need mental health care but do not have consent from their parents could potentially seek help from social media and other online resources of sometimes dubious quality, according to the legislation.

The legislation allows mental health professionals to determine whether parental involvement is “inappropriate” and also whether the child in question is mature enough to consent.

California Capitol Connection, a Baptist advocacy group, opposed the bill, stating, “In most cases, a parent knows what is best for their child.”

This is not strictly an education bill, but it does affect schools. The law notes that school-based providers, such as a credentialed school psychologist, find that some students who want to avail themselves of mental health resources are not able to get parental consent.

No willful defiance suspensions

Beginning this school year, and for the next five years, California students across all grade levels cannot be suspended for willful defiance.

Acts of willful defiance, according to Senate Bill 274, include instances where a student is intentionally disruptive or defies school authorities. Instead of being suspended, these students will be referred to school administrators for intervention and support.

SB 274 builds on previous California legislation that had already banned willful defiance suspensions among first-through-eighth-grade students, and had banned expulsions for willful defiance across the board. 

Studies show that willful defiance suspensions disproportionately impact Black male students and increase the likelihood of students dropping out of school.

Los Angeles Unified, Oakland Unified, San Francisco Unified and other school districts have already banned the practice.

SB 274 would apply to all grades TK through 12 in both traditional public schools and charters. The bill would also prohibit schools from suspending or expelling students for being tardy or truant.

Schools can’t ‘out’ students

After Jan. 1, California schools boards will not be permitted to pass resolutions requiring teachers and staff to notify parents if they believe a child is transgender. 

Newsom signed the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth, or SAFETY Act, in July in response to the more than a dozen California school boards that proposed or passed parental notification policies in just over a year. At least seven California school districts passed the policies, often after heated public debate.

The policies require school staff to inform parents if a child asks to use a name or pronoun different from the one assigned at birth, or if they engage in activities and use facilities designed for the opposite sex. 

The new law protects school staff from retaliation if they refuse to notify parents of a child’s gender preference. The legislation also provides additional resources and support for LGBTQ+ students at junior high and high schools.

“Politically motivated attacks on the rights, safety and dignity of transgender, nonbinary and other LGBTQ+ youth are on the rise nationwide, including in California,” said Assemblymember Chris Ward, D-San Diego, who introduced the legislation along with the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.