Governor Signs Bradford Bill to Help Schools, Parents and Students with Inter-District Transfers

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October 03, 2017

SACRAMENTO ­– Today, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 344, which will extend the deadline for county boards of education to determine, on appeal, whether a pupil can attend a school within the district that the pupil and parents desire.  “Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) handles more transfer appeals than any other county in the state,” said Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena).  “In order for the appeal process to be fair, SB 344 will afford LACOE and other large offices of education the necessary time to review appeals, and relieve the stress on parents, students, and administrators.”

In 2015-2016, LACOE processed 1,356 appeals, and it has processed 1,195 appeals so far in 2016-2017.  The extension of appeals will provide parents and guardians more time to prepare for the complex process they face when seeking to transfer their children to a different school, while providing county boards more flexibility in processing every case, which involves a preliminary hearing, fact-finding sessions, and policy review.

“SB 344 is an important piece of legislation to protect the rights of families to make the best educational decisions for their children, by providing more time to process inter-district transfer appeals,” said Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Debra Duardo.  “While we have become highly efficient in handling appeals, without this extension of time we risk adding undue stress on families.  I thank Senator Bradford for his consistent support of California’s school children and their families by successfully authoring legislation to address their educational need.”

“Inter-district transfers can make all the difference in whether or not students are gaining the best education possible and paving the way for a bright future,” continued Bradford.

 

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Senator Bradford represents the Los Angeles County communities of Carson, Compton, Gardena, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, San Pedro, Watts, Willowbrook, and Wilmington.