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AB-1659 • 2026

Juvenile court school pupils: joint transition planning policy: courses of study.

Juvenile court school pupils: joint transition planning policy: courses of study.

Children Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Ransom
Last action
2026-04-20
Official status
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included a requirement that was not supported by the official source material regarding the timeline for transferring official transcripts.

Juvenile Court School Students: Transition Planning and Course Credits

This law requires school districts to assign staff members as transition liaisons for students coming from juvenile court schools, ensuring collaboration with county offices of education and setting rules for transferring credits and records.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires each school district to appoint a staff member as the main contact person (transition liaison) for students coming from juvenile court schools.
  • Makes sure that this staff member works with other local educational agencies and county offices of education to help these students transition back into regular schooling.
  • Ensures that individual learning plans are shared between the school district's transition liaison and the county office of education when a student is released after less than 20 days in juvenile court school.
  • Requires schools to transfer official transcripts within 20 school days for certain students, like those in foster care or who are homeless.
  • Limits partial credits on transcripts so they do not exceed what would be earned if the course was completed at one location.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Students who have been in juvenile court schools and need help transitioning back to regular education.
  • School districts that must appoint staff members as transition liaisons for these students.
  • Local educational agencies involved in transferring credits and records for certain students.

Terms To Know

Transition Liaison
A school district staff member who helps students coming from juvenile court schools to smoothly return to regular education.
Individualized Learning Plan (ILP)
A personalized plan for a student's education, which may include goals and strategies tailored to their needs.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill imposes new requirements on local educational entities.
  • It does not specify an effective date for these changes.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-20 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  2. 2026-04-20 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate.

  3. 2026-04-09 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  4. 2026-04-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 8).

  5. 2026-03-19 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (March 18). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  6. 2026-03-19 California Legislative Information

    Coauthors revised.

  7. 2026-03-10 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on ED.

  8. 2026-03-09 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ED. Read second time and amended.

  9. 2026-03-02 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on ED.

  10. 2026-01-30 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 1.

  11. 2026-01-29 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 1659, as amended, Ransom.
Juvenile court school pupils: joint transition planning policy: courses of study.
(1) Existing law requires a county office of education and county probation department to have a joint transition planning policy that includes collaboration with relevant local educational agencies to coordinate education and services for youth who have had contact with the juvenile justice system. Existing law requires, as part of the joint transition planning policy, the county office of education to assign transition oversight responsibilities to existing county office of education personnel who will work in collaboration with the county probation department and relevant local educational agencies to ensure that specified transition activities are completed for the pupil.
This bill would require, as part of the joint transition planning policy, the school district in the juvenile court school pupil’s community to assign
transition liaison responsibilities to
a
school district
staff
member,
member of the school district to serve as the district point person for transition liaison responsibilities,
and notify the county office of education and the county probation department of the member’s name and contact information. The bill would also require that staff
member
member, and other school district personnel as needed to serve the individual pupil,
to work in collaboration with the county office of education transition oversight personnel throughout the calendar year to ensure that the transition
activities noted above are completed for the pupil.
Existing law requires, for pupils detained for 20 consecutive schooldays or fewer, the pupil’s individualized learning plan, if one exists, to be made available by the county office of education to the pupil upon the pupil’s release.
This bill would additionally require that pupil’s individualized learning plan to be made available to the pupil’s school district transition liaison personnel.
Existing law requires the county office of education, in collaboration with the county probation department, to establish procedures for the timely, accurate, complete, and confidential transfer of educational records, as specified.
This bill would additionally require the county office of education to collaborate with relevant local educational agencies to establish those procedures.
(2) Existing law requires local educational agencies to issue full or partial credit on an official transcript for all full or partial coursework satisfactorily completed by pupil in foster care, a pupil who is a homeless child or youth, a former juvenile court school pupil, a pupil who is a child of a military family, a pupil who is a migratory child, or a newcomer pupil, while attending a public school, juvenile court school, charter school, school in a country other than the United States, or a nonpublic, nonsectarian school, as provided.
Existing law requires, for a pupil in foster care, upon receiving a transfer request from a county placing agency or notification of enrollment from the new local educational agency, the local educational agency to deliver the official transcript to the next educational placement within 2 business days, as provided.
This bill would require the transferring local educational agency to issue that official transcript
within 20 school days from the date of the pupil’s transfer. The bill would prohibit partial credits for one course from equaling more than the number of credits the pupil would receive for completing the whole course at one location.
within 2 business days, as provided.
By imposing additional
requirements on local educational entities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Current Bill Text

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