AB-1861 • 2026

Special education: public complaint database.

Education Parental Rights

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Lackey
Last action: 2026-05-14
Official status: In committee: Held under submission.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Special education: public complaint database.

AB 1861, as amended, Lackey.

What This Bill Does

AB 1861, as amended, Lackey.
Special education: public complaint database.
Existing law requires that every individual with exceptional needs, as defined, who is eligible, be provided with educational instruction, services, or both, at no cost to their parent or guardian or, as appropriate, to them.
Under existing law, a free appropriate public education is required to be made available to individuals with exceptional needs in accordance with specified federal regulations adopted pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-05-14 California Legislative Information
In committee: Held under submission.
2026-05-06 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2026-04-13 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2026-04-09 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended.
2026-04-08 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 7).
2026-03-24 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
2026-03-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended.
2026-03-19 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (March 18).
2026-02-23 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on ED. and P. & C.P.
2026-02-12 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.
2026-02-11 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 1861, as amended, Lackey.
Special education:
public
complaint database.
Existing law requires that every individual with exceptional needs, as defined, who is eligible, be provided with educational instruction, services, or both, at no cost to their parent or guardian or, as appropriate, to them. Under existing law, a free appropriate public education is required to be made available to individuals with exceptional needs in accordance with specified federal regulations adopted pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Existing law requires the State Department of Education to investigate a complaint alleging a violation of the act and to issue a written decision within 60 days of the complaint being filed, as provided.
Existing law requires the findings and declarations of the written decision to be made available to the public after any personally identifiable information has been deleted.
This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2030, to create, or contract to create, and maintain
an
a publicly available
online
aggregate
database of all complaints
described above
that the department receives
and that the department has received consent to post beginning with
the first school year in which the database is operational. The bill would require the department, before entering any documents into the database, to obtain consent from the complainant to add the report to the database and to redact any personally identifiable information, as provided. The bill would require the department to notify school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools of these requirements.
on and after July 1, 2027, that allege a violation of the federal law described above. The bill would require the database to include specified data for each complaint, including, among other things, the total number of complaints the department investigated disaggregated by school district, county office of education, or charter school. After the database has been created, the bill would require the department to ensure that the data required to be included in the database is updated and published on
or before December 31 of each year.

Current Bill Text

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