Average daily attendance: emergencies: major safety hazard.

Education

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Grayson
Last action: 2026-05-26
Official status: Referred to Com. on ED.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

School Attendance During Emergencies

The bill allows local fire agencies to determine if a major safety hazard exists, which can affect how schools are funded based on attendance during emergencies.

What This Bill Does

Allows local fire agencies to decide if there is an imminent major safety hazard in a school area.
Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to estimate average daily student attendance for funding purposes as if no emergency had occurred when a major safety hazard is declared by either law enforcement or fire agencies.
Applies this rule to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools.

Who It Names or Affects

School districts
County offices of education
Charter schools

Terms To Know

Average daily attendance (ADA): The average number of students present each day in a school, used to determine funding.
Major safety hazard: A situation that poses an immediate risk to the health and safety of people.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify how local fire agencies will make their decisions about major safety hazards.
The bill's effectiveness depends on the declaration of a major safety hazard by either law enforcement or fire agencies.

Bill History

2026-05-26 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on ED.
2026-05-20 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2026-05-19 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2026-05-14 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2026-05-14 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (May 14).
2026-05-08 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 14.
2026-04-13 California Legislative Information
April 13 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2026-03-27 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 13.
2026-03-25 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3688.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2026-03-12 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing March 25.
2026-03-09 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED.
2026-02-11 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on ED.
2026-02-04 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 6.
2026-02-03 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 959, as amended, Grayson.
Average daily attendance: emergencies: major safety hazard.
For purposes of state apportionments based on average daily attendance, as provided, if the average daily attendance of a school district, county office of education, or charter school has been materially decreased during a fiscal year because of a specified emergency, including, among others, the imminence of a major safety hazard as determined by a local law enforcement agency, existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to estimate the average daily attendance in a manner that credits to the school district, county office of education, or charter school approximately the total average daily attendance that would have been credited to the school district, county office of education, or charter school had the emergency not occurred.
This bill, for the above-described purposes, would additionally allow a local fire agency to
make a determination of the imminence of a major safety hazard.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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