• Good news for children’s mental health
• Ethnic studies curriculum update
• What you need to know as a new PTA advocacy chair
• SB 1383 – Protected Family Leave
• The Legislation Social Media Challenge Continues!
• Don't miss the next advocacy webinar

As the legislative session ended, the governor signed two bills that address mental health issues for children and youth which were supported by California State PTA.

AB 2112 (Ramos) authorizes the State Department of Public Health to establish the Office of Suicide Prevention within the department in order to provide best practices on suicide prevention policies and programs as well as encouraging stakeholder collaboration and coordination of resources for suicide prevention. The Office is responsible for reporting on progress to reduce rates of suicide and is authorized to apply for and use federal, state, and foundation grants for its work. PTA supported the bill because of its focus on groups with the highest risk including youth and LGBTQ people at a time when suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 15-24 in California.

SB 855 (Weiner) requires every health plan contract and disability insurance policy to provide coverage for medically necessary treatment of mental health and substance use disorders under the same terms and conditions applied to other medical conditions. It defines medically necessary treatment as a service or product addressing the specific needs of that patient for the purpose of preventing, diagnosing, or treating an illness, injury, condition, or its symptoms, including minimizing the progression of that illness, injury, condition or its symptoms. PTA supported this bill because it would require insurance companies to provide the same level of care for mental health and substance abuse disorders as is provided for physical health issues. Practically speaking this means children and youth will receive more services for mental health and substance use disorders.

California State PTA thanks the authors, legislature and governor for recognizing the inadequacy of current services and their willingness to increase support for the mental health and wellness of children and youth.

California State PTA supported AB 331 (Medina) which would have required each school district and charter school in California to offer an ethnic studies class in their high school beginning in 2024-25 and would have required the completion of a course in ethnic studies as a high school requirement starting in 2029-30. PTA supported the bill because we believe that the curriculum should and can be a major influence in establishing each students’ sense of personal worth as well as a way to develop an awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity. We also recognize that knowledge about one’s own historical background, as well as understanding and accepting the differing historical backgrounds of others, is essential to the development of mature, responsible citizens.

AB 331 was unexpectedly vetoed by Governor Newsom on September 30.

In his veto message the Governor noted his support for the concept of ethnic studies. “I value the role ethnic studies plays in helping students think critically about our history and understand the experience of marginalized communities in our state. This academic discipline will help prepare our young adults to become civically engaged and participate fully in our democracy.”

Governor Newsom has communicated his support for an ethnic studies class in the past, signing a bill last month adding one as a graduation requirement for CA State University. However, he believes the problems with the proposed model ethnic studies curriculum must be resolved before the requirement becomes law. Some of the criticism of the proposed curriculum included minimization of anti-Semitism, presenting America’s past with an unbalanced perspective by emphasizing our shortcomings, and limiting the ethnic groups studied to only African Americans, Chicanos and Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, leaving out other groups such as Sikhs, Armenians and Jewish Americans.

Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Linda Darling-Hammond, State Board of Education President, and the Governor’s staff will be working on the model curriculum to attempt to address the objections that have been raised and to (in the Governor’s words) “ensure that the draft ethnic studies curriculum achieves balance, fairness, and is inclusive of all communities. In California we don’t tolerate our diversity. We celebrate it. That should be reflected in our high school curriculum.”

Once public comments, additional materials and sample lessons have been reviewed, the revised curriculum will go before the Instructional Quality Commission in November. The Commission will either adopt the revised curriculum or make additional changes before opening it up for a 45-day public comment period. The revised curriculum will then be forwarded to the State Board of Education who is scheduled to take up the issue in March.

Hundreds of school districts already offer ethnic studies classes as electives. Los Angeles, San Diego, and Fresno will soon require the course for graduation. The author of the bill, Assemblyman Jose Medina, has noted he will re-introduce the bill again next session with the revised curriculum. A year’s delay, he believes, will not change the timeline included in the bill. Stay tuned!

If you are the new advocacy chair or legislative officer for your unit, council, or district PTA, thank you for taking this important position. PTA has a proud history of advocating for programs and legislation that help children be safe, healthy and successful. Now you are a part of that vital mission.

If you have never done this job before, you may wonder how to begin. The state legislative process is complex and the issues can be confusing. There is a lot to learn.

Never fear! California State PTA is here to make your job as easy as possible.

Educate yourself! There is a wealth of information available at capta.org. Find the job description for Legislative Advocacy Chair and lists of useful websites in the Toolkit. Sign up here to receive the Advocacy Insider newsletter every month.

Look for PTA training opportunities. Attend any advocacy events sponsored by your PTA council or district. Join the monthly Advocacy Webinars presented by CAPTA Director of Legislation Shereen Walter and members of the Legislation Team. The schedule and registration link can be found here. Plan to participate in the Legislation Conference, to be held virtually this year, date TBD.

Another invaluable resource is Ed100.org, a free online course on California education, broken into brief lessons. The site also offers blogs on current education issues, many written by former California State PTA President Carol Kocivar. Encourage your members to visit Ed100 to become informed parents and to win possible prizes for their school.

Make sure that advocacy is on the agenda for every PTA meeting. Share what you have learned and get your members excited about advocacy. It’s the heart of PTA!

Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation in September ensuring that millions more Californians can utilize the Paid Family Leave benefits they pay for without the fear of job loss.

Authored by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) and supported by California State PTA, SB 1383 ensures job-protected leave for Californians who work for employers with five or more employees (instead of 50 or more) to bond with a newborn, care for a seriously ill family member, address a military exigency, or care for their own illness. Job protections will cover workers for up to 12 workweeks of unpaid protected leave during any 12-month period. Under California's Paid Family Leave Program, eligible individuals may receive wage replacement benefits for eight weeks in the amount of approximately 60% to 70% of their weekly salary; the program is funded by worker contributions via the State Disability Insurance tax.

California State PTA supported this bill because CAPTA believes that a successful future for all children is ensured by eliminating barriers to family engagement. Circumstantial barriers, such as conditions and situations that distress the family, may inhibit or impede parents’ ability to perform their engagement roles and responsibilities in the learning, development, and well-being of their children. SB 1383 (Jackson) eliminates the barrier of potential job loss that may prevent family members from offering needed support for each other during vulnerable times – such as when parents are bonding with a newborn or providing care for a seriously ill family member.

Since California’s Paid Family Leave Program was enacted more than 15 years ago, lack of job protections has prevented millions of workers from accessing their benefits due to the size of their employer: 40 percent of California workers have been at risk of losing their jobs if they take leave to care for a seriously ill loved one or themselves because they work for a business with fewer than 50 employees. SB 1383 expands job-protected family leave to care for one’s own illness to nearly 6 million more Californians, and ensures that workers affected by COVID-19 can take time to care for themselves or a sick family member and keep their workplaces and communities healthy and safe.

CAPTA thanks Governor Newsom for signing this legislation in support of California’s families.

The Legislation Team's October social media challenge is #DeclinetoSign. This social media challenge is in opposition to Big Tobacco's attempt to repeal SB 793 by collecting signatures to "refer" the new law outlawing flavored tobacco products to the next general election ballot (November 2022). Big Tobacco is spending millions on this effort to ensure the state law cannot take effect, hoping to keep an estimated $1.1 billion in revenue in their pockets, while hooking more California kids on harmful nicotine.

Please visit the Advocacy page on the California State PTA website to find social media post templates which you can post to your unit, council or district social media accounts. There are templates for each of the following topics:

• Referendum on SB 793 – Protect CA's Kids from Big Tobacco

• Yes on Proposition 15 – Schools and Communities First

• Yes on Proposition 16 – Opportunity for All Californians

• Get Out the Vote

It’s fast, easy and we challenge you to participate. Use the hashtag #PTA4Kids on Twitter so we can like or retweet your post.

Join California State PTA Director of Legislation Shereen Walter and members of the Legislation Team tonight, Tuesday, October 13 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. for the monthly webinar in which they discuss the latest legislation affecting families and children and their recent advocacy efforts. Please note: this webinar was rescheduled from October 7 to the 13th. If you cannot make it to tonight's webinar, join us next month on Wednesday, November 11th.

Registration link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/31940121174953740

If your computer does not have speakers or you otherwise have trouble hearing the audio once you’ve logged in, mute your speakers and call (631) 992-3221 to hear the discussion. Use attendee PIN number 300-067-555. (Note: you cannot use this phone number to hear the webinar unless you are registered and logged in.)