Class of 2020 to get a pass on California grad requirements in COVID-19 bill headed to Newsom
Certain members of California’s class of 2020 may get a second chance at a high school diploma, thanks to a bill sent to the governor’s desk this week.
AB 1350, authored by Asm. Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, would authorize a school district, county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school to retroactively grant a high school diploma to a student who was in their senior year of high school during the 2019–2020 school year, but did not graduate because of the pandemic.
Eligible students must have been in good academic standing and on track to graduate on March 1.
The stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom in March led to unprecedented school closures, and left many without adequate remote learning tools, lawmakers said. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 16% of school age children in the state do not have any internet access at home, and 27% do not have a high-speed connection, meaning they rely on slower connections like dial-up or satellite service.
“It is imperative that the state make an effort to hold harmless those pupils who were otherwise on track to graduate, but are no longer able to due to circumstances that are out of their control as a result of the COVID-19 crisis,” the bill reads.
The bill had already passed the California Senate with a vote of 39 in favor, and one senator abstaining. On Sunday, it passed the California Assembly with a vote of 63-0, and now awaits the governor’s signature.
“A high school senior shouldn’t lose out on their graduating diploma because an unprecedented pandemic upended their school year,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “This bill removes at least one obstacle in these students’ path toward a stable future.”
At least one educational body voiced its support for the legislation. The San Diego Unified School District submitted supportive testimony, saying the unprecedented economic, social and health impacts of COVID-19 have created distress for its students
“For our senior students, this distress may have added family responsibilities that detracted from their capacity to successfully complete their education,” the district said in a statement. “AB 1350 would help these students who undertook these responsibilities through no fault of their own, and as a result, whose education may have been negatively impacted.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Class of 2020 to get a pass on California grad requirements in COVID-19 bill headed to Newsom."