Editor’s note: This story is a continued collaboration between the Citizen and California State University, Sacramento’s journalism program. This fall, students contributed stories on subjects that impact Elk Grove community members. They are being taught by Philip Reese, a Sacramento Bee reporter and an assistant professor of journalism.
Middle and high school students interested in politics will soon be eligible for an excused absence from school to attend either a civic or political event, thanks to a new law.
Senate Bill 955 allows secondary school students one excused absence per school year to attend a civic or political event, such as, but not limited to, working the polls, voting, or attending candidate speeches, forums, and town halls. The excused absence is honored as long as the school is notified ahead of time.
“This is a great opportunity for students to become involved in civic engagement opportunities in our community,” said Chad Sweitzer, Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) Assistant Superintendent for secondary education.
He pointed to board policy 5145.2 that “respects students’ rights to express ideas and opinions, take stands and support causes whether controversial or not” while also limiting some disruptive acts.
Franklin High School student Evan Likes said this bill will give students the opportunity to interact with the world, something his teachers have pushed him and his peers to do.
“From my experience, teachers in the EGUSD believe younger generations are the future,” the senior said. “Teachers encourage us to explore the opportunities around us and get involved in our community whether that be through big to small actions.”
The bill analysis emphasizes that civics education is currently limited. According to the office of the bill’s author State Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Pomona: “youth in Advanced Placement (AP) classes, in predominantly white districts, and in families with parents who have a college education are more likely to receive the best civic education. As a result, the institution best positioned to reach and prepare all youth for democratic participation is leaving a significant number of young people behind.”
Students should equitably receive civics education because “the future of our state” will be run by the students currently in school, Leyva said in a press statement, “SB 955 prioritizes student opportunities for civic learning and engagement and will help them gain a better understanding of how their involvement can help to change and improve the world around them.”
Sacramento-based nonprofit Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) supported the bill. IYT is a nonprofit that encourages young men of color to attend and graduate from colleges.
“We all know how important it is for youth to be civically educated and engaged – because our youth is our future,” IYT spokesperson Andrew Avila said. “Learning about civic education in the traditional school setting is a good start, but youth can only grow exponentially when they can exercise their knowledge and skills in real-life situations that directly affect them.”
The new law did draw some opposition. According to Capitol Resource Institute (CRI), the bill could have the unintended consequence of allowing school administrators to politically discriminate against students through determining which political events are considered an excused absence.
“You are now leaving it up to the principal what is more legitimate,” CRI Executive Director Karen England said. “The school is getting to decide what are legitimate excused absences.”
A solution that she proposes is to include parents more in determining excused absences, “[School administrators] are leaving the parent out of the equation.”
According to the bill, only the pupil must alert the school of their excused absence, but England asks, “How come the parent isn’t involved in that?”
She argued that the passing of this bill will have students and parents “end up in the courts and principals are going to be excusing kids for political activity and it’s going to be at the sake of the kid’s education.”
However, Likes, the Franklin High student, said, “I believe there is no harm in allowing students to have an excused absence to make decisions in their community.”
