PUSD: Information Regarding TK, Kindergarten & 1st-Grade Enrollment

Piedmont CA

13 April, 2022

4:45 AM

Description

Press release from the Piedmont Unified School District: April 11, 2022 "The Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) would like to make the community aware of pending state legislation that will likely impact families with children preparing to enroll in Transitional Kindergarten (TK), Kindergarten, or First Grade for the 2022-23 school year. While not yet signed into law by Governor Newsom, PUSD wants families to be informed of this bill while making decisions regarding enrollment in the near future. If SB70 is signed into law (which we believe will happen soon), kindergarten will become mandatory for all 5 year olds beginning in the 22-23 school year. Children who turn 6 years old on or before Sept. 1st, 2022 will be enrolled in 1st grade. For the 2022-23 school year and beyond: Can't see the table below? Click here to view the original story. * Enrollment in TK is optional On January 26, the California State Senate passed SB 70, requiring children to complete a year of kindergarten before starting first-grade beginning with the 2022-23 school year. SB 70, which applies only to public schools, specifies that starting in the fall of 2022, incoming first-graders will have to have completed a year of kindergarten, in addition to having turned 6 years old by September 1st. To summarize, if SB 70 is signed into law by Governor Newsom, compulsory education in California will begin at 5 years old and Kindergarten will become mandatory. This new language may also restrict the District's ability to provide the degree of flexibility for families that it has in the past. Currently, the age requirements for kindergarten and first grade in the language of PUSD's Administrative Regulation 5111 (adopted in October 2021) align to the language that will be in the new law, but will require some adjustments requiring enrollment eligibility for the District's TK program. These proposed adjustments will be brought to the PUSD Board of Education following Governor Newsom's signing of SB 70. Families of children turning 5 and 6 in 2022 and beyond are encouraged to become familiar with SB 70 and its potential impact on their child's enrollment for next school year. This information was presented to the Board of Education at the February 9, 2022 meeting. During this presentation, the District recognized that there are current families with 5-year olds that are not currently enrolled in kindergarten and will turn 6 years old prior to September 1, 2022. Since it is not possible for these children to meet the criteria outlined in SB70 and the District's AR 5111, a special accommodation has been made to provide them with the option to enroll their children in kindergarten or 1st grade during the 2022-23 school year. The Board Presentation slide deck from February 9, 2022, can be reviewed here. Once the bill becomes law and more details become available, we will provide additional information and resources for families. Thank you for your time and attention." Sincerely, Randall Booker, Superintendent This press release was produced by the Piedmont Unified School District. The views expressed are the author's own.