Support Military Familes, Pass SB 369

SB 369: California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, Military Connected Children, when passed will enact a statewide data collection system that will secure valuable information regarding active duty military connected children. As these children move in the state of California and enrolled into our school system, parents will be asked questions that will identify their affiliation with the military.

Right now there is no one reliable data system accessible to non-military personnel that tracks military connected families and children. More importantly with frequent moves associated with military life, our school systems are not trained to ask these few critical questions, thus our schools, communities and service provides do not know who these families are, where they are located and what type of support they require to ease the strain of being a military family, especially for children.

Often times they have to repeat a grade level or make up school work because their academics goes uncounted for because schools do not have an adequate data system to share this information. SB 369 would lessen complication due to academic transfers with states who have similar data systems.

Military connected children are at greater risk to commit or attempt suicide than their non-military connected peers

If passed SB 369 will increase the probability California school systems will have to receive federal financial funding and increase resources for supportive services.