Bill > SB1248

This bill amends existing Arizona law to clarify and expand education programs for youth in juvenile detention centers and for younger prisoners in county jails. Specifically, it ensures that counties operating juvenile detention centers must offer education programs to all school-age children within them, with the county school superintendent and juvenile court judge determining how these programs are delivered. The state board of education will set standards for these programs, and efforts will be made to coordinate them with students' home school districts for smoother transitions. Counties have the option to fund and operate these programs through existing accommodation schools, which are educational facilities that provide alternative services. If a county chooses not to operate or fund its own program through an accommodation school, the county school superintendent can establish a dedicated "detention center education fund" to support the program, with funding coming from state general funds and calculated based on a base amount and a variable amount determined by student attendance and special needs. Similar provisions are made for education programs in county jails for prisoners aged twenty-one and younger who lack a high school diploma, allowing counties to operate and fund these programs through accommodation schools, with specific funding rates for these students, or establish a "county jail education fund" if they choose not to use an accommodation school, with funding also derived from state general funds and calculated similarly to the juvenile detention programs. The bill also clarifies procedures for transferring educational records for these young individuals and addresses how student counts are adjusted when programs transition between operational models.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/84764