We’re just one hurdle away from ending the discriminatory truancy policy that punishes poor families more harshly than everyone else. All we need is Governor Brown’s signature!

Nicole Baldonado, 9to5 LA member pictured here, says,

All Californians are subject to penalties if their kids are truant. But poor families have an additional penalty — we are denied the CalWORKs grant money we depend on. The leading cause of truancy is poverty, so how is making a poor family POORER going to help? It is unfair and unjust to inflict a double penalty on a family just because they are living in poverty.

AB2382, which would eliminate this discriminatory policy, is waiting for Governor Brown’s signature right now.

Help us get this over the finish line with just a few clicks!

  1.  Click here and fill out the form at the bottom. Select that your purpose is that you have a comment.
  2. Where it asks you to choose your subject, scroll down to select “AB02382/CalWORKs: eligibility: truancy” and click continue.
  3. On the next page, select “Pro” as your position so the governor knows that you support fairness for CalWORKs families!
  4. Leave a short comment about why you support this bill. If you or your family have been affected by this policy, share your story. Or, you can say something like this:

I urge you to sign AB2382 to end the unfair extra truancy penalty on poor families. We know that poverty leads to circumstances that make it harder for students to attend school, so instead of withholding money from these families, we should be providing support to help these students succeed.

 

Two years ago, a 9to5 member inspired the creation of this bill by sharing her personal story of CalWORKs’ double truancy penalty at the 2012 9to5 California Conference.

Since then, 9to5 members and our partners have worked hard to get this bill passed through both chambers of California’s legislature.

Now it sits on Governor Brown’s desk for his signature or veto, and he needs to hear from 9to5 members like you to make sure that he signs it.

Together, 9to5 members are a powerful force, and we will make our voice heard!