FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Bill Bird January 5, 2010 (916) 651-4029   Registration Deadline Approaching for California’s “Heritage Schools” Schools Must Register with the Department of Education This Month   SACRAMENTO: Senator Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) is pleased to announce that cultural language schools, defined as ‘heritage schools’ may now register with the California Department of Education (CDE). The new registration procedure, created under legislation authored by Senator Huff and signed into law last year, reduces the regulatory burden placed on these schools and will help ensure their survival. However, the deadline for registering with the CDE expires at the end of this month.   “Heritage Schools had been facing unrealistic and impossible licensing requirements mandated by the Department of Social Services (DSS), which is why I took action with the introduction and successful passage of SB 1116,” said Senator Huff. “My measure gives these schools a clear pathway toward legality and clears up confusion, while ensuring a safe environment for students enrolled in these after-school programs.”   The registration process for qualified heritage schools begins at the CDE website located here. You can also access this page by visiting the CDE home page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/index.asp. Users should then click on the “Learning Support” tab located on the upper right of this page and choose the option of “Parents/Family and Community” located on the left taskbar. The option for “Heritage Schools” will appear on the middle of this page, where registration forms and a list of Frequently Asked Questions can be accessed.   Heritage schools serve children who are at least 4 years and 9 months of age and no older than 18 years of age, and who also attend a public or private full-time day school. Among other things, a heritage school must specify regular hours of operation, offer education or academic tutoring in a foreign language, offer education on the culture, traditions or history of a country other than the United States, and maintain membership in a state or national cultural or language association.   SB 1116 requires heritage schools to file an electronic registration form with the Superintendent of Public Instruction detailing specific information relative to personnel and course of study. The measure requires heritage school employees to be fingerprinted and ensures adequate health and safety standards for the students.   The registration fee for the first year of registering as a heritage school is $100. Senator Huff is urging heritage school administrators to register with the CDE as quickly as possible.   “My thanks to both the CDE and DSS for facilitating this new law,” said Senator Huff. “But now that there is a process in place, it is essential for these schools to register by the deadline at the end of this month.” HOME PAGE | BIOGRAPHY | CONTACT ME | CSSRC