Section 51796 Of Article 8.5. School Instructional Gardens From California Education Code >> Division 4. >> Title 2. >> Part 28. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 8.5.
51796
. (a) The Instructional School Gardens Program is hereby
established for the promotion, creation, and support of instructional
school gardens through the allocation of grants, and through
technical assistance provided, to school districts, charter schools,
or county offices of education. The program shall be administered by
the State Department of Education.
(b) The Superintendent shall convene an interagency working group
on instructional school gardens that shall include, but not be
limited to, representatives of the State Department of Education, the
Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Department of Public
Health, and the California Integrated Waste Management Board. The
working group shall advise the Superintendent on all of the
following:
(1) Effective and efficient means of encouraging school districts,
charter schools, and county offices of education to develop and
maintain a quality instructional school garden program.
(2) The availability of state and nonstate resources and technical
assistance to help school districts, charter schools, and county
offices of education in establishing and maintaining instructional
school gardens.
(3) Public and private partnerships available to assist school
districts, charter schools, and county offices of education in using
instructional school gardens to complement the academic program of
participating schools.
(c) The Superintendent may establish an advisory group involving
other agencies and groups with expertise in instructional school
gardens, including, but not limited to, the California Environmental
Education Interagency Network. The purpose of the advisory group is
to support program efforts through technical assistance, resources,
in-kind support, site visits, and other related efforts.
(d) (1) The Superintendent shall use existing resources to comply
with subdivisions (b) and (c).
(2) The Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Department
of Public Health, and the California Integrated Waste Management
Board shall use existing resources to comply with subdivision (b).