Writing includes any form of recorded message capable of comprehension by ordinary visual means. Whenever any notice, report, statement, or record is required or authorized by this code, it shall be made in writing in the English language unless it is expressly provided otherwise.

Wherever any notice or other communication is required by this code to be mailed by registered mail by or to any person or corporation, the mailing of such notice or other communication by certified mail shall be deemed to be a sufficient compliance with the requirements of law.

“Section” means a section of this code unless some other statute is specifically mentioned.

The present tense includes the past and future tenses, and the future, the present.

The masculine gender includes the feminine.

“Spouse” includes “registered domestic partner,” as required by Section 297.5 of the Family Code.

The singular number includes the plural, and the plural, the singular.

“Shall” is mandatory and “may” is permissive.

“Oath” includes affirmation.

“State” means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. In the latter case, it includes the District of Columbia and the territories.

“Governing board” means board of school trustees, community college board of trustees, and city, and city and county board of education.

“City superintendent of schools” includes the superintendent of schools of a district lying wholly or partly within a city and county.

“Any school district” and “all school districts” mean school districts of every kind or class, except a community college district.

“Union school district” means a district composed of two or more school districts situated in the same county.

“Joint union school district” means a district composed of two or more school districts situated wholly or in part in different counties.

A unified school district means a district maintaining grades kindergarten or 1 through 12. A unified district may comprise territory in more than one county.

“City school district” includes a school district lying wholly or partly within a city and county.

Whenever “high school district” is used in this code, unless a contrary intent appears, it includes union high school districts, joint union high school districts, and county high school districts.

A high school district, other than a city high school district, comprising two or more elementary school districts lying wholly in the same county is a union high school district, and such designation shall be part of its name.

A school district lying in more than one county is a joint school district.

“State Board” or “state board” whenever used in this code means the State Board of Education, unless the context requires otherwise.