(1) Under existing law, each school district and county office of education is responsible for the overall development, as specified, of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of its schools operating kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law requires that the plan include, among other things, child abuse reporting procedures, as specified.

Existing law requires school district and county office of education comprehensive school safety plans to include assessing school crime committed on school campuses and at school-related functions.

Existing law authorizes a principal or their designee, when they verify through local law enforcement officials that a report has been filed of the occurrence of a violent crime on the schoolsite of an elementary or secondary school at which they are the principal, to send to each pupil’s parent or legal guardian and each school employee a written notice of the occurrence and general nature of the crime, as specified. Existing law provides that these provisions do not create any liability in a school district or its employees.

This bill would revise and expand the definition of “violent crime” for these purposes and would authorize a principal or their designee to also provide that same notification for sex offenses, as defined.

(2) Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other things, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits, as specified. Existing law requires the commission to deny an application for the issuance of a credential or for the renewal of a credential, or to revoke a credential, for any person convicted of a sex offense, as defined. Existing law prohibits the governing board of a school district from employing or retaining in employment persons in public school service who have been convicted, or who have been convicted following a plea of nolo contendere to charges, of any sex offense, and prescribes numerous provisions, including required actions, relating to suspensions, dismissals, and leaves of absences of public school employees charged or convicted of a sex offense.

In addition to any other prohibition or provision, existing law prohibits a person who has been convicted of a violent or serious felony from being hired by a school district, as defined, or charter school in a position requiring certification qualifications or supervising positions requiring certification qualifications, and prohibits a school district, as defined, or charter school from retaining in employment a current certificated employee who has been convicted of a violent or serious felony, and who is a temporary employee, a substitute employee, or a probationary employee serving before March 15 of the employee’s second probationary year, as provided.

(3) Existing law prohibits school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and state special schools from entering into an agreement that would prevent a mandatory report of egregious misconduct, as defined, or expunging from an employee’s personnel file, or entering in an agreement that would authorize expunging from an employee’s personnel file, credible complaints of, substantiated investigations into, or discipline for, egregious misconduct. Existing law requires a school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school that has made a report of an employee’s egregious misconduct to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to disclose this fact to a school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school considering an application for employment from the employee, upon inquiry.

This bill would additionally apply those provisions to private schools and diagnostic centers operated by the State Department of Education.

Existing law requires a person applying for a certificated position at a school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school to provide that prospective employer with a complete list of every school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school that the applicant has previously been an employee of, and requires school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and state special schools considering an applicant for a certificated position to inquire with each of those local educational agencies that previously employed the applicant as to whether the applicant, while previously employed by the local educational agency, was the subject of any credible complaints of, substantiated investigations into, or discipline for, egregious misconduct that were required to be reported to the commission. Existing law requires those local educational agencies, when responding to an inquiry as to whether it has made a report of egregious misconduct to the commission, to also provide the inquiring local educational agency with a copy of all relevant information that was reported to the commission within its possession.

(4) Existing law requires the commission to appoint a Committee of Credentials and requires allegations of acts or omissions for which adverse action may be taken against applicants or holders of teaching or services credentials to be presented to the committee. Existing law authorizes the committee to commence an initial review upon the receipt of any of a list of specified documents or information.

This bill would additionally authorize the committee to commence an initial review upon the receipt of a record of a substantiated report or the receipt of a record of a start of an investigation followed by a change in employment status during an investigation entered into the statewide data system.

(5) Existing law requires the State Department of Education, in consultation with the Office of Child Abuse Prevention in the State Department of Social Services to, among other things, (A) develop and disseminate to all school districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the department, and charter schools, and their school personnel in California, information regarding the detection and reporting of child abuse, and (B) provide statewide guidance on the responsibilities of mandated reporters who are school personnel, as specified.

This bill, commencing July 1, 2026, would, among other things, (A) require that information to additionally be developed and disseminated to private schools and school volunteers, and (B) require that guidance to include school volunteers who are mandated reporters.

Existing law requires the State Department of Education to develop and disseminate to all school districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the department, and charter schools, and their school personnel in California, information regarding the prevention of abuse, including sexual abuse, of children on school grounds, by school personnel, or in school-sponsored programs, and to develop appropriate means of instructing school personnel regarding the prevention of abuse, including sexual abuse, of children on school grounds, by school personnel, or in school-sponsored programs.

This bill, commencing July 1, 2026, would, among other things, (A) require that information to additionally be developed and disseminated to private schools and school volunteers, and (B) require that means of instruction to include school volunteers.

Existing law requires school districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the State Department of Education, and charter schools to provide annual training, using the online training module provided by the State Department of Social Services or an alternative training, to their employees and persons working on their behalf who are mandated reporters, as defined, on the mandated reporting requirements related to child abuse, as provided. Existing law also requires those entities to develop a process for all persons required to receive that training to provide proof of completing the training within the first 6 weeks of each school year or within the first 6 weeks of that person’s employment. Commencing July 1, 2025, existing law additionally requires school districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the State Department of Education, and charter schools to, among other things, provide annual training to their employees on the prevention of abuse, including sexual abuse, of children on school grounds, by school personnel, or in school-sponsored programs, as provided, and applies the proof of training requirements to this training.

This bill, commencing July 1, 2026, would, among other things, additionally apply those provisions to private schools and school volunteers, as provided, and would require school districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the State Department of Education, private schools, and charter schools that do not use the online training module provided by the State Department of Social Services to use an equivalent training module developed specifically to meet those requirements, as provided.

(6) Existing law authorizes a school district to provide abuse, including sexual abuse, and human trafficking prevention education, as provided, and authorizes a parent or guardian of a pupil to excuse their child from all or part of abuse, including sexual abuse, and human trafficking prevention education, and assessments related to that education, pursuant to a specified opt-out process, as provided.

This bill would, among other things, require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the Office of Child Abuse Prevention in the State Department of Social Services, local educational agencies, and public entity risk pool joint powers authorities that provide risk management services to California schools, on or before July 1, 2026, to (A) develop, (B) disseminate to all school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the State Department of Education, and private schools, and (C) post on the department’s internet website, resources and information relating to appropriate boundaries, as provided. The bill would require the Superintendent, on or before July 1, 2026, to develop guidance on the appropriate means of instructing pupils regarding the prevention of abuse, including sexual abuse and assault, of pupils, as specified, and would authorize school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the department, and private schools to provide annual instruction using the resources, information, and guidance developed and disseminated by the Superintendent, to all pupils, as provided. The bill would authorize a parent or guardian of a pupil to excuse their child from all or part of the instruction pursuant to the same opt-out process described above.

(7) Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, establishes procedures for the reporting and investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect. The act requires certain professionals, including teachers, instructional aides, and classified employees, known as “mandated reporters,” to report known or reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect to a local law enforcement agency or a county welfare or probation department, as specified. Failure by a mandated reporter to report an incident of known or reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect is a misdemeanor. The act provides that volunteers, except for volunteers of public or private organizations whose duties require direct contact with and supervision of children, except a volunteer of a Court Appointed Special Advocate program, are not mandated reporters.

(8) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 32282 of the Education Code proposed by SB 98, to be operative only if this bill and SB 98 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

(9) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 11165.7 of the Penal Code proposed by AB 653 and SB 402 to be operative only if this bill and either or both of those bills are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.