AB 1747: School safety plans.

(1)Existing law provides that it is the intent of the Legislature that all public schools, in kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, operated by school districts, in cooperation with specified entities and individuals, develop a comprehensive school safety plan, as provided. Existing law provides that school districts and county offices of education are responsible for the overall development of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of its schools, as provided. Existing law requires the schoolsite council of a school, except as provided for a small school district, to write and develop the comprehensive school safety plan relevant to the needs and resources of that particular school.

This bill would provide that it is the intent of the Legislature that all public schools, in kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, operated by school districts, including in cooperation with classified employees, develop a comprehensive school safety plan, and that all school staff be trained on this plan.

Existing law requires the schoolsite council to consult with a representative from a law enforcement agency in the writing and development of the comprehensive school safety plan. Existing law requires the comprehensive school safety plan to contain certain things including assessing the current status of school crime committed on school campuses. Existing law authorizes a school district or county office of education to, in consultation with law enforcement officials, elect to not have its schoolsite council develop and write those portions of its comprehensive school safety plan that include tactical responses to criminal incidents, as defined, that may result in death or serious bodily injury at the schoolsite.

This bill would require the schoolsite council to additionally consult with a fire department and other first responder entities in the writing and development of the comprehensive school safety plan and would require the comprehensive school safety plan and any updates made to the plan to be shared with the law enforcement agency, the fire department, and the other first responder entities. By expanding the responsibility of a school district or county office of education with respect to the development of a comprehensive school safety plan, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law requires the comprehensive school safety plan to include the identification of appropriate strategies and programs that will provide or maintain a high level of school safety, which is required to include the development of disaster procedures, including establishing an earthquake emergency procedure system in every public school building, as provided. Existing law requires the system to include a school building disaster plan. Existing law requires each school to forward its comprehensive school safety plan to the school district or county office of education for approval.

This bill would require the comprehensive school safety plan to additionally include procedures for conducting tactical responses to criminal incidents, as provided. By imposing additional duties on school districts and county offices of education regarding the development of comprehensive school safety plans, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the State Department of Education to provide general direction to school districts and county offices of education on what to include in the school building disaster plan. The bill would also require the department to develop and post on its Internet Web site best practices for reviewing and approving school safety plans. The bill would additionally require the department to maintain and conspicuously post on its Internet Web site a compliance checklist for developing a comprehensive school safety plan, and would require the department to update the checklist when necessary.

The Charter Schools Act of 1992 provides for the establishment and operation of charter schools, including countywide charter schools, and requires a petition for the establishment of a charter school to contain comprehensive descriptions of various matters and procedures, including procedures that the charter school will follow to ensure the health and safety of pupils and staff.

This bill would require these procedures to also require the development of a school safety plan, as provided, and that the school safety plan be reviewed and updated by March 1 of every year by the charter school. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on county boards of education, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(2)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.