CA SB 848

Title: Pupil safety: school employee misconduct: child abuse prevention.
Author: Sasha Renée Pérez

Summary
SB 848, as amended, Pérez. Pupil safety: school employee misconduct: child abuse prevention. (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 prohibits a chartering authority from denying a petition for the establishment of a charter school unless it makes written factual findings supporting at least one of specified bases for denial, including, among other bases for denial, that the petition does not contain a reasonably comprehensive description of the development of a school safety plan that includes the same safety topics required in school district and county office of education comprehensive school safety plans.This bill would additionally require, when a comprehensive school safety plan or charter school’s school safety plan is next reviewed and updated, or by no later than July 1, 2026, those plans to include procedures specifically designed to address the supervision and protection of children from child abuse and sex offenses. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.Existing law requires school district and county office of education comprehensive school safety plans, but not a charter school’s school safety plan, to include assessing school crime committed on school campuses and at school-related functions.This bill would require school district and county office of education comprehensive school safety plans to instead include assessing all crime, not just school crime, committed on school campuses and at school-related functions. The bill would require, when a charter school’s school safety plan is next reviewed and updated, or by no later than July 1, 2026, the plan to include assessing the current status of crime committed on the charter school’s campus and at school-related functions. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.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 (A) revise and expand the definition of “violent crime” for these purposes, (B) authorize a principal or their designee to also provide that same notification for sex crimes, as defined, (C) authorize charter school principals and their designees to provide the same notifications, and (D) provide that these provisions also do not create any liability in a charter school or its employees.(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 empl

Status
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

Bill Documents
CA SB 848 - 05/01/25 - Amended Senate
05/01/25 - CA SB 848 (05/01/25 - Amended Senate)