BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de León, Chair
AB 1271 (Bonta) - School Safety Plans: Pupil Mental Health Care
Amended: August 4, 2014 Policy Vote: Education 6-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: August 14, 2014
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez
SUSPENSE FILE. AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED.
Bill Summary: AB 1271 adds pupil mental health requirements to
the guidelines that the Legislature encourages schools to
include when they update their school safety plans, as
specified.
Fiscal Impact (as approved on August 14, 2014):
Minor cost pressure to state legislative encouragement for
schools to "prioritize mental health and intervention
services, restorative and transformative justice programs,
and positive behavior interventions and support" in their
guidelines governing the roles and responsibilities of
specified adults on campus, and to include protocols to
address the mental health care of pupils who have witness
violent acts, as specified.
Background: Existing law requires each school district and
county office of education to be responsible for the overall
development of all comprehensive school safety plans for its
schools. (Education Code § 32281)
Existing law requires the comprehensive school safety plan to
include (1) an assessment of the current status of school crime
committed on school campuses and at school-related functions and
(2) identification of appropriate strategies and programs that
will provide or maintain a high level of school safety and
detail procedures for complying with existing laws; disaster
procedures; policies regarding suspension or expulsion; a
discrimination and harassment policy; and, a safe and orderly
environment conducive to learning. (EC § 32282)
Existing law encourages, as school safety plans are reviewed and
updated, plans to include policies and procedures aimed at the
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prevention of bullying. (EC § 32282)
Existing law also encourages all comprehensive school safety
plans, as they are reviewed and updated, to the extent resources
are available, to include clear guidelines for the roles and
responsibilities of mental health professionals, community
intervention professionals, school counselors, school resource
officers and police officers on campus. (EC § 32282.1)
Proposed Law: This bill requires schools that update their
school safety plans to include clear guidelines for the roles
and responsibilities of mental health professionals community
intervention professionals, school counselors, school resource
officers, and policy officers on school campuses, per the
Legislature's encouragement, to include in their guidelines:
1) Primary strategies to create and maintain a positive
school climate, promote school safety, and increase pupil
achievement, and prioritize mental health and intervention
services, restorative and transformative justice programs,
and positive behavior interventions and support.
2) Protocols to address the mental health care of pupils,
at any time, including, but not limited to: a) while on
school grounds; b) while going to or coming from school; c)
during a lunch period whether on or off campus; and, d)
during, or while going to or coming from, a
school-sponsored activity.
Related Legislation: AB 549 (Jones-Sawyer) Ch. 422/2013
encourages all comprehensive school safety plans, to the extent
resources are available, to include clear guidelines for the
roles and responsibilities of mental health professionals,
community intervention professionals, school counselors, school
resource officers and police officers on campus. That law, which
is modified by this bill, took effect on January 1, 2014.
Staff Comments: This bill adds requirements to guidelines that
schools are "encouraged" by the Legislature to develop as part
of an update to their schools safety plans. This bill does not
have force of law but it does create cost pressure to comply
with the legislative encouragement. Additionally, by placing
various requirements for what must be included in guidelines
that are themselves not actually required, this bill could
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result in schools electing not to adopt guidelines, if their
guidelines would not meet the requirements.
This bill specifically requires that, if developed, the
guidelines include strategies to create and maintain a positive
school climate, promote school safety, and increase pupil
achievement, and prioritize mental health and intervention
services, restorative and transformative justice programs, and
positive behavior interventions and support. These requirements
could significantly add to the complexity of the guidelines.
This bill also requires, if guidelines are developed, the
inclusion of protocols to address the mental health care of
pupils, at any time, including, but not limited to: a) while on
school grounds; b) while going to or coming from school; c)
during a lunch period whether on or off campus; and, d) during,
or while going to or coming from, a school-sponsored activity.
It appears, based on previous versions of this bill, that is is
a drafting error in the most recent amendments. But, as written,
it appears to require extensive protocols for wraparound pupil
mental health services.
Committee Amendments encourage the guidelines, if developed, to
include specified strategies and the protocols to address the
mental health care of pupils who have witnessed violent acts.