BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



          SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                              Senator Carol Liu, Chair
                                2015 - 2016  Regular 

          Bill No:             AB 2519              
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Author:    |Calderon                                             |
          |-----------+-----------------------------------------------------|
          |Version:   |May 19, 2016                             Hearing     |
          |           |Date:    June 15, 2016                               |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Urgency:   |No                     |Fiscal:    |Yes              |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Consultant:|Lynn Lorber                                          |
          |           |                                                     |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          
          Subject:  School safety plans


            SUMMARY
          
          This bill requires school safety plans to include strategies  
          aimed at the prevention of, response to, and education about,  
          potential incidents involving crime, violence, or medical  
          emergency on the school campus and before and after school  
          activities.

            BACKGROUND
          
          Existing law:

             1)   Requires each school district or county office of  
               education to be responsible for the overall development of  
               all comprehensive school safety plans for its schools  
               operating kindergarten or any of grades 1 through 12.  The  
               schoolsite council or a school safety planning committee is  
               responsible for developing the comprehensive school safety  
               plan.  (EC § 32281)

             2)   Requires school safety plans to include:

                  a)        An assessment of the current status of school  
                    crime committed on school campuses and at  
                    school-related functions.

                  b)        Identification of appropriate strategies and  







          AB 2519 (Calderon)                                      Page 2  
          of ?
          
          
                    programs that will provide or maintain a high level of  
                    school safety and address the school's procedures for  
                    complying with existing laws related to school safety,  
                    including:

                       i)             Child abuse reporting procedures.

                       ii)    Disaster procedures, including an earthquake  
                         emergency procedure system and a procedure to  
                         allow public agencies (such as the American Red  
                         Cross) to use school facilities for mass care and  
                         welfare shelters.

                       iii)   Policies regarding students who commit  
                         specified offenses that would lead to suspension  
                         or expulsion.

                       iv)    Procedures to notify teachers of dangerous  
                         students.

                       v)             A discrimination and harassment  
                         policy.

                       vi)    The provisions of any schoolwide dress code.

                       vii)   Procedures for safe ingress and egress of  
                         students, parents, and school employees to and  
                         from school.

                       viii)  A safe and orderly environment conducive to  
                         learning.

                       ix)    The rules and procedures on school  
                         discipline.  (EC § 32282)

             3)   Encourages school safety plans, as they are reviewed and  
               updated and to the extent that resources are available, to  
               include policies and procedures aimed at the prevention of  
               bullying.  (EC § 32282)

             4)   Requires school safety plans to be evaluated at least  
               once a year, and requires an updated file of all safety  
               related plans and materials to be readily available for  
               inspection by the public.  (EC § 32282)








          AB 2519 (Calderon)                                      Page 3  
          of ?
          
          

             5)   Requires each school to adopt its school safety plan by  
               March 1 and review and update its plan annually by March 1.  
                Each school is required to annually report, in July, on  
               the status of its school safety plan, including a  
               description of key elements of the school safety plan in  
               the annual school accountability report card.  (EC § 32286)

             6)   Requires the schoolsite council or school safety  
               planning committee to hold a public meeting before adopting  
               the school safety plan.  Each school is required to forward  
               its school safety plan to the school district or county  
               office for approval, and school districts or county offices  
               are required to annually notify the California Department  
               of Education, by October 15, of any school that is not in  
               compliance.  (EC § 32288)

             7)   Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI),  
               if he or she determines that there has been a willful  
               failure to make any report, to notify the school district  
               or county office and assess a fine of up to $2,000 against  
               the district or county office.  (EC § 32287) 

            ANALYSIS
          
          This bill requires school safety plans to include strategies  
          related to potential incidents involving crime, violence, or  
          medical emergency on the school campus and before and after  
          school activities.  Specifically, this bill:

          1)   Expands the required elements of the comprehensive school  
               safety plan to include the development of any other  
               strategies aimed at the prevention of, response to, and  
               education about, potential incidents involving crime,  
               violence, or medical emergency on the school campus,  
               including sanctioned activities before and after school.

          2)   Expands the school safety planning committee to include one  
               coach of the school, if the school has a coach.
          
          3)   Modifies existing legislative intent regarding the scope of  
               school safety plans to add references to the health and  
               safety of the campus community, medical emergency, and  
               sanctioned activities before and after school.  








          AB 2519 (Calderon)                                      Page 4  
          of ?
          
          

          STAFF COMMENTS
          
          1)   Need for the bill.  According to the author, "By law,  
               California schools must have Emergency Action Plans in  
               place to deal with emergencies that occur during school  
               time, however there is no requirement that schools have  
               Emergency Action Plans in place for 'after the bell'  
               activities.  These activities, like sports practice and  
               club meetings, often include up to 50% of a school's  
               student body."

          2)   First policy hearing.  This bill was recently amended to  
               expand the required elements of the comprehensive school  
               safety plan to include the development of any other  
               strategies aimed at the prevention of, response to, and  
               education about, potential incidents involving crime,  
               violence, or medical emergency on the school campus,  
               including sanctioned activities before and after school.   
               This provision was added to this bill after the bill  
               reached the Senate.  This is the first time a policy  
               committee will consider provisions related to expansion of  
               school safety plans.

          3)   Another approach.  According to the author, this bill is  
               necessary to ensure that school safety plans are developed  
               for before and after school activities.  However, this bill  
               adds a required component contained within school safety  
               plans to address the development of any other strategies  
               aimed at the prevention of, response to, and education  
               about, potential incidents involving crime, violence, or  
               medical emergency on the school campus, including  
               sanctioned activities before and after school.  Staff  
               recommends an amendment to strike reference to before and  
               after school activities in that provision, and instead  
               modify existing provisions to provide that comprehensive  
               school safety plans are for schools operating kindergarten  
               or any of grades 1 to 12, to include sanctioned activities  
               before and after school (add to Education Code § 32281(a)).

          4)   The need for other strategies  This bill expands the  
               required elements of school safety plans to include any  
               other strategies aimed at the prevention of, response to,  
               and education about, potential incidents involving crime,  








          AB 2519 (Calderon)                                      Page 5  
          of ?
          
          
               violence, or medical emergency.  Existing law requires  
               school safety plans to address disaster procedures and a  
               safe and orderly environment, and policies for students who  
               commit acts for which they may be suspended or expelled.   
               However, existing law does not specifically require school  
               safety plans to include strategies aimed at the prevention  
               of, response to, and education about, potential incidents  
               involving crime, violence, or medical emergency.  Nor does  
               existing law specifically authorize school safety plans to  
               address issues that are not statutorily required to be  
               addressed.

          5)   Related legislation.  AB 58 (Rodriguez, 2015) required  
               charter school petitions to include the development of a  
               school safety plan, and requires the portion of school  
               safety plans containing tactical responses to include  
               procedures related to guns on school campuses.  AB 58 was  
               held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

          SB 592 (Leyva, 2015) among other things, requires school safety  
               plans to include procedures and policies to prevent and  
               respond to adolescent relationship abuse.  SB 592 was held  
               in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

          6)   Prior legislation.  SB 49 (Lieu, 2013) among other things,  
               required school safety plans to include procedures related  
               to individuals with guns on school campuses and at  
               school-related functions, including, training programs  
               related to active shooters and active terrorists.  SB 49  
               was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.  

          SB 634 (Price, 2013) required comprehensive school safety plans  
               to include procedures for conducting school safety drills,  
               required each school during each school year to conduct a  
               minimum number of school evacuation drills relating to fire  
               incidents, and required schools to conduct at least one law  
               enforcement school lockdown drill.  SB 634 was held in the  
               Senate Appropriations Committee.

          AB 1264 (Conway, 2014) expanded the definition of "tactical  
               response to criminal incidents" to include a plan to  
               safeguard against incidents that include a firearm,  
               explosive, or other deadly weapon, and required a school  
               district or county office of education to publicly announce  








          AB 2519 (Calderon)                                      Page 6  
          of ?
          
          
               its adoption or update of a tactical response plan, but did  
               not require disclosure of those portions of the plan that  
               may be kept private.  AB 1264 was pending in this  
               Committee, but was never heard.

          SB 755 (Lieu, 2011) among other things, extended the requirement  
               to develop a school safety plan to charter schools and  
               imposed a fine of between $250 and $1,000 on any principal,  
               administrator at a school without a principal, and any  
               superintendent of a school district or county office of  
               education for failing to develop a school safety plan or  
               failing to make specified reporting requirements.  SB 755  
               was held by the Senate Appropriations Committee, gutted and  
               amended to relate to a different topic, and subsequently  
               held in the Senate Rules Committee.

          AB 2501 (Lieu, 2010) was nearly identical to SB 755, and was  
               never heard by this Committee.  

          AB 2639 (Lieu, 2008) required each school district and county  
               office of education to annually submit to the California  
               Department of Education a report that includes a list of  
               schools within its jurisdiction that have and have not  
               developed a school safety plan.  AB 2639 was held by the  
               Senate Appropriations Committee.

          AB 810 (Lieu, 2007) required the Superintendent of Public  
               Instruction (SPI) to notify the Commission on Teacher  
               Credentialing (CTC) of a principal or schoolsite  
               administrator's failure to comply with requirements related  
               to the development and adoption of the school safety plan,  
               and required the CTC to suspend the principal or  
               administrator's credential for one year if he or she does  
               not correct the noncompliance within 30 days of receiving  
               the notice from the SPI.  AB 810 was held by the Assembly  
               Appropriations Committee.

          7)   Fiscal impact.  This bill imposes unknown costs, as it  
               creates a mandate.  The provisions of this bill that create  
               a mandate were not in the bill when it was heard in the  
               Assembly; therefore, no fiscal analysis has yet been  
               completed for the current version of this bill. 

            SUPPORT








          AB 2519 (Calderon)                                      Page 7  
          of ?
          
          
          
          None on the current version of the bill.

            OPPOSITION
           
           None received.

                                      -- END --