BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Leroy F. Greene, Chairman
1997-98 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 187
AUTHOR: Hughes
AMENDED: April 21, 1997
FISCAL COMM.: Yes HEARING DATE: April
23, 1997
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Nancy Anton
SPECIAL NOTE: This bill was heard by the Senate Education
Committee on March 12, 1997 but no vote was taken. The
bill was heard again last week on April 16, 1997 and,
again, no vote was taken. This bill has been amended since
last week's hearing.
SUMMARY
This bill requires school districts and county offices of
education (COE's) to develop comprehensive school safety
plans, as specified.
BACKGROUND
Current law expresses the Legislature's intent that all
public schools develop comprehensive school safety plans
that address the safety concerns identified by the site
through a systematic planning process. Current law
identifies a number of items these plans may contain
including: (1) a current assessment of school crime, (2)
strategies and programs that will provide a high level of
school safety, and (3) specified actions to be taken in
conjunction with local law enforcement as specified.
Current law also expresses the Legislature's intent that,
in developing these plans, school sites use existing
resources including the materials, services and matching
grant funds of the School Safety Partnership, which is
elsewhere provided for in statute. Existing school site
councils are expressly authorized to be responsible for
developing these plans.
ANALYSIS
This bill revises, and makes mandatory provisions of
existing law relating to comprehensive safety plans for
school sites. Specifically, this bill:
1) Requires each school site, by September 1, 1998, to
develop a school safety plan, as specified, to be
evaluated annually and amended, if needed. The bill
provides that these plans be written and established
by the School Site Council and shall include, but not
be limited to, a number of specified components;
current law only authorizes that safety plans include
these components. The bill requires school sites to
submit their completed plans to their districts or
COE, and for the districts or COE's to notify the
State Department of Education by October 15, 1998 of
any school sites which have not so complied.
2) Authorizes the School Site Council to delegate its
responsibility to develop a site safety plan to a
school safety planning committee. The school safety
committee would, at a minimum have to include the
following members: the principal (or designee), a
teacher who is a representative of the recognized
certificated employee organization, a classified
employee who is a representative of the recognized
classified employee organization, a parent who's child
attends the school, and others as desired. If there
is no school site council, then the school safety
planning committee, composed of the specified members
would be required to develop the school safety plan
required by this bill.
3) Provides for a fine of up to $500 to be paid by the
principal or principal's designee for the willful failure
to establish a school safety plan as required by this bill.
STAFF COMMENTS
Limit Scope of Bill ? This bill is sponsored by the United
Teacher of Los Angeles apparently in response to safety
concerns within the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Since current law expresses the Legislature's intent that
all public schools develop comprehensive school safety
plans, perhaps a statewide mandate is not necessary and,
therefore, the provisions of this bill should be limited to
that district which is allegedly unable to comply with the
intent of existing law? In this case, the bill could be
limited only to district's with an ADA of greater than
500,000.
SUPPORT
None received on current version of the bill.
OPPOSITION
Association of California School Administrators