BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    


                                                          SB 187  
                                                         Page 1

Date of Hearing: July 9, 1997

                  ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                       Kerry Mazzoni, Chair

           SB 187 (Hughes) - As Amended:  June 19, 1997

 SENATE VOTE  :  24-6

  SUBJECT  :  School safety plans.

  SUMMARY  :  Requires schools to develop comprehensive school safety  
plans.  Specifically,  this bill  :  

1) Requires the schoolsite council at each public school to  
   develop and adopt a comprehensive school safety plan by  
   September 1, 1998, and forward it to its corresponding school  
   district or county office of education.  Requires the  
   schoolsite council to consult with local law enforcement in  
   developing the plan.  (Allows a school safety planning  
   committee to develop the plan instead of the schoolsite  
   council, provided the committee meets certain membership  
   requirements.)  Allows schools to submit existing safety plans  
   to comply with this requirement, as long as the plans are in  
   existence by December 31, 1997 and contain the required  
   information.

2) Requires that each school safety plan include the following: an  
   assessment of school crime committed on school campus, child  
   abuse reporting procedures, disaster procedures, school  
   discipline policies, procedures to notify teachers of dangerous  
   pupils, a sexual harassment policy, any schoolwide dress code,  
   and programs and strategies to provide a safe and orderly  
   environment.  Requires schools to update the plans on an annual  
   basis.

3) Requires that a majority of the employees at each school vote  
   their approval of the school safety plan.  

4) Exempts schools in small school districts (with fewer than 2501  
   units of average daily attendance) from the requirement to  
   develop plans, if the small school district develops a  
   districtwide comprehensive school safety plan that is  
   applicable to each school in the district. 

5) Requires school districts and county offices of education to  
   notify the State Department of Education (SDE) by October 15,  
   1998, of any schools that do not submit plans.  Requires the  
   Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to notify and  
   subsequently levy a $500 fine against any district housing a  













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   school that does not submit a school safety plan.  

6) Establishes that all the above requirements, except the  
   updating requirement, shall remain in effect until January 1,  
   2000, after which time existing law language governing school  
   safety plans shall be reinstated.  Establishes that schools  
   must continue to update their school safety plans on an annual  
   basis, after January 1, 2000, and must maintain an updated file  
   of safety-related plans and materials for public viewing.  
  EXISTING LAW  :  

1) Expresses legislative intent that schools develop school safety  
   plans.  Expresses intent that schools use existing resources to  
   develop plans.  

  FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown.  The Senate Appropriations Committee  
specified that the bill may contain mandated costs, but that  
actual costs "depend upon the number of schools which have not  
prepared plans under the permissive provisions of current law and  
the extent to which existing resources can be used."

  COMMENTS  :  

  All schools  .  This bill affects all schools run by school  
districts (with more than 2500 ADA) and county offices of  
education, including county-run community schools and juvenile  
court schools.  

  Planned amendments  .  The author plans to amend the bill to address  
some of the concerns of opponents, as follows: a) specify that  
nothing in the bill shall diminish the authority of school  
district governing boards, b) require that school safety plans be  
approved by school districts, c) require the school site council  
or school safety committee to hold a public meeting at the school  
site to allow the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed  
school safety plan, before it is approved.  

  Arguments in Support  .  According to the author, this bill is  
important to ensure a safe and orderly school environment, by  
requiring all schools to develop and update comprehensive school  
safety plans.  Current law is permissive, and therefore does not  
ensure that each school have a plan.  It is important that each  
school develop a plan at the site level, given the unique features  
and circumstances of each school and the importance of involving  
school employees and parents.  According to the author, the new  
requirement will not constitute an undue burden on schools, given  
that some of the items required in the plan are already required  
by current law.  

  Arguments in Opposition  .  According to opponents, current law is  













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effective in ensuring that all schools have school safety plans,  
and therefore this bill is unnecessary.  In addition, there are  
concerns that this bill gives the schoolsite council a  
responsibility that really pertains to the school district.   
Opponents also argue that the existence of numerous different  
school plans may create a bureaucratic nightmare for large  
districts.  

  REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :  

  Support  

California Federation of Teachers
United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,  
AFL-CIO
California School Employees Association
Berkeley Federation of Teachers
California Peace Officers Association
California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and  
Attendance
San Jose Teachers Association
Poway Federation of Teachers
Montebello Teachers Association
Los Angeles Unified School District Police Officers Association
California Congress of Parents, Teachers, and Students, Inc.
Attorney General Dan Lungren

  Opposition  

California School Boards Association
Fresno County Office of Education
Riverside County Advocacy Association
Long Beach Unified School District
Imperial County Schools Advocacy Association

  Analysis prepared by  :  Leonor Ehling / aed / (916) 445-9431