Amended in Assembly March 17, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1455

Introduced by Assembly Member Campos

January 9, 2014

An act to add Section 48900.9 to the Education Code, relating to pupils.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1455, as amended, Campos. Pupils: bullying: counseling services.

Existing law prohibits a pupil from being suspended from school or recommended for expulsion unless the superintendent of the school district or the principal of the school in which the pupil is enrolled determines that the pupil has committed any of various acts, including bullying, as defined. Existing law authorizes the superintendent of the school district or the principal of a school, for a pupil subject to discipline, to use alternatives to suspension or expulsion that are age appropriate and designed to address and correct the pupil’s specific misbehavior, including, among begin delete others, end delete begin insert other alternatives, end insert referrals to the school counselor, psychologist, social worker, child welfare attendance personnel, or other school support service personnel for case management and counseling.

This bill would authorize the superintendent of a school begin delete district or end delete begin insert district, end insert the principal of a begin delete school end delete begin insert school, or the principal’s designee end insert to also refer a victim of, witness to, or other pupil affected by, an act of bullying committed on or after January 1, 2015, to the school counselor, begin insert school end insert psychologist, social worker, child welfare attendance personnel, begin insert school nurse, end insert or other school support service personnel for case management begin delete and end delete begin insert , end insert counseling, begin insert and participation in a restorative justice program, end insert as appropriate.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 48900.9 is added to the Education Code,
to read:

48900.9.  

The superintendent of a school begin delete district or end delete begin insert district, end insert the
principal of a begin delete school end delete begin insert school, or the principal’s designee end insert may refer
a victim of, witness to, or other pupil affected by, an act of
bullying, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (r) of Section
48900, committed on or after January 1, 2015, to the school
counselor, begin insert school end insert psychologist, social worker, child welfare
attendance personnel, begin insert school nurse, end insert or other school support service
personnel for case management begin delete and end delete begin insert , end insert counseling, begin insert and participation
in a restorative justice program, end insert as appropriate.