BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1390
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1390 (Havice)
As Amended January 12, 2000
Majority vote
EDUCATION 17-1 APPROPRIATIONS 16-5
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|Ayes:|Mazzoni, Leach, Alquist, |Ayes:|Migden, Cedillo, Davis, |
| |Calderon, Correa, | |Hertzberg, Kuehl, |
| |Cunneen, Davis, Honda, | |Maldonado, Papan, Romero, |
| |Nakano, Robert Pacheco, | |Shelley, Steinberg, |
| |Rod Pacheco, Scott, Soto, | |Thomson, Wesson, Wiggins, |
| |Strom-Martin, Washington, | |Wright, Zettel, Aroner |
| |Wildman, Zettel | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Baldwin |Nays:|Campbell, Ackerman, |
| | | |Ashburn, Leonard, Runner |
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SUMMARY : Establishes the Bullying Prevention Grant Program
(BPGP) for grades 5 and 6. Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes BPGP for grades 5 and 6. Authorizes a school
district that has jurisdiction over schools maintaining grades
5 and 6 to apply to the State Department of Education (SDE)
for a grant to implement a two-year bullying prevention
program, subject to an appropriation being made for this
purpose.
2)Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to
develop criteria by which grant recipients will be selected.
Requires SDE to develop and maintain guidelines for bullying
prevention programs.
3)Provides the maximum amount of a grant is $5,000 for a
two-year program. Authorizes grant funds to be expended to
implement a locally designed program or to purchase existing
bullying prevention materials and programs.
4)Appropriates $150,000 from the General Fund (GF) to SDE for
implementation of BPGP for grades 5 and 6.
EXISTING LAW :
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1)Establishes the Carl Washington School Safety and Violence
Prevention Act (Act). Requires SPI to administer the Act and
provide funds to school districts serving students in grades
8-12 to promote school safety and reduce schoolsite violence.
2)Requires funds to be allocated to school districts on the
basis of enrollment of students in grades 8-12 for one or more
of the following purposes:
a) Providing schools with personnel, including, but not
limited to, licensed or certificated school counselors,
school social workers, school nurses, and school
psychologists, who are trained in conflict resolution.
Requires any law enforcement personnel hired pursuant to
the Act to be trained and sworn peace officers;
b) Providing effective and accessible on-campus
communication devices and other school safety
infrastructure needs;
c) Establishing an in-service training program for school
staff to learn to identify at-risk students, to communicate
effectively with those students, and to refer those
students to appropriate counseling;
d) Establishing cooperative arrangements with local law
enforcement agencies for appropriate school-community
relationships; or,
e) Any other purposes that the school or school district
determines that would materially contribute to meeting the
goals and objectives of current law in providing for safe
schools and preventing violence among students.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriates $150,000 from the GF (Proposition
98) and provides that grants are subject to an appropriation.
GF (non-Proposition 98) costs, probably less than $50,000 to
require SPI to develop and maintain the criteria for this grant
program.
COMMENTS : The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence,
based at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Institute of
Behavioral Science, reviewed and evaluated over 450 violence
prevention programs that are being, or have been, implemented in
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various regions of the United States. Of those, only 10
programs were selected as being particularly effective. One of
the selected programs is BPGP, which was found to: a)
substantially reduce boys' and girls' reports of bullying and
victimization; b) significantly reduce students' reports of
general antisocial behavior such as vandalism, fighting, theft
and truancy; and, c) significantly improve the "social climate,"
as reflected in students' reports of improved order and
discipline, more positive social relationships, and a more
positive attitude toward schoolwork and school. The author
notes that studies have shown that bullying peaks during grades
5-7.
Analysis Prepared by : Lynn Lorber / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0004116