BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1390
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1390 (Havice)
As Amended August 25, 2000
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |52-21|(January 27, |SENATE: |21-19|(August 28, |
| | |2000) | | |2000) |
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Original Committee Reference: ED.
SUMMARY : Establishes the Bullying Prevention Grant Program
(BPGP) for grades 5 and 6.
The Senate amendments :
1)Require grants to be apportioned among schools in the
southern, central, and northern portions of the state.
Requires priority to be given to those schools that
demonstrate a history of bullying problems.
2)Require the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI),
instead of the State Department of Education (SDE), to
establish and maintain guidelines for bullying prevention
programs. Require the program to integrate schoolsite
personnel and seek to involve parents and guardians. Require
the program to include, but not be limited to, all of the
following:
a) Direct instruction, including awareness and
understanding of the bullying and victimization process;
b) Individual and group instruction on intervention and
prevention activities that are educational in nature and
relate to the school setting;
c) Small group counseling settings with the emphasis on
prevention;
d) Staff, student, and parent training in awareness,
understanding, prevention, and intervention in the bullying
and victimization process; and,
e) Materials that are specially designed educational
materials that are commonly used in counseling, psychology,
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and educational settings.
3)Clarify that the amount of a grant, instead of the maximum
amount of a grant, shall be $5,000.
4)Clarify that the $150,000 appropriation made by this bill is
for the awarding of 30 $5,000 grants.
5)Require, by July 1, 2003, SDE to transmit to the Governor and
Legislature a study on the grants that have been awarded and
the overall effectiveness of BPGP.
6)State legislative intent relative to bullying.
EXISTING LAW :
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
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determines that would materially contribute to meeting the
goals and objectives of current law in providing for safe
schools and preventing violence among students.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill established BPGP for grades
5 and 6.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, appropriates $150,000 from the General Fund (GF)
(Proposition 98). 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
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. Supporters note
that studies have shown that bullying peaks during grades 5-7.
Analysis Prepared by : Lynn Lorber / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0006795