Bill Text: CA AB135 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 135 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: School employees: child abuse: reporting.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-08-14 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB135 Detail]

Download: California-2013-AB135-Amended.html

BILL NUMBER: AB 135	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  MAY 21, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 6, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Buchanan
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Bonilla,   Ch�vez,   Fong,  
Quirk-Silva,   Waldron,   and Wilk   )

    (   Coauthors:   Senators   Fuller
  and Vidak   ) 

                        JANUARY 16, 2013

   An act to add Section 44692 to the Education Code, relating to
school employees.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 135, as amended, Buchanan. School employees: child abuse:
reporting.
   Existing law requires the State Office of Child Abuse Prevention
to develop and disseminate information to all school districts and
district school personnel regarding the detection of child abuse.
Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, designates
certain persons, including teachers, as mandated reporters. Existing
law requires a mandated reporter to make a report if the person has
knowledge of or observes a child whom the person knows or reasonably
suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect.  Existing
law also provides that the California School for the Blind and the
California School for the Deaf are under the administration of the
State Department of Education. 
   This bill would require the governing board of each school
district and county office of education,  and  the
governing body of each charter school,  and, for purposes of the
California School for the Blind and the California School for the
Deaf, the department,  to adopt a policy on the reporting of
child abuse and the responsibilities of mandated reporters. The bill
would require each school district, charter school, and county office
of  education   education, the California
School for the Blind, and the California School for the Deaf 
to, at minimum, review the mandated reporting requirements of school
employees with all school personnel within the first 6 weeks of each
school year, at a regularly scheduled staff meeting. By expanding the
duty of school districts, charter schools, and county offices of
education, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 44692 is added to the Education Code, to read:
   44692.  (a) The governing board of each school district and county
office of education,  and  the governing body of
each charter school,  and, for purposes of the California School
for the Blind and the California School for the Deaf, the department,
 shall adopt a policy on the reporting of child abuse and the
responsibilities of mandated reporters, as defined in Section 11165.7
of the Penal Code, in accordance with the requirements of the Child
Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (Article 2.5 (commencing with Section
11164) of Chapter 2 of Title 1 of Part 4 of the Penal Code).
   (b) Each school district, charter school, and county office of
 education   education,   the
California School for the Blind   , and the California
School for the Deaf,  shall, at a minimum, review the mandated
reporting requirements of school employees, pursuant to the Child
Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (Article 2.5 (commencing with Section
11164) of Chapter 2 of Title 1 of Part 4 of the Penal Code), with
all school personnel within the first six weeks of each school year,
as part of a regularly scheduled staff meeting.
  SEC. 2.  If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this
act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local
agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant
to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of
the Government Code.