Bill Text: CA SB541 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Senate Bill 541 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: School safety: lockdown drills and multioption response drills: report.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-12 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 786, Statutes of 2019. [SB541 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB541-Chaptered.html

Senate Bill No. 541

CHAPTER 786

An act to add Section 32289.5 to the Education Code, relating to school safety.

[ Approved by Governor October 12, 2019. Filed with Secretary of State October 12, 2019. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 541, Bates. School safety: lockdown drills and multioption response drills: report.

Existing law requires school districts and county offices of education to be responsible for the overall development of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of its schools operating a kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law requires, except as provided for a small school district, the schoolsite council of a school to write and develop the comprehensive school safety plan relevant to the needs and resources of that particular school. Existing law requires the comprehensive school safety plan to include certain things, including the development of certain school safety policies and procedures, including procedures for conducting tactical responses to criminal incidents.

This bill would require the State Department of Education to collect, and local educational agencies to provide, data pertaining to lockdown or multioption response drills conducted at schoolsites within school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, as provided. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on a local educational agency, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the department to conduct, or contract to conduct, a study that identifies, among other things, best practices for age-appropriate drills. The bill would require the data and the study to be submitted to the Governor and relevant policy committees of the Legislature on or before November 1, 2021, as provided.

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 the statutory provisions noted above.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES

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

SECTION 1.

Section 32289.5 is added to the Education Code, immediately following Section 32289, to read:

32289.5.

(a) The department shall collect, and local educational agencies shall provide, data pertaining to lockdown or multioption response drills conducted at schoolsites within school districts, county offices of education and charter schools providing instructional services to pupils in kindergarten or in any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive. The data may be collected from a representative sample of schoolsites, with a methodology to be determined by the Superintendent. Specifically, the department shall collect data including, but not limited to, all of the following information:

(1) The portion of schoolsites conducting drills and the population they serve.

(2) The types of drills performed and their frequency.

(3) Information about staff training in preparation for drills.

(4) Information pertaining to schoolsite evaluations, if any, of the drill impacts.

(5) Information pertaining to staff and parental notifications of drills.

(b) The department shall either conduct, or contract with a nonprofit research entity to conduct, a study that identifies best practices for age-appropriate drills, the effectiveness of lockdown or multioption response drills in schools, and the effects drills have on pupil emotional wellbeing and emergency preparedness.

(c) (1) The department shall submit to the Governor and relevant policy committees of the Legislature on or before November 1, 2021, a report containing data collected pursuant to subdivision (a) and findings and recommendations from the study conducted pursuant to subdivision (b).

(2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this subdivision shall become inoperative on November 1, 2025.

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.