Pupil safety: school employee misconduct: child abuse prevention.

Senator Pérez's comprehensive school safety legislation mandates new protections against child abuse and misconduct in California educational institutions through expanded safety plans, enhanced background checks, and a statewide tracking system. The bill requires all K-12 schools to incorporate specific procedures for preventing child abuse and sex offenses into their safety plans by July 2026, while establishing a centralized database to monitor investigations of misconduct among non-certificated school employees.

The legislation broadens the definition of mandated reporters to include school volunteers and board members, requiring them to undergo annual training on identifying and reporting suspected abuse. It prohibits schools from entering agreements that would prevent mandatory reporting of egregious misconduct or allow removal of substantiated complaints from personnel files. The bill also expands employment restrictions, barring individuals convicted of specified sex offenses from working in certificated positions or supervising certificated staff.

By July 2027, schools must implement annual in-person instruction for students on abuse prevention using resources developed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The bill requires schools to adopt written policies promoting professional boundaries between adults and students, including limitations on communication outside of school hours. While parents retain the right to opt their children out of abuse prevention education, schools must work with their insurance providers to identify and implement best practices for preventing violent crimes and misconduct.

The legislation mandates that schools review the new statewide database before hiring non-certificated employees and report any investigations of misconduct within specified timeframes. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing will administer this system but bears no responsibility for verifying the accuracy of submitted information. Local educational agencies must implement these changes using existing resources, as the bill provides no direct state funding for most mandated activities.