Existing law prohibits a pupil from being suspended from school or recommended for expulsion unless the superintendent of the school district or the principal of the school in which the pupil is enrolled determines that the pupil has committed any of various acts, including bullying, as defined. Existing law authorizes the superintendent of the school district or the principal of a school, for a pupil subject to discipline, to use alternatives to suspension or expulsion that are age appropriate and designed to address and correct the pupil’s specific misbehavior, including, among other alternatives, referrals to the school counselor, psychologist, social worker, child welfare attendance personnel, or other school support service personnel for case management and counseling.

This bill would authorize the superintendent of a school district, the principal of a school, or the principal’s designee to also refer a victim of, witness to, or other pupil affected by, an act of bullying committed on or after January 1, 2015, to the school counselor, school psychologist, social worker, child welfare attendance personnel, school nurse, or other school support service personnel for case management, counseling, and participation in a restorative justice program, as appropriate. The bill would also provide that a pupil who has engaged in an act of bullying may also be referred to those school support service personnel for case management and counseling, or for participation in a restorative justice program.