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 their schools operating a kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law requires a comprehensive school safety plan to include, among other things, procedures for conducting tactical responses to criminal incidents, including procedures related to individuals with guns on school campuses and at school-related functions. Existing law requires, commencing January 1, 2023, a school official whose duties involve regular contact with pupils in any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive, as part of a middle school or high school, and who is alerted to or observes any threat or perceived threat, as defined, to immediately report the threat or perceived threat to law enforcement, as provided. Existing law requires, commencing January 1, 2023, with the support of the local educational agency, the local law enforcement agency or schoolsite police, as applicable, to immediately conduct an investigation and threat assessment, as specified. Existing law requires the investigation and threat assessment to include a review of the firearm registry of the Department of Justice and, if justified by a reasonable suspicion that it would produce evidence related to the threat or perceived threat, a schoolsite search.

This bill would require the governing board of a school district to adopt policies within the comprehensive school safety plan, on or before August 1, 2023, for the establishment of a crisis intervention and targeted violence prevention program that assists in the identification and assessment of pupils whose behavior may indicate a threat that is not imminent to the health and safety of pupils, school staff, or other community members and that provides referrals to appropriate services. The bill would require those policies to include, among other things, provisions requiring each school district to establish at least one multidisciplinary threat assessment and resource team and provisions identifying how this team will identify threats and distinguish the types of threatening behavior that may represent a physical threat to the school community, as provided. If, after an investigation and assessment in response to a report of a threat or perceived threat described above, the law enforcement agency determines the threat or perceived threat is not imminent, the bill would authorize the law enforcement agency to refer the identified pupil to the local educational agency’s multidisciplinary threat assessment and resources team. Under the bill, a school district and any of its employees acting within the scope of their employment would be immune from civil liability for any damages allegedly caused by, arising out of, or relating to compliance with these requirements, except as provided. By imposing new duties on school districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the State Department of Education to make materials pertaining to multidisciplinary threat assessment and resource teams available on its internet website and to update those materials as necessary.

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.