SACRAMENTO — As educators and administrators return to schools this month, many will help implement new laws taking effect that will require increased teacher training and fewer suspensions and expulsions, among other changes.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed several bills in the fall that became law Thursday, including at least 11 that will affect K-12 schools and community colleges.
Two backed by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, are related to mandated child abuse reporting. Although state law already required school employees to report suspected child abuse to Child Protective Services or law enforcement, reporting by this newspaper over the past two years revealed widespread confusion about the requirement and showed that several districts failed to follow the law, Bonilla said.
Bonilla authored Assembly Bill2560, which requires teachers who receive or renew their credentials to sign a statement acknowledging they understand their responsibilities under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act. Bonilla said she also co-authored AB1432 by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, which requires the state Department of Education to provide information to schools and districts about detecting and reporting child abuse. It also requires annual training.
“I think that we’re going to have higher rates of reporting and a much clearer understanding by those who are mandated reporters what their obligations are,” Bonilla predicted.
The state Department of Education is also required to create online training for fighting bullying and cyberbullying, according toAB 1993 by Assemblyman Steve Fox, D-Palmdale. It was sparked by the suicide of Nigel Hardy, a 13-year-old seventh-grade student in Palmdale bullied for his love of cheerleading.
AB420 will require schools to find alternatives to suspensions and expulsions related to willful defiance, based on statistics showing that African-Americans and Latinos are disproportionally suspended and expelled for this reason. The bill was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, which said 43 percent of suspensions in California were related to willful defiance in 2012-13.
Three new laws concern community colleges, including AB1942, sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers, which requires the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges to report to the Legislature every two years about policy changes that would affect the accreditation process and accreditation status of a college. Spokesman Fred Glass said the bill was prompted by the group’s efforts to save City College of San Francisco, where many union members work.
Glass alleged that the accrediting agency committed “unlawful and unfair acts” and said the college deserves to have its accreditation “rerun, and this time in a lawful and fair way.”
Other laws enacted this year include:
