AB 960

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law provides that it is the intent of the Legislature that all public schools, in kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, operated by school districts, in cooperation with specified entities and individuals, develop a comprehensive school safety plan, as provided. Existing law provides that school districts and county offices of education are responsible for the overall development of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of its schools, as provided. Existing law, the Charter Schools Act of 1992, provides for the establishment and operation of charter schools, including countywide charter schools, and requires a petition for the establishment of a charter school to contain comprehensive descriptions of various matters and procedures, including procedures that the charter school will follow to ensure the health and safety of pupils and staff. The act requires those procedures to also require the development of a school safety plan, as provided. This bill would encourage each public school, including charter schools, with an enrollment of 100 pupils or more, to implement a web-based or app-based school safety program that includes specified program parameters, including, among others, (1) a multilayered digital map of the schoolsite that contains key information, including, but not limited to, detailed building floor plans, alphanumeric building identification, gate locations, shut-off valve locations, first aid equipment locations, automated external defibrillator locations, links to 360-degree interior and 360-degree aerial photography, and the location of, and field of view of, schoolsite surveillance cameras, (2) the ability to alert first responders from multiple agencies within a reasonable geographic area from the school in the event of an emergency on or around the schoolsite, to be used only when there is a situation involving imminent danger of serious physical injury or death to a person on school property, and (3) detailed schoolsite information, including, but not limited to, the general schoolsite location, schoolsite size, pupil populations, the schoolsite's grade levels, the number of staff on campus, the schoolsite's Wi-Fi connection information, a hierarchy representation of those with responsibility duties, including their name, title, photograph, and contact information, and the emergency procedures for that schoolsite. If a school implements a web-based or app-based school safety program, the bill would require the school to ensure that the program developers ensure that best practices are implemented to protect the security and data of all pupils and staff listed within the program, and would require the program developers to, among other things, comply with specified laws and make the best practices publicly available. The bill would require certain information implemented under these provisions to be kept confidential and to be exempt from public disclosure, as provided. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.