Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez introduced a measure to improve school safety plans for California’s K-12 public schools. Assembly Bill 58 would require schools to update their school safety plans to include training programs and procedures for individuals with guns and active shooting incidents on school campuses.
Current law requires each school to develop a school safety plan that includes processes, procedures, and policies to ensure student and staff safety at a school site. The components of the plan range from daily processes, such as procedures for safe arrival and departure of students, parents and school employees; to disaster and emergency procedures such as those during and after earthquakes; to behavioral policies such as discrimination and harassment policies.
“It is unfortunate that we have to think about shootings taking place in our schools,” said Rodriguez. “But that is the reality that we are facing. The safety of students, parents, teachers and school employees is the highest priority and it is necessary that school safety plans evolve with the times to ensure that safety. We always hope that these types of situations never happen, but we need to have policies and procedures in place in case one does. ”
AB 58 requires schools to have plans in place by March 1, 2016 and makes changes to current law intended to increase compliance with requirements to develop and update school safety plans. In addition, the bill would require school principals to notify staff that the safety plan is available for inspection and require all documents related to the school safety plan to be available for inspection at the request of law enforcement.
A similar bill (SB 49) was introduced last year but was held in Senate Appropriations.
Assemblymember Rodriguez is Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Local Emergency Preparedness, and Vice Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. He represents the 52nd Assembly District which includes the cities of Chino, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona and portions of unincorporated Fontana.