School employees: child abuse: reporting.

Existing law requires the State Office of Child Abuse Prevention to develop and disseminate information to all school districts and district school personnel regarding the detection of child abuse. Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, designates certain persons, including teachers, as mandated reporters. Existing law requires a mandated reporter to make a report if the person has knowledge of or observes a child whom the person knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Existing law also provides that the California School for the Blind and the California School for the Deaf are under the administration of the State Department of Education. This bill would require the governing board of each school district and county office of education, the governing body of each charter school, and, for purposes of the California School for the Blind and the California School for the Deaf, the department, to adopt a policy on the reporting of child abuse and the responsibilities of mandated reporters. The bill would require each school district, charter school, and county office of education, the California School for the Blind, and the California School for the Deaf to, at minimum, review the mandated reporting requirements of school employees with all school personnel within the first 6 weeks of each school year, at a regularly scheduled staff meeting. By expanding the duty of school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 these statutory provisions.