School safety: Pupil and Staff Safety Pilot Program.

Existing law prohibits a person employed by or engaged in a public school from inflicting, or causing to be inflicted, corporal punishment upon a pupil. Existing law prohibits an educational provider, as defined, from using a behavioral restraint or seclusion in certain circumstances, including, but not limited to, using seclusion or a behavioral restraint for the purpose of coercion, discipline, convenience, or retaliation, and prohibits the use of certain restraint and seclusion techniques. This bill would establish the Pupil and Staff Safety Pilot Program to be administered through the "Scale Up MTSS Statewide" (SUMS) project, in consultation with the State Department of Education. The program would authorize local educational agencies, as defined, to apply for pilot program funds for the purpose of training staff who have contact or interaction with pupils on deescalation techniques and alternatives to physical restraint and seclusion of pupils. The bill would require a local educational agency that provides training pursuant to the pilot program to report on the training to the administrator of the SUMS project and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, as specified. The bill would require the Superintendent, once all pilot program funds are expended, to submit a summary of the local educational agency reports the Superintendent received to the Legislature, the Department of Finance, the State Board of Education, and the Legislative Analyst's Office. The bill would make implementation of the pilot program contingent upon one-time funds being provided for its purposes, as specified.