Employees: workplace violence prevention plans: topics and trainings.
AB 1163
California Bills
20250AB__116398AMD INTRODUCED 2025-02-21 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2025-05-05 2025 AB AMD Introduced by Assembly Member Elhawary LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Elhawary
An act to add
Article 3 (commencing with
Section 7080) to
Chapter of Part of Division of Title of, and to add
Article 7 (commencing with
Section 87165) to
Chapter of Part of Division of Title of, the Education Code, relating to employees. employees Employees: workplace violence prevention plans: topics and trainings. Existing law establishes the system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and provides for the establishment of the local educational agencies, including school districts, that establish and operate the schools and provide instruction to pupils throughout the state. Existing law also establishes the system of public higher education in this state, including the operation of community colleges.
This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, would require the State Department of Education to, on or before January 1, 2027, develop a deescalation training and make it publicly available on its internet website. The bill would require, commencing in the 2026–27 academic year, and annually thereafter, a school district, county office of education, charter school, or community college to, for employees who regularly interact with pupils or students, require training on deescalation techniques designed to minimize the likelihood of pupils or students committing violent acts, as provided.
By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires an employer, as specified, to establish, implement, and maintain, at all times in all work areas, an effective workplace violence prevention plan containing specified information. Existing law requires the employer to provide effective training to employees on the workplace violence prevention plan, as specified, initially when the plan is first established and annually thereafter.
This bill would require a workplace violence prevention plan covering employees of a community college district, on or before July 1, 2026, to cover additional education-related topics, as provided, and to be in person and allow for questions to be asked and answered by a natural person in real time. The bill would require the training, as revised under the bill, to occur before a new employee begins their duties and as soon as practicable for existing employees, and then annually for all employees. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, 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 the statutory provisions noted above.
MAJORITY NO YES YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows: <caml:Num>SECTION 1.</caml:Num><caml:ActionLine action="IS_ADDED" xlink:href="urn:caml:codes:EDC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'TITLE'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'2.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'DIVISION'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'3.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'PART'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'25.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'1.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'ARTICLE'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'6.'%5D)" xlink:label="fractionType: LAW_SPREAD||commencingWith: 44115" xlink:type="locator">Article 6 (commencing with
Section 44115) is added to
Chapter of Part of Division of Title of the <caml:DocName>Education Code</caml:DocName>, to read:</caml:ActionLine><caml:Fragment><caml:LawHeading id="id_0B0A30DE-FAD8-40A0-B0DE-5B493E0D6778" type="ARTICLE"><caml:Num>6.</caml:Num><caml:LawHeadingVersion id="id_814AECBE-0695-4753-99D3-C38B3884F86F"><caml:LawHeadingText>Workplace Violence Prevention Plans</caml:LawHeadingText></caml:LawHeadingVersion><caml:LawSection id="id_219DB638-4106-49C2-93E9-A2B3B11F2B8C"><caml:Num>44115.</caml:Num><caml:LawSectionVersion id="id_77A5480B-074F-4AE7-B174-9AB8644A645F"><caml:Content><xhtml:p>In addition to the requirements specified in
Section 6401.9 of the Labor Code, a workplace violence prevention plan covering employees of a school district, county office of education, or charter school shall, on or before July 1, 2026, also do all of the following:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Require training on the plan to be in person and allow for questions to be asked and answered by a natural person in real time.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Require training on the plan to also cover the following topics:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(A)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Physical and verbal deescalation techniques designed to minimize the likelihood of pupils committing violent incidents.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(B)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Strategies or supports to help pupils safely return to the learning environment after committing a violent incident.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The techniques, strategies, and supports offered pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be informed by research or experience regarding how best to accommodate, address, and interact with pupils who have exceptional needs or behavioral health issues.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Require training on the plan, as revised pursuant to this section, to occur before an employee hired on or after July 1, 2026, begins their duties, as soon as practicable for employees employed as of June 30, 2026, and thereafter for all employees as part of the annual training required pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (
e) of
Section 6401.9 of the Labor Code.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:LawSectionVersion></caml:LawSection></caml:LawHeading></caml:Fragment></caml:BillSection>"?>
SECTION
Article 3 (commencing with
Section 7080) is added to
Chapter of Part of Division of Title of the Education Code , to read: 3. Deescalation Training 7080. (a)
(1) On or before January 1, 2027, the department, in consultation with current credentialed school employees, current classified school employees, administrators, and experts in deescalation techniques, shall develop a training consistent with this
section and make it publicly available on the department’s internet website.
(2) The requirements of this subdivision are contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute. (
b) A school district, county office of education, charter school, or community college shall, for employees who regularly interact with pupils or students, commencing in the 2026–27 academic year and annually thereafter, require training on deescalation techniques designed to minimize the likelihood of pupils or students committing violent acts. (
c) All of the following apply to the deescalation training required pursuant to subdivision (b):
(1) The deescalation techniques shall be developmentally appropriate for different ages of pupils or students and shall be consistent with the requirements of all of the following laws: (
A) Suspension and expulsion, including alternate means of correction, under
Article 1 (commencing with
Section 48900) of
Chapter of Part of Division of Title and
Article 3 (commencing with
Section 76030) of
Chapter of Part of Division of Title 3. (
B) Manifestation determinations, under
Section 1415(
k) of Title of the United States Code. (
C) Restraint and seclusion, under
Article 5.2 (commencing with
Section 49005) of
Chapter of Part of Division of Title and
Chapter 5.5 (commencing with
Section 56520) of Part of Division of Title 2.
(2) The training shall be no longer than one hour.
(3) The training may be included as part of the training required pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (
e) of
Section 6401.9 of the Labor Code.
(4) The training may be provided in different modalities, including in-person and virtual formats. (
d) Notwithstanding subdivision (c), a school district, county office of education, charter school, or community college may provide longer, more frequent, or additional training, or require a selected modality be used, if it is mutually agreed upon with the employees’ exclusive representative. (
e) The department shall monitor compliance with the training requirements of this
section through its existing annual compliance monitoring of state and federal programs.
SEC.
Article 7 (commencing with
Section 87165) is added to
Chapter of Part of Division of Title of the Education Code , to read: 7. Workplace Violence Prevention Plans 87165. In addition to the requirements specified in
Section 6401.9 of the Labor Code, a workplace violence prevention plan covering employees of a community college district shall, on or before July 1, 2026, also do all of the following: (
a) Require training on the plan to be in person and allow for questions to be asked and answered by a natural person in real time. (b)
(1) Require training on the plan to also cover the following topics: (
A) Physical and verbal deescalation techniques designed to minimize the likelihood of pupils committing violent incidents. (
B) Strategies or supports to help pupils safely return to the learning environment after committing a violent incident.
(2) The techniques, strategies, and supports offered pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be informed by research or experience regarding how best to accommodate, address, and interact with pupils who have exceptional needs or behavioral health issues. (
c) Require training on the plan, as revised pursuant to this section, to occur before an employee hired on or after July 1, 2026, begins their duties, as soon as practicable for employees employed as of June 30, 2026, and thereafter for all employees as part of the annual training required pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (
e) of
Section 6401.9 of the Labor Code.
SEC. 3. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to