AB 2598 – Requires The State Department Of Education Develop Best Practices For Effective, Evidence-Based Restorative Justice Practices For School Districts, County Offices Of Education And Charter Schools To Use

Existing law requires suspension of a pupil only when other means of correction fail to bring about proper conduct, and specifies that other means of correction may include, among other things, participation in a restorative justice program.

AB 2598 requires the State Department of Education develops evidence-based best practices for restorative justice practice implementation. The department shall make the resources available on the department’s internet website on or before June 1, 2024, for use by local educational agencies.

The bill further requires that the department consults with the following groups to identify the best practices for effective, evidence-based restorative justice practices in elementary and secondary schools:

• School-based restorative justice practitioners;
• Educators from public schools serving kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive;
• Pupils from public schools serving kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive; and
• Community partners or community members, and nonprofit and public entities

The bill encourages the department to consider resources and best practices that have been identified or developed as part of aligned efforts, including, but not limited to, the Scaling Up MTSS Statewide (SUMS) Initiative, the California Community Schools Partnership Program, and resources developed by the department in support of social-emotional learning, when developing its best practices.

(AB 2598 adds Article 9, commencing with Section 49055, to Chapter 6 of Part 27 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code.)