Existing law required a local educational agency (LEA) to adopt procedures for preventing acts of bullying, including cyberbullying, by December 31, 2019. AB 772 now requires the State Department of Education to develop, by June 30, 2026, a model policy on how to address reported acts of cyberbullying that occurs outside of school hours and off campus, provided that, if the cyberbullying occurs off campus, it must be sufficiently severe or pervasive to have the actual and reasonably expected effect of creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment. This model policy will be appropriate for LEAs serving students in grades 4 to 12 and will clarify that LEAs are authorized, but not required, to address acts of cyberbullying occurring outside of school hours and off campus.
AB 772 further requires each LEA to adopt a policy, or modify its existing cyberbullying procedures, on how to address reported acts of cyberbullying that occur outside of school hours and off campus. AB 772 provides that LEAs may use the State Department of Education’s model policy or a locally adopted policy, but, either way, they must post a copy of the policy on their website and the website of each of their school sites.
(AB 772 adds Section 234.41 to the Education Code.)