Governor Signs Law Requiring Expanded Child-Abuse Prevention Policies in California Private Schools

On October 7, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the School Employee Misconduct: Child Abuse Prevention Act (SB 848) into law, creating new child-safety and compliance obligations for California private schools. The law brings private schools more closely in line with the standards already applied to public schools.

LCW previously published a Special Bulletin outlining the bill’s key provisions and its anticipated impact on private schools. With the law now enacted, schools should begin preparing for several important compliance deadlines.

Key Compliance Deadlines

• By July 1, 2026:

Private schools must:

• • Adopt written safety and professional-boundaries policies; and
  • Implement annual mandated reporter and abuse-prevention training for all employees, volunteers, contractors, and governing board members.

• By July 1, 2027:

Schools must update hiring and vetting procedures to include:

• • Expanded employment-history checks;
  • Disclosure of substantiated misconduct; and
  • Participation in a statewide Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) misconduct database tracking findings of “egregious misconduct.”

Next Steps
To assist schools in understanding and implementing these new requirements, LCW will host a webinar on January 27, 2026, providing an in-depth overview of SB 848’s mandates, compliance timelines, and strategies for effective implementation. Register here.

LCW will continue to monitor the rollout of SB 848 and will provide ongoing guidance and resources, including webinars, template policies, and implementation checklists, to help California private schools meet these new obligations.