Existing law require school districts and charter schools develop comprehensive school safety plans. The plans must include disaster procedures and must include adaptations for pupils with disabilities in accordance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
SB 323 requires school districts and charter schools to revise disaster procedures to also include adaptations for pupils with disabilities in accordance with the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The bill also requires an annual review of school safety plans to include appropriate adaptations for pupils with disabilities.
The bill also provides that after the first evaluation or review of the comprehensive safety plan, a school employee, pupil’s parent, guardian, or educational rights holder, or the pupil themselves may bring concerns about a pupil’s ability to access disaster safety procedures as described in the school safety plan to the principal. If the principal determines there is merit to the concern, the principal shall direct the school site council, school safety planning committee, or charter school to make appropriate modifications to the comprehensive safety plan or school safety plan. The bill further provides that a principal may direct the school site council, the school safety planning committee or charter school to make modifications to the plan before the evaluation of the plans. SB 232 amends existing law to provide that a school employee, a pupil’s parent, guardian, or educational rights holder, or the pupil themselves may raise concerns to the principal before the plans are evaluated or reviewed.
SB 232 provides that all deliberations of the school site council, school safety planning committee, or charter school related to individual pupils with disabilities must comply with state and federal laws regarding the privacy of pupil information.
Finally, SB 232 requires schools that serve pupils in grades 7 to 12 to include in their comprehensive school safety plans a protocol in the event a pupil is suffering or is reasonably believed to be suffering from an opioid overdose.
(SB 323 amends Section 32282 of the Education Code.)