EdCal EdCal v49.18 2/25/19 | Page 2

2 EDCAL February 25, 2019 Bills aimed at preventing bullying and suicide become law for California school districts The following report was written by Lozano Smith Partner Ruth Mendyk and Associate Leila Alrami-Kassim. Before leaving office, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a series of bills aimed at prevent- ing bullying and suicide. These new laws require school districts to: 1) adopt proce- dures for bullying prevention; 2) provide suicide prevention hotline information on student identification cards; and 3) review and update policies on suicide prevention at least every five years. AB 2291 - Bullying Training and Resources Prevention In an effort to curb bullying and harass- ment in schools, Assembly Bill 2291 amends section 32283.5 of the Education Code to require the California Department of Education to post on its website its training module and annually post an updated list of other available online training resources related to bullying or bullying prevention. School districts, charter schools and county offices of education will also be required to make the CDE training module available to certificated school site employ- ees and all other school site employees who have regular interaction with students. Additionally, local educational agencies will be required to adopt procedures for preventing acts of bullying by Dec. 31, 2019, per the newly codified Education Code sec- tion 234.4. The procedures for bullying prevention would likely fit within LEAs’ existing pre- vention policies on bullying or within their comprehensive school safety plan. Existing law already encourages all school safety plans to include policies and procedures aimed at the prevention of bullying. Education Code section 234.1 already requires school boards adopt a bullying policy, since July 1, 2012. (See 2012 Client News Brief No. 22.) ACSA podcasts SB 972 - Suicide Prevention Hotline on Student Identification Cards Beginning July 1, 2019, Senate Bill 972 will require schools serving students in grades 7 through 12 and in higher educa- tion issue student identification cards to print a suicide prevention hotline number on the cards. SB 972 adds section 215.5 to the Education Code, specifically providing that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line or a local suicide pre- vention hotline telephone number can be printed on either side of the identification card. In addition, higher education institu- tions are also authorized to print the cam- pus police or security telephone number, or the local nonemergency telephone number. Schools with students in grades 7 through 12 and higher education institu- tions which already have a supply of unis- sued, noncompliant identification cards as of Jan. 1, 2019, may continue to issue the noncompliant identification cards until the supply is depleted. AB 2639 - Review Suicide Prevention Policies AB 2639 builds upon AB 2246 which required schools to adopt suicide preven- tion policies prior to the commencement of the 2017-18 school year. The new law, found at Education Code section 215, requires governing boards of LEAs that serve students in grades 7 through 12 to review their policies on suicide preven- tion at least every five years. Based on the original adoption deadline of July 1, 2017, districts should plan to review and update their policies no later than July 1, 2022. The Legislature intends that suicide prevention policies be reviewed and updat- ed regularly to ensure that those policies remain relevant and address youth suicide prevention. Takeaways Bullying prevention training posted on the CDE website will need to be made available to certificated school site employ- ees and all other school site employees who have regular interaction with students. LEAs will need to adopt procedures for preventing acts of bullying by Dec. 31, 2019. Schools with students in grades 7 through 12 and higher education institu- tions that issue student identification cards will need to have a suicide prevention hot- line number printed on the cards by July 1, 2019. LEAs will need to review and, if neces- sary, update their suicide prevention policies at least every five years. For more information on Lozano Smith, go to www.lozanosmith.com. FFA members return from learning experience in South Africa ACSA Senior Director of Communications Naj Alikhan, left, interviews former Columbine High School Principal Frank De Angelis for an ACSA podcast available on the ACSA Resource Hub at content.acsa.org. De Angelis shared some of his reflections on Columbine 20 years later, school violence, and how school leaders faced with a school shooting might want to handle it. ACSA is rolling out a series of podcasts this Spring on topics of interest to school administrators. Recently, 83 FFA members visited South Africa for a 12-day educational and cultural experience. FFA members participated in the 2019 International Leadership Seminar for State Officers as an annual, international opportunity through the National FFA Organization. The seminar allows FFA members to experience a foreign culture, learn about international agriculture and become more knowledgeable regarding the global marketplace. Eighty-three past and present state FFA officers representing 26 states left the United States on Jan. 4. The group traveled throughout South Africa while surveying the agricultural landscape. FFA officers met with government and U.S. Embassy officials to learn about U.S. and South African trade relations; toured crop and livestock opera- tions; met with business and industry lead- ers; and explored a private game reserve that is home to lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo. “We hope that through a structured experience like ILSSO, students will not only see the importance of agriculture on an international level but understand it is essential to feeding the world,” said Eric Nelson, program manager with the National FFA Organization. “This seminar exposes students to culture and food production practices beyond what they are accustomed to in the United States.” Prior to departing the United States, the students completed eight weeks of online coursework related to cross-cultural adapt- ability. The program was made possible by corporate sponsors Bunge North America and John Deere. Students shared their experience through- out their trip on Twitter and Instagram. To see a recap of their adventures, visit: https:// www.ffa.org/the-feed/ilsso-brings-state- ffa-officers-to-south-africa/. Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators EdCal® (USPS 684-390, ISSN 0740-0357) is published Weekly, except for the following dates in 2018-19: 7/2, 7/9, 7/23, 8/6, 8/20, 9/10, 9/24, 10/15, 10/29, 11/12, 11/26, 12/10, 12/17, 12/24, 12/31, 1/7, 2/18, 4/8, 5/13, and 6/3, by the Association of California School Administrators, 1575 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA 94010. Periodical postage paid at Bur lingame, CA 94010 and additional offices. Subscription price: $90 value to members; offered to non- members on a qualifying basis. For further information, contact the membership depart- ment at [phone]. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EdCal, c/o ACSA, 1575 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA 94010. EdCal keeps ACSA members informed of association activities, efforts on their behalf and issues pertinent to education and educa- tion administration. Ad vertising or the mention of products, services or programs in EdCal does not imply endorsement by ACSA. ACSA is affiliated with the National Asso- ciation of School Superintendents, Nation al Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of Elem entary School Principals, American Associa tion of School Person nel Admin istrators, California Associa- tion of Latino Superintendents and Adminis- trators, Ca lifornia Associa tion of Education Office Pro fes sionals and the American Associa- tion for Adult and Continuing Education. Editorial Offices: 1029 J St., Suite 500, Sacramento, CA 95814; [phone] • Job ads: e-mail [email protected] • News: e-mail [email protected] ACSA Executive Director Wesley Smith Senior Director of Communications/PIO Naj Alikhan Chief Operations Officer Scarlett Vanyi; Senior Director of Member Services Margarita Cuizon; Chief Marketing Officer Tatia Davenport; Senior Director of Educational Services Margaret Arthofer; Senior Directors of Governmental Relations Edgar Zazueta and Adonai Mack; Senior Director of Information Technology Tony Baldwin; Senior Director of Equity and Diversity Marguerite Williams; Senior Director of Financial Services Erin Grogan EdCal Editor Cary Rodda This series introduces ACSA staff to members. These are the people working tirelessly for you each and every day. Advertising/Website Coordinator Emily Agpoon Content Specialists Michael Kelly and Darcy Totten ACSA CareerConnect Coordinator Tracy Olmedo ACSA Board of Directors President Holly Edds President-elect Linda Kaminski Vice President Ron Williams VP for Legislative Action Terri Rufert Past President Lisa Gonzales Members: Charlie Hoffman, Christine McCormick, Daniel Hernandez, Tim Gill, Jay Spaulding, Parvin Ahmadi, Denise Wickham, Juan Cruz, Ana Boyenga, Barbara Martinez, Blanca Cavazos, Ted Alejandre, Craig Helmstedter, Victor Thompson, Sue Kaiser, Angel Barrett, Rafael Plascencia, Joe Austin, Mike McCormick, Linda Hutcherson, Lisa Ketchum, Daryl Camp, Derrick Chau Burlingame, [phone] • Sacramento, [phone] • Ontario, [phone] • toll-free (800) 608-ACSA Who: Arnaldo Rivera Job: AMS Manager Arnaldo is in charge of ACSA’s Association Management System. Favorite pastime: Although Arnaldo’s work focuses on technology, at heart he loves nature and being outdoors. He says it’s good to unplug and reconnect with yourself in a peaceful, natural environment. ACSA. We work for you.