§ 44691

915 words·~4 min read·/ca/education-code/44691-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(a)The State Department of Education, in consultation with the Office of Child Abuse Prevention in the State Department of Social Services, shall do all of the following:

(1)Develop and disseminate information to all school districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the State Department of Education, private schools, and charter schools, and their school personnel and volunteers in California, regarding the detection and reporting of child abuse and assault, and post on the department’s internet website links to existing training resources.

(2)Provide statewide guidance on the responsibilities of mandated reporters who are school personnel in accordance with the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 11164) of Chapter 2 of Title 1 of Part 4 of the Penal Code). This guidance shall include, but not be limited to, both of the following:

(A)Information on the identification of child abuse and neglect and child sexual abuse and assault.

(B)Reporting requirements for child abuse and neglect and child sexual abuse and assault.

(1)The State Department of Education shall develop and disseminate information to all school districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the department, private schools, and charter schools, and their school personnel and volunteers in California, regarding the prevention of abuse, including sexual abuse and assault, of children on school grounds, by school personnel and volunteers, or in school-sponsored programs.

(2)The State Department of Education shall develop appropriate means of instructing school personnel regarding the prevention of abuse, including sexual abuse, of children on school grounds, by school personnel, or in school-sponsored programs.

(c)School districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the State Department of Education, private schools, and charter schools shall do the following:

(A)Provide annual training, using the online training module provided by the State Department of Social Services or as provided in subdivision (d), to their employees, volunteers, and persons working on their behalf who are mandated reporters, as defined in Section 11165.7 of the Penal Code, pursuant to this section and subdivision

(d)of Section 11165.7 of the Penal Code on the mandated reporting requirements. This training shall include information that failure to report an incident of known or reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect, as required by Section 11166 of the Penal Code, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months confinement in a county jail, or by a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine.

(B)Provide annual training on the prevention of abuse, including sexual abuse and assault, of children on school grounds, by school personnel and volunteers, or in school-sponsored programs.

(C)The training provided pursuant to subparagraphs

(A)and

(B)shall be provided to school personnel hired during the course of the school year and to volunteers upon commencing volunteer services.

(D)It is the intent of the Legislature that the child abuse prevention content, as added by Assembly Bill 1913 of the 2023–24 Regular Session, will not add to the duration of training requirements pursuant to this section, as it read on January 1, 2024, but instead only alter the content of those training requirements.

(2)Develop a process for all persons required to receive training pursuant to this section to provide proof of completing the training within the first six weeks of each school year, within the first six weeks of that person’s employment, or within six weeks of commencing volunteer services. The process developed under this paragraph may include, but not be limited to, the use of a sign-in sheet or the submission of a certificate of completion to the applicable governing board or body of the school district, county office of education, state special school or diagnostic center operated by the State Department of Education, private school, or charter school.

(1)School districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the State Department of Education, private schools, and charter schools that do not use the online training module provided by the State Department of Social Services shall use an equivalent training module developed specifically to meet the requirements of this section and report that training to the State Department of Education.

(2)The alternative training module shall be approved by the public entity risk pool joint powers authority or liability insurance provider used by the school district, county office of education, state special school or diagnostic center operated by the State Department of Education, private school, or charter school.

(e)For purposes of this section, a volunteer is a person who is over 18 years of age and who interacts with pupils outside of the immediate supervision and control of the pupil’s parent or guardian or a school employee.

(f)A person who has completed the mandated reporter training provided by the State Department of Social Services and received a certificate of completion within the previous 12 months shall be deemed to satisfy the training requirements specified in this section.

(g)It is the intent of the Legislature that the child sexual abuse and assault content, as added by Senate Bill 848 of the 2025–26 Regular Session, will not add to the duration of training requirements pursuant to this section, as it read on January 1, 2025, but instead only alter the content of those training requirements.

(h)This section shall become operative on July 1, 2026.