(1) Existing law establishes the system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state and provides for the establishment of local educational agencies to operate these schools and provide instruction to pupils. Existing law states the policy of the State of California to afford all persons in public schools, regardless of their disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other specified characteristic, equal rights and opportunities in the educational institutions of the state.
This bill, commencing with the 2021–22 school year, would require each school operated by a school district or county office of education and each charter school to annually
provide in-service online training at least once every 2 years to teachers of pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, and to all other certificated employees at that school, on schoolsite and community resources for the support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) pupils as well as pupils, and strategies to increase support for LGBTQ pupils and thereby improve overall school climate, as specified. By imposing additional duties on public schools and local educational agencies, the bill
would impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would require the State Department of Education to develop resources for in-service training on schoolsite and community resources for the support of LGBTQ pupils and strategies to increase support for LGBTQ pupils if an appropriation is made for these purposes, and would authorize schools to provide in-service training using the resources developed by the department instead of the online training described above. The bill would require, contingent on an appropriation made for this purpose, the department to award competitive grants to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to operate their own in-person, in-service training instead of the online training.
(2) The California Constitution requires
the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.