Assembly BillChaptered/SignedEducation
AB 1721: Pupil safety: comprehensive school safety plans.
What AB 1721 does, verified September 21, 2026
The bill aims to improve school safety by requiring the development of comprehensive school safety plans. These plans must include strategies and programs to ensure high school safety and procedures to comply with existing laws. A statewide stakeholder workgroup will review existing plans and make recommendations on their development and approval process by July 1, 2027. The state education department will submit a report on the workgroup's recommendations to the department of finance and relevant legislative committees by July 1, 2028. The department can enter into contracts with non-governmental entities to implement the provisions of the bill.
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Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 373, Statutes of 2026. (2026-09-20)Alert me
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| Sep. 20, 2026 | Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 373, Statutes of 2026. |
| Sep. 20, 2026 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Sep. 03, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. |
| Aug. 26, 2026 | Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 6635.). |
| Aug. 26, 2026 | In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. |
Latest bill textEnrolled version, August 30, 2026 · 1,229 words
| Enrolled August 30, 2026 |
| Passed IN Senate August 26, 2026 |
| Passed IN Assembly August 26, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate August 21, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate June 08, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly March 09, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1721
| Introduced by Assembly Member Muratsuchi |
February 05, 2026 |
An act to add Section 32282.3 to the Education Code, relating to pupil safety.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1721, Muratsuchi. Pupil safety: comprehensive school safety plans.
Under existing law, each school district and county office of education is responsible for the overall development of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of its schools operating kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, in cooperation with certain local entities. Existing law requires that the plan include identification of appropriate strategies and programs that will provide or maintain a high level of school safety and address the school’s procedures for complying with existing laws related to school safety.
This bill would require the Education Commissioner, in consultation with the State Board of Education and specified stakeholders, to develop recommendations on the development and approval processes for school safety plans. The bill would require the Education Commissioner, in consultation with the stakeholders, to review existing comprehensive school safety plans and make recommendations on the development and approval processes for, and the required elements of, a comprehensive school safety plan, as provided. The bill would require the Education Commissioner to, on or before July 1, 2028, submit a report on recommendations on the development and approval of school safety plans to the Department of Finance and appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature. The bill would authorize the State Department of Education to enter into exclusive or nonexclusive contracts, as provided, with nongovernmental entities to implement these provisions.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 32282.3 is added to the Education Code, to read:32282.3.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) The California Constitution guarantees California children the right to attend public schools that are safe, secure, and peaceful.
(2) The state, school districts, county offices of education, and schools, and their personnel, are responsible for creating learning environments that are safe and secure. First responders, community partners, and families also play essential roles.
(3) Schools must be prepared to respond to emergencies, including natural and man-made hazards, and strive to prevent violence and behaviors that undermine safety and security.
(4) Comprehensive school safety plans include strategies aimed at the prevention of, and education about, potential crime and violence on a school campus and strategies aimed at ensuring social, emotional, and physical safety for both youth and adults.
(5) Since 2002, a school has been required to adopt and, on or before March 1 of each year, update the school’s comprehensive school safety plan.
(6) Schools have been increasingly affected by safety issues that were not addressed when safety plans were first adopted, such as increased incidences of active school shooters, the opioid crisis, and wildfires and other natural disasters.
(7) The Legislature has responded to emerging safety issues by requiring schools to be prepared to respond. These new requirements, while critical, have been imposed without a formal review of the best way to ensure comprehensive school safety plans retain their focus.
(8) Following the addition of these new requirements for a comprehensive school safety plan over the last few years, there is a need to have experts review all the requirements for comprehensive school safety plans, conduct a thorough assessment, and make recommendations to policymakers on how to improve and update the plans while maintaining all critical elements.
(b) (1) The Education Commissioner, in consultation with the state board and stakeholders, shall develop recommendations on the development and approval processes for school safety plans. Stakeholders shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(A) Two current schoolsite administrators.
(B) Two certificated public school teachers.
(C) Two representatives of a local school employee organization.
(D) One representative of a parent organization.
(E) One current high school pupil.
(F) Two representatives of local law enforcement agencies, at least one of whom shall be a peace officer as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 830.32 of the Penal Code.
(G) Two representatives of local fire agencies.
(H) One member of a local educational agency with specific expertise in school safety.
(I) Two representatives of school districts holding a pupil personnel services credential or a services credential with a specialization in health for a school nurse.
(J) One member of either the governing board of a school district or a county board of education.
(K) One member of the governing body of a charter school.
(2) The Education Commissioner shall, to the greatest extent possible, ensure that the stakeholders consulted include the following:
(A) Educators employed in both elementary and secondary schools, including those with experience in working with pupils with exceptional needs.
(B) Individuals who represent the geographic diversity of the state and who comprise a balance of educators and first responders from both urban and rural areas.
(c) The Education Commissioner, in consultation with stakeholders, may consult with outside experts in school safety issues. The Education Commissioner, in consultation with stakeholders, shall review existing comprehensive school safety plans and make recommendations on the development and approval processes for, and the required elements of, a comprehensive school safety plan. This review shall include all of the following:
(1) Defining the goals and purposes of a comprehensive school safety plan.
(2) Reviewing the required elements of a plan and assessing the elements’ alignment with the goals and purposes of a plan.
(3) Reviewing the development and adoption process of a plan, including the process for future updates to a plan.
(4) Making recommendations for all of the following:
(A) Improvements to the structure, organization, and layout of a plan to ensure it captures critical elements and is accessible and useful for schoolsite staff and the community, including parents and law enforcement.
(B) Improvements to the local development and approval process to ensure that it is transparent and includes sufficient opportunity for input from stakeholders.
(C) Procedures for the addition or deletion of elements of a plan to ensure continued cohesion and accessibility.
(d) The Education Commissioner shall, on or before July 1, 2028, submit a report on recommendations on the development and approval of school safety plans to the Department of Finance and appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature. The report shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(e) For purposes of this section, the department may enter into exclusive or nonexclusive contracts with nongovernmental entities on a bid or negotiated basis. A contract entered into or amended pursuant to this section shall be exempt from Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 14825) of Part 5.5 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, Section 19130 of the Government Code, and Part 2 (commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, and shall be exempt from the review or approval of any division of the Department of General Services.
(f) Notwithstanding any other law, a contracted nongovernmental entity described in subdivision (e) may subcontract as necessary in the performance of its duties, subject to approval of the Education Commissioner.
Text of AB 1721 as enrolled, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions