School Discipline Laws & Regulations by State & Category

(1) Assessing the current status of school crime committed on school campuses and at school-related functions.

(1) Primary strategies to create and maintain a positive school climate, promote school safety, and increase pupil achievement, and prioritize mental health and intervention services, restorative and transformative justice programs, and positive behavior interventions and support.

(2) Consistent with paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 32282, protocols to address the mental health care of pupils who have witnessed a violent act at any time, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

(A) While on school grounds.

(B) While going to or coming from school.

(C) During a lunch period whether on or off campus.

(D) During, or while going to or coming from, a school-sponsored activity.

(1) One-year dropout rates for each of grades 7 to 12, inclusive.

(2) Four-year cohort dropout rates for grades 9 to 12, inclusive.

(3) Two- or three-year cohort dropout rates, as appropriate, for middle schools.

(4) Grade 9 to grade 10 promotion rates.

(5) Percentage of high school pupils for each of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, who are on track to earn sufficient credits to graduate.

(6) The average number of nonpromotional school moves that pupils make between grades 6 to 12, inclusive.

(7) "Full-year" dropout rates for alternative schools, including dropout recovery high schools, calculated using a methodology developed by the Superintendent to appropriately reflect dropout rates in each type of alternative school.

(8) An explanation of the methodology or methodologies used to calculate "full-year" dropout rates for alternative schools pursuant to paragraph (7).

(9) Other available data relating to dropout or graduation rates or pupil progress toward high school graduation.

(1) Rates at which pupils graduate in four, five, and six years, pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 52052.

(2) Percentage of high school graduates and dropouts who completed courses that are certified by the University of California as meeting admission requirement criteria for the University of California and California State University systems.

(3) Percentage of high school graduates and dropouts who completed two or more classes in career technical education.

(4) Percentage of high school graduates and dropouts who completed both course sequences described in paragraphs (2) and (3).

(5) Behavioral data by school and school district, including suspensions and expulsions.

(6) Truancy rates.

(7) GED earning rates.

(8) Chronic absentee rates, as defined in Section 60901.

(1) By state.

(2) By county.

(3) By school district, both including and excluding charter schools.

(4) By school.

(1) Grade level.

(2) Ethnicity.

(3) Gender.

(4) Low socioeconomic status.

(5) English learners.

(6) Special education status.

(a) The administration of each private school and public school district of the county shall, upon the severance of attendance by any pupil subject to the compulsory education laws of California, whether by expulsion, exclusion, exemption, transfer, suspension beyond 10 schooldays, or other reasons, report such severance to the county superintendent of schools in the jurisdiction. The report shall include names, ages, last known address and the reason for each such severance.

(b) It shall be the duty of the county superintendent of such county to examine such reports and draw to the attention of the county board of education and local district board of education any cases in which the interests of the child or the welfare of the state may need further examination.

(c) After preliminary study of available information in cases so referred to it, the county board of education may, on its own action, hold hearings on such cases in the manner provided in Sections 48915 through 48920 and with the same powers of final decision as therein provided.

(A) The number of pupils recommended for expulsion.

(B) The grounds for each recommended expulsion.

(C) Whether the pupil was subsequently expelled.

(D) Whether the expulsion order was suspended.

(E) The type of referral made after the expulsion.

(F) The disposition of the pupil after the end of the period of expulsion.

(2) The Superintendent may require a school district to report this data as part of the coordinated compliance review. If a school district does not report outcome data as required by this subdivision, the Superintendent may not apportion any further money to the school district pursuant to Section 48664 until the school district is in compliance with this subdivision. Before withholding the apportionment of funds to a school district pursuant to this subdivision, the Superintendent shall give written notice to the governing board of the school district that the school district has failed to report the data required by paragraph (1) and that the school district has 30 calendar days from the date of the written notice of noncompliance to report the requested data and thereby avoid the withholding of the apportionment of funds.

(1) The degree to which the teachers of the school district are appropriately assigned in accordance with Section 44258.9, and fully credentialed in the subject areas, and, for the pupils they are teaching, every pupil in the school district has sufficient access to the standards-aligned instructional materials as determined pursuant to Section 60119, and school facilities are maintained in good repair, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 17002.

(2) Implementation of the academic content and performance standards adopted by the state board, including how the programs and services will enable English learners to access the common core academic content standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.8 and the English language development standards adopted pursuant to former Section 60811.3, as that section read on June 30, 2013, or former Section 60811.4, as that section read on June 30, 2016, for purposes of gaining academic content knowledge and English language proficiency.

(3)(A) Parental involvement and family engagement, including efforts the school district makes to seek parent input in making decisions for the school district and each individual schoolsite, and including how the school district will promote parental participation in programs for unduplicated pupils and individuals with exceptional needs.

(B) Family engagement may include, but need not be limited to, efforts by the school district and each individual schoolsite to apply research-based practices, such as welcoming all families into the school community, engaging in effective two-way communication, supporting pupil success, and empowering families to advocate for equity and access. Family engagement may include, but need not be limited to, treating families as partners to inform, influence, and create practices and programs that support pupil success and collaboration with families and the broader community, expand pupil learning opportunities and community services, and promote civic participation.

(4) Pupil achievement, as measured by all of the following, as applicable:

(A) Statewide assessments administered pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 60640) of Chapter 5 of Part 33 or any subsequent assessment, as certified by the state board.

(B) The percentage of pupils who have successfully completed courses that satisfy the requirements for entrance to the University of California and the California State University.

(C) The percentage of pupils who have successfully completed courses that satisfy the requirements for career technical education sequences or programs of study that align with state board-approved career technical education standards and frameworks, including, but not limited to, those described in subdivision (a) of Section 52302, subdivision (a) of Section 52372.5, or paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 54692.

(D) The percentage of pupils who have successfully completed both types of courses described in subparagraphs (B) and (C).

(E) The percentage of English learner pupils who make progress toward English proficiency as measured by the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California or any subsequent assessment of English proficiency, as certified by the state board.

(F) The English learner reclassification rate.

(G) The percentage of pupils who have passed an advanced placement examination with a score of 3 or higher.

(H) The percentage of pupils who demonstrate college preparedness pursuant to the Early Assessment Program, as described in Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 99300) of Part 65 of Division 14 of Title 3, or any subsequent assessment of college preparedness.

(5) Pupil engagement, as measured by all of the following, as applicable:

(A) School attendance rates.

(B) Chronic absenteeism rates.

(C) Middle school dropout rates.

(D) High school dropout rates.

(E) High school graduation rates.

(6) School climate, as measured by all of the following, as applicable:

(A) Pupil suspension rates.

(B) Pupil expulsion rates.

(C) Other local measures, including surveys of pupils, parents, and teachers on the sense of safety and school connectedness.

(7) The extent to which pupils have access to, and are enrolled in, a broad course of study that includes all of the subject areas described in Section 51210 and subdivisions (a) to (i), inclusive, of Section 51220, as applicable, including the programs and services developed and provided to unduplicated pupils and individuals with exceptional needs, and the programs and services that are provided to benefit these pupils as a result of the funding received pursuant to Section 42238.02, as implemented by Section 42238.03.

(8) Pupil outcomes, if available, in the subject areas described in Section 51210 and subdivisions (a) to (i), inclusive, of Section 51220, as applicable.

(1) To provide school districts and the department access to data necessary to comply with federal reporting requirements delineated in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.).

(2) To provide a better means of evaluating educational progress and investments over time.

(3) To provide local educational agencies information that can be used to improve pupil achievement.

(4) To provide an efficient, flexible, and secure means of maintaining longitudinal statewide pupil level data.

(5) To facilitate the ability of the state to publicly report data, as specified in Section 6401(e)(2)(D) of the federal America COMPETES Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 9871) and as required by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).

(6) To ensure that any data access provided to researchers, as required pursuant to the federal Race to the Top regulations and guidelines is provided, only to the extent that the data access is in compliance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g).

(1) All demographic data collected from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and English language development tests.

(2) Pupil achievement data from assessments administered pursuant to the CAASPP and English language development testing programs. To the extent feasible, data should include subscore data within each content area.

(3) A unique pupil identification number to be identical to the pupil identifier developed pursuant to the California School Information Services, which shall be retained by each local educational agency and used to ensure the accuracy of information on the header sheets of the CAASPP tests and the English language development test.

(4) All data necessary to compile reports required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.), including, but not limited to, dropout and graduation rates.

(5) Other data elements deemed necessary by the Superintendent, with the approval of the state board, to comply with the federal reporting requirements delineated in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.), and the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), after review and comment by the advisory board convened pursuant to subdivision (h). Before the implementation of this paragraph with respect to adding data elements to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System for the purpose of complying with the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), the department and the appropriate postsecondary educational agencies shall submit an expenditure plan to the Department of Finance detailing any administrative costs to the department and costs to any local educational agency, if applicable. The Department of Finance shall provide to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee a copy of the expenditure plan within 10 days of receipt of the expenditure plan from the department.

(6) To enable the department, the University of California, the California State University, and the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to meet the requirements prescribed by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), these entities shall be authorized to obtain quarterly wage data, commencing July 1, 2010, on students who have attended their respective systems, to assess the impact of education on the employment and earnings of those students, to conduct the annual analysis of district-level and individual district or postsecondary education system performance in achieving priority educational outcomes, and to submit the required reports to the Legislature and the Governor. The information shall be provided to the extent permitted by federal statutes and regulations.

(1) The ability to sort by demographic element collected from the CAASPP tests and English language development test.

(2) The capability to be expanded to include pupil achievement data from multiple years.

(3) The capability to monitor pupil achievement on the CAASPP tests and English language development test from year to year and school to school.

(4) The capacity to provide data to the state and local educational agencies upon their request.

(1) The addition of fields to facilitate the transfer of data.

(2) System development activities including any business rules and definitions that would be needed to improve the quality and consistency of the data.

(3) Processes for the transfer of data from local educational agencies.

(4) Consultation with organizations representing school, district, and county education administrators, classified and certified staff, and parents in order to develop the criteria and frequency of reports on pupil attendance data and other indicators as may be submitted by local educational agencies.

(1) Rates of absence.

(2) Chronic absentees.

(2) Once available, chronic absentee rates shall be incorporated into the annual report on dropouts required pursuant to Section 48070.6.

(1) The utilization of highly predictive indicators, including attendance, course grades or completion, performance on assessments of pupil achievement, suspensions, and expulsions.

(2) A thorough validation process to ensure the predictive reliability of the systems.

(3) Periodic reports that inform principals, teachers, and parents in a manner that enables timely identification and support of individual pupils who are at risk of academic failure or dropping out.

(1) Arson. "Arson" means the willful and malicious setting fire to or burning any structure or property, regardless of the value of the property. Arson does not include one burning his or her own property, unless there is injury to another person or another person's property. Reporting for the purposes of the Safe Schools Assessment Program shall be limited to incidents of arson that result in an economic loss of $100 or more to an individual, the school district or county office of education.

(2) Assault with a deadly weapon. "Assault with a deadly weapon" means the use of a firearm, deadly weapon or instrument other than a firearm or by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. A deadly weapon can be a firearm; stun gun or taser; bows and arrows; knives or other cutting instruments; clubs; bottles; explosives; and body parts, such as teeth, hands, fists, and feet used with force likely to produce great bodily injury.

(3) Battery. "Battery" means the willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another.

(4) Burglary. "Burglary" means any entry with the intent to commit a theft or any felony, even though force may not have been used to gain entry.

(5) Destructive devices. "Destructive devices" means the use of any of the following for criminal purposes:

(A) Projectile containing any explosive or incendiary material or any chemical substance, bomb, facsimile bomb, grenade, explosive missile or similar device or any launching device.

(B) Weapon of a caliber greater than 0.60 caliber which fires fixed ammunition or any ammunition other than a shotgun.

(C) Rocket, rocket propelled projectile, or any similar device of diameter greater than 0.60 inches or launching device.

(D) Breakable container which contains a flammable liquid with a flashpoint of 150 degrees Fahrenheit or less and has a wick or similar device capable of being ignited, other than a device which is commercially manufactured primarily for the purpose of illumination.

(E) Sealed device containing dry ice (CO 2) or other chemically reactive substances assembled for the purpose of causing an explosion by a chemical reaction.

Included in this category also are written or oral threats to use destructive devices. Devices such as snappers or poppers, firecrackers, and fireworks shall not be reported.

(6) Drug and alcohol offenses. "Drug and alcohol offenses" means the possession, use, sale, or furnishing of any drug, intoxicating liquor, controlled substance, or toluene, as well as drug paraphernalia, that is prohibited by law.

(7) Explosive devices. "Explosive devices" means any substance, or combination of substances, the primary or common purpose of which is detonation or rapid combustion with criminal intent. Explosives include, but are not limited to:

(A) Dynamite, nitroglycerin, black powder, propellant explosives, detonating primers, blasting caps or commercial boosters.

(B) Substances determined to be class A and class B explosives by the United States Department of Transportation.

(C) Nitro carbo nitrate substances (blasting agent) as classified by the United States Department of Transportation.

(D) Any material designated as an explosive by the State Fire Marshal.

(E) Certain class C explosives designated by the United States Department of Transportation when listed in regulations adopted by the State Fire Marshal.

Included in this category also are written or oral threats to use explosive devices. Devices such as snappers or poppers, firecrackers, and fireworks shall not be reported.

(8) Graffiti. "Graffiti" means any form of unauthorized painting, writing, or inscription on the property of a school district or county office of education, regardless of the content or nature of the material used in the commission of the act. Reporting for the purposes of the Safe Schools Assessment Program shall be limited to incidents of graffiti that result in an economic loss of $100 or more to an individual, the school district or county office of education.

(9) Hate Crime. "Hate crime" means an act or attempted act against the person or property of another individual or institution which in any way manifests evidence of hostility toward the victim because of his or her actual or perceived race, religion, disability, gender, nationality, or sexual orientation. This includes, but is not limited to, threatening telephone calls, hate mail, physical assault, vandalism, cross burning, destruction of religious symbols, or fire bombings. This paragraph shall include those threats or hate mail sent by electronic communication.

(10) Homicide. "Homicide" means the unlawful killing of a person by another person.

(11) Loitering or trespassing

(A) "Loitering" means to delay, to linger, or to idle about any school location without lawful business for being present.

(B) "Trespassing" means the entering of school grounds during school hours without registering with the site or program administrator, as required by law, and remaining after being asked to leave, or returning to the school grounds within thirty days of being asked to leave or within seven days if the person is a parent or guardian of a student attending the school.

(12) Possession of weapons. "Possession of weapons" means the unauthorized possession of dangerous weapons, which include, but are not limited to, fire arms or knives.

(13) Robbery/extortion

(A) "Robbery" means the taking of personal property in possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by force or fear.

(B) "Extortion" means the taking of property from another person without their consent. Extortion is induced by a threat of force or wrongful use of fear. Extortion may occur over a period of time. Included in this category are written or oral threats to take property.

(14) Sex offenses. "Sex offenses" mean sexual battery, rape, statutory rape, sodomy, lewd and lascivious conduct with children, oral copulation, and child molestation.

(15) Theft. "Theft" (larceny) means the taking, leading, driving, or carrying away of property (including motor vehicles) belonging to another with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of its use, regardless of the value of the property. Reporting for the purposes of the Safe Schools Assessment Program shall be limited to incidents of theft that result in an economic loss of $50 or more to the individual, school district, or county office of education.

(16) Vandalism. "Vandalism" (to school, student, or employee property on school location) means the malicious defacing, damaging, or destroying of property. Reporting for the purposes of the Safe Schools Assessment Program shall be limited to incidents of vandalism that result in an economic loss of $100 or more to the individual, school district, or county office of education.

(1) On campus, including before or after school, and during lunch and recess.

(2) On a school bus, to or from school, or to or from a school-sponsored activity.

(3) Off campus during lunch or at a school-sponsored activity.

(4) On the way directly to and from school or at a school-sponsored activity.

(1) Each administrator of a school site or county office of education program, or designee, shall complete a California Safe Schools Assessment School Crime and Incident Reporting Form (July 1, 2001) for each incident of crime, including hate crime or hate motivated incidents. The information on the form includes, but is not limited to, identification of the crime or hate motivated incident, victim characteristics, suspect characteristics, if known at the time of the incident, and the actual or estimated dollar loss to the school district or county office of education resulting from a criminal act directed against property of the school district or county office of education. The site or program administrator shall use the crime and hate motivated incident classification definitions as specified above in Section 700(b) and (d) and the reporting guidelines as specified below in Section 702(a) to determine if a crime or an incident is reportable for the purposes of the Safe Schools Assessment Program.

(2) The site or program administrator, or designee, shall retain on file for not less than three years the individual reports of crimes and hate moviated incidents on which the aggregate data is based, and any other required documentation, as specified below in Section 702(b).

(3) Each month the data regarding reportable school crimes and hate motivated incidents shall be reported to the designated person at the respective school district or county office of education.

(4) Any school district that has its own police department may have the chief of its police force or other administrator of the police department prepare the California Safe Schools Assessment School Crime and Incident Reporting Form (July 1, 2001) for its schools and submit the aggregated data to the California Department of Education.

(5) On or before February 1 and August 1 of each year, the respective school district or county office of education superintendent, or designee, shall aggregate the school crime and hate motivated incident data reported by schools or programs within their jurisdiction and report the aggregated data to the California Department of Education.

(6) Beginning February 1, 1997 and thereafter, if a school district or county office of education chooses to submit its data to the California Department of Education in an electronic format, it must do so in a format designated by the California Department of Education. For the purposes of this section, an electronic format includes, computer disk, modem transfer, or other electronic means.

(a) Reporting guidelines. The site or program administrator or designee shall report a crime or hate motivated incident when it has been determined that a reportable crime or hate motivated incident, as specified above in Section 700(b) and (d), has been committed on a school location, as specified above in Section 700(f). If more than one crime or hate motivated incident is committed during an occurrence, the most serious crime or incident in the judgment of the site or program administrator or designee shall be reported. The suspect(s) need not be apprehended for a crime or hate motivated incident to be reportable. The site or program administrator or designee may consult with local law enforcement to confirm that the occurrences reported on the forms are crimes or hate motivated incidents as defined in statute.

(b) Required documentation. The school district or county office of education superintendent responsible for reporting school crime and hate motivated incident data shall make available, for not less than three years from the date the report was submitted, supporting data which verifies information contained on the California Safe Schools Assessment School Crime and Incident Reporting Form (July 1, 2001). Such data shall include, but not be limited to, reports to local law enforcement officers and suspension and expulsion reports which have been reported to the respective local governing board, for the crime classifications specified in Education Code section 48915(a) through (d); and insurance claims, maintenance records, and other documents to verify economic loss, if applicable. In addition, staff should be available to participate in interviews during site visits from the California Department of Education.

(1) For a school of fewer than 300 enrolled students, the number of incidents of firearm violations committed by non-students on school grounds during school hours or during a school-sponsored activity, plus the number of student expulsions for any of the violations delineated in subsection (b) is greater than three.

(2) For a larger school, the number of incidents of firearm violations committed by non-students on school grounds during school hours or during a school-sponsored activity, plus the number of student expulsions for any of the violations delineated in subsection (b) is greater than one per 100 enrolled students or a fraction thereof.

(1) Assault or battery upon a school employee (Education Code section 48915(a)(5));

(2) Brandishing a knife (Education Code section 48915(c)(2));

(3) Causing serious physical injury to another person, except in self-defense (Education Code section 48915(a)(1));

(4) Hate violence (Education Code section 48900.3);

(5) Possessing, selling or furnishing a firearm (Education Code section 48915(c)(1));

(6) Possession of an explosive (Education Code section 48915(c)(5));

(7) Robbery or extortion (Education Code section 48915(a)(4));

(8) Selling a controlled substance (Education Code section 48915(c)(3)); and

(9) Sexual assault or sexual battery (Education Code section 48915(c)(4)).