School accountability: school climate report.

Existing law requires the governing board of each school district and county board of education to adopt a local control accountability plan and to update its local control and accountability plan before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires a local control and accountability plan to include, among other things, a description of the annual goals to be achieved for each state priority, as specified, for all pupils and certain subgroups of pupils. The state's delineated priorities include, among others, pupil engagement, as measured by specified attendance, dropout, and graduation rates, and school climate, as measured by pupil suspension and expulsion rates and other local measures, as provided. This bill, commencing with the 2026–27 school year, would require a school district, county office of education, or charter school that serves pupils in any of grades 5 to 12, inclusive, to annually (1) compile a school climate report detailing the pupil engagement and school climate data collected for purposes of their local control and accountability plan, and (2) if the local educational agency identifies any deficiencies in school climate, detail a plan to improve school climate to be included in the report. The bill would require the school climate report, including the plan to improve school climate, if applicable, to be presented at a regularly scheduled meeting of the governing board or body of the local educational agency and made public accessibly on the local educational agency's internet website, as provided. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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.