School campuses and district offices are all too often the target of threats that can create real fear for the safety for those at the location. While education leaders have different tools available to help prevent and respond to threats, some of those tools could do more. That’s why ACSA is sponsoring Assembly Bill 1961, by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, to make the existing authority of school employers more robust and reflect the actual nature of threats made to school sites.

The proposed law would expand the ability of a school employer to seek a temporary restraining order (TRO) when the threat is focused on a location and not just an individual. Current law already allows a TRO when the threat involves a specifically named person. However, many times the target is an entire school or group of employees. AB 1961 would allow a TRO to be issued when the threat focuses on a worksite or location where primary job duties are performed, creating greater protections for those onsite.

“Educator well-being is an overarching guiding principle in our One Voice for Students Legislative Platform,” said ACSA Legislative Advocate Dorothy Johnson. “This legislative session the platform specifically speaks to ensuring staff feel safe and supported at school given the politicization of education issues on top of day-to-day interactions that are part of serving the school community.”

Under the current law, when there is a general threat to a school location a school employer will often list the principal or superintendent on the court forms to represent the workplace. Unfortunately, the courts may deny these requests because the individual listed was neither personally present during the incident nor directly targeted. This situation creates a gap in which addressing group-based threats becomes more challenging, despite their significant safety concerns.

ACSA has heard of dozens of instances where, due to the circumstances, the options to find a resolution were limited.

“In light of current headlines and newsfeeds, employees are anxious about the potential for a person to actually follow through on the threat. All of this adds tension to an already challenging role,” said Campbell Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Shelly Viramontes. “Under current law, unless an employee is expressly named, our hands are essentially tied to directly address that threat.”

The bill has received wide support from statewide organizations representing public and private sector employers, individual school districts, cities, and counties, and also labor organizations. It has no opposition and is currently in the Senate after successfully passing the Assembly.