Schools Will Have to Do More To Prevent Sex Abuse under New CA Law

"Facing a mountain of lawsuits, California K-12 schools will have a system in place beginning this year to prevent teachers and other staff from sexually abusing students. A new California law creates an array of measures to educate school staff, beef up reporting requirements and stop teachers credibly accused of abuse from getting jobs at other districts. The law, Senate Bill 848, goes into effect Jan. 1 and schools must have protocols in place by July."

"The law stems from a previous California law that made it easier for victims to sue school districts and counties. Under AB 218, which went into effect in 2020, victims can file suit until age 40 or even older if they didn't remember being abused until later in life. That's led to an avalanche of lawsuits and So far, victims have filed more than 1,000 lawsuits against school districts and counties, with some resulting in enormous payouts."

Senate Bill 848 requires California K-12 schools, including private schools, to implement systems and protocols to prevent sexual abuse by teachers and staff, with the law effective Jan. 1 and protocols required by July. The law mandates staff education, stronger reporting requirements, and measures to bar teachers credibly accused of abuse from obtaining jobs in other districts. The measure responds to expanded victim filing rights under AB 218 and a surge of lawsuits: more than 1,000 suits and nearly $3 billion in claims, including multimillion-dollar verdicts that have pushed some districts toward financial insolvency.

Read at San Jose Inside