Bill > SB231

This bill, known as the Michael Joseph Berry Peer Abuse Prevention and Awareness Act of 2013, establishes the California Bullying Prevention Clearinghouse, which will be administered by the department and focus on issues of bullying and peer abuse affecting students from kindergarten through 12th grade and their families. The Superintendent will oversee a California Bullying Prevention Advisory Council, composed of individuals with expertise in areas like hotline services, social media, behavioral health, crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and culturally competent services, to guide the clearinghouse. The advisory council's duties include providing technical assistance to schools on best practices for reducing bullying, recommending ways for stakeholders to access resources, advising on data collection and analysis related to bullying, and suggesting future legislation and communication strategies, such as a bullying prevention hotline. The clearinghouse itself will serve as a central hub for information on anti-bullying resources and services, develop guidelines and best practices for schools to share with students and families, and recommend that schools include information about the clearinghouse on their websites, in safety plans, and in parent communications, as well as provide this information to students and families involved in bullying complaints. The implementation of this article is dependent on the Superintendent certifying that sufficient funding is available, and it explicitly states that General Fund moneys will not be used.