California Assembly Bill AB1163

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/21/25
• Refer: 3/28/25
• Report Pass: 4/24/25
• Refer: 4/24/25
• Report Pass: 5/1/25
• Refer: 5/6/25
• Refer: 5/14/25
• Failed: 2/2/26

Caption

An act to add Article 6 (commencing with Section 44115) to Chapter 1 of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of, 3 (commencing with Section 7080) to Chapter 1 of Part 5 of Division 1 of Title 1 of, and to add Article 7 (commencing with Section 87165) to Chapter 1 of Part 51 of Division 7 of Title 3 of, the Education Code, relating to employees.

Summary

AB 1163 would expand training requirements for school and community college employees in California by adding new de-escalation and workplace violence prevention content to existing education and labor code obligations. The bill directs the State Department of Education, if funded, to develop and post a de-escalation training by January 1, 2027, after consulting with school employees, administrators, and de-escalation experts. Beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts would have to require annual de-escalation training for employees who regularly interact with pupils or students. The bill also revises workplace violence prevention plans for these education employers. By July 1, 2026, the required training would have to be conducted in person, allow real-time questions to a natural person, and include additional education-specific topics such as physical and verbal de-escalation techniques and strategies to help students safely return to the learning environment after a violent incident. The bill specifies that these techniques and supports should be informed by research or experience involving pupils with exceptional needs or behavioral health issues, and it requires training for new employees before they begin duties and for existing employees as soon as practicable, then annually. AB 1163 would affect the Education Code and interact with existing Labor Code workplace violence prevention requirements by layering on special rules for school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts. It would also create a state-mandated local program because it imposes new duties on local educational agencies and community college districts. The bill includes a reimbursement provision stating that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines the act creates reimbursable state-mandated costs, those costs would be handled under existing reimbursement procedures. The bill appears to have broad support in committee, advancing unanimously in both the Education Committee and the Appropriations Committee vote shown in the record. The available history suggests a generally favorable sentiment toward the bill’s goal of improving safety and staff preparedness in educational settings. At the same time, the bill’s fiscal and implementation impacts are notable because it requires new training development, annual compliance, and in-person training obligations, which likely explains why it was referred to Appropriations and why reimbursement language was included. The main points of contention are likely to center on cost, administrative burden, and the practicality of requiring in-person, real-time training for all affected employees, especially across large and diverse school systems. Another possible issue is the balance between standardized de-escalation practices and local flexibility, although the bill does allow additional or longer training if mutually agreed to with employee representatives. No committee transcript is available here, so the record does not show specific objections, but the fiscal and operational requirements are the most likely areas of concern.

Impact

AB 1163 would amend the Education Code to create new training mandates for K-12 and community college employers and would effectively supplement existing Labor Code workplace violence prevention rules for those sectors. It would require the California Department of Education to develop a publicly available de-escalation training, and it would require school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts to provide annual employee training on de-escalation and workplace violence prevention topics. Because these duties apply to local educational agencies and districts, the bill would create a state-mandated local program and could trigger state reimbursement if the Commission on State Mandates so determines.

Sentiment

The available voting record shows strong support: the bill passed the Education Committee 5-0 and the Appropriations Committee 9-0. That suggests the measure was viewed favorably as a school safety and employee training bill, with no recorded opposition in the provided history. The overall tone of the bill is preventive and safety-oriented, focusing on staff preparedness, student de-escalation, and safer responses to violent incidents in educational settings.

Contention

The most likely areas of contention are fiscal and operational rather than ideological. The bill requires the state to develop training materials, and it requires local education employers to provide in-person, real-time training and add new content to workplace violence prevention plans, which may increase costs and staffing demands. Schools and community colleges may also be concerned about scheduling, compliance monitoring, and how to implement the training consistently across different campuses and employee groups. The bill partially addresses flexibility by allowing additional or longer training through mutual agreement with employee representatives, but the mandatory in-person component and new annual requirements remain the main pressure points.