An act to amend Sections 52060 and 52066 of, and to add Section 52064.7 to, to the Education Code, relating to school accountability.
Summary
AB 1310 would expand California’s school accountability framework by requiring local educational agencies serving grades 5 through 12 to administer the California Healthy Kids Survey at least once every two years beginning in the 2026-27 school year. The bill ties survey results more directly to the state’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) process and the California School Dashboard by making CHKS results an explicit school climate measure for state priority reporting.
The bill also creates a new School Climate Improvement Report (SCIR) requirement for districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that repeatedly fall below or above specified CHKS thresholds in areas such as school connectedness, safety, bullying, truancy, substance use, and related indicators. When triggered, the SCIR must identify areas of concern, summarize existing interventions, and specify additional steps the local educational agency will take to improve school climate. The report must be presented at a public governing board meeting and posted on the agency’s website.
Impact
AB 1310 would amend Education Code sections governing LCAPs for school districts and county offices of education and add a new section applicable to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools. It would require CHKS data to be incorporated into school climate reporting and would add a formal public reporting and improvement process for middle and high school-serving local educational agencies that show persistent climate concerns. The bill would also create a state-mandated local program, with potential reimbursement if the Commission on State Mandates determines costs are mandated by the state.
Sentiment
The available record shows little direct committee debate or recorded vote detail, so overall sentiment must be inferred from the bill’s structure and status. The measure appears framed as a school accountability and transparency bill focused on student safety, connectedness, and engagement, suggesting a policy goal that is likely to be broadly understandable and supportable in principle. However, its referral to Assembly Education and the inclusion of fiscal and local-program designations indicate that implementation and cost concerns were recognized.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely to be the added administrative burden on local educational agencies, the cost of administering the CHKS every two years, and the obligation to prepare, present, and publish a School Climate Improvement Report when thresholds are met. Another possible issue is the use of fixed percentage thresholds and repeated survey results to trigger mandatory reporting and action plans, which may be viewed as either a useful accountability tool or an inflexible mandate. Charter schools and county offices of education are included alongside school districts, so the bill’s requirements would affect a broad set of local education providers.
An act to amend Sections 32286, 33352, 47606.5, 52062, 52068, and 60800 of, and to add and repeal Section 33126.7 of, the Education Code, relating to school accountability.
An act to amend Sections 44671 and 49600 of, and to add Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 52210) to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of, the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.