SACRAMENTO—Schools have until March 1 to review and update comprehensive school safety plans that include policies for dealing with issues ranging from bullying to disaster preparedness, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said today.

“School climate has a real and lasting effect on a students ability to learn,” Torlakson said. “Nothing is more important than our students safety, and preparation is one of the first and most important steps a school can take in creating a more positive school climate.”

California Education Code Section 32286 requires each school site to review and update its school safety plan by March 1 of each year. These plans must have policies that deal with crime, safety, child abuse reporting procedures, disaster preparedness, emergency shelters, discrimination, harassment, intimidation, bullying, hate crimes, toxic substances, and more.

via School Safety Plan Deadline Nears – Year 2014 CA Dept of Education.