AB 872 Signed by Governor Brown

AB 872 Signed by Governor Brown

SACRAMENTO – Governor Brown has signed AB 872, a bill sponsored by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which strengthens the Commission’s authority to safeguard students.

AB 872 updates the Education Code’s definition of “sex offense.” One of the purposes for which this definition is used is the automatic suspension of the credentials of teachers charged with various serious sexual offenses. When an educator is charged with one of a list of serious sexual offenses identified in the Education Code, the Commission must automatically suspend the educator’s credential until the charges can be resolved, ensuring that they are not placed in a classroom in the interim. However, the list of offenses used for this purpose has not been updated since 2004. Since that time several new sexual offenses have been added to the Penal Code. Because these new offenses are not reflected in the Education Code, the Commission has not had the authority to automatically suspend the credentials of a teacher charged with these offenses. This bill updates the Education code by linking it to the offenses listed under California’s Sex Offender Registration Act, ensuring that the Commission will continue to have up-to-date authority to safeguard students in the future.