Welcome Back to School

As schools return for another school year, LCW wanted to highlight important dates, events, and new and potential legislation relevant for independent schools in California.

Important Dates & Events

• September 24, 2024: LCW Webinar – Election 2024: Helping Private Schools Navigate the Global and Social Climate in an Election Year. Presented by Julie Strom and Grace Chan. Another Presidential election season is upon us in 2024, and it will likely be a time of charged debate and strong opinions. This webinar will help schools understand how to navigate thorny issues, such as what to do when employees feel they have a right to express their political views at work or in the classroom, and how to handle student concerns that they are being treated differently because of their political allegiances. Using interactive case studies, this webinar will explore the unique challenges for schools in handling these difficult issues, provide guidance on promoting respectful dialogue, and also discuss what election-related conduct is permissible under the law.
• October 1-15, 2024: Private School Affidavit. All private schools must annually file an Affidavit or statement with the California Department of Education (CDE) (Education Code Section 33190). The statutory filing period is October 1 through 15; however, the filing system is open throughout the school year beginning August 1 and ending June 30 to accommodate new schools and home schools. More information about the information that must be reported in the Affidavit can be found in the Best Practices Timeline and on the California Department of Education’s website.

New Laws and Bills We Are Watching

• Cal/OSHA Passed a New Indoor Heat Standard: Effective July 23, 2024, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) adopted a new standard for Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment (8 Cal. Code Regs section 3396). The standard requires employers to take the following steps: for indoor workplaces where the temperature reaches 82 degrees Fahrenheit, employers must take steps to protect workers from heat illness. Some of the requirements include providing water, rest, cool-down areas, and training. Additional requirements apply when the temperature reaches 87 degrees, and include: cooling down the work area; implementing work-rest schedules; and providing personal heat-protective equipment. If employees wear clothing that restricts heat removal or work in high radiant heat areas, the additional requirements apply at 82 degrees. Finally, Cal/OSHA also requires that this rule is written in a plan, which can be incorporated into an employer’s injury and illness prevention program (IIPP). More information about the Indoor Heat Standard can be found here.
• CRD Proposed Regulations to Protect Against AI Employment Discrimination: The California Civil Rights Council recently proposed regulations to protect against discrimination in employment resulting from the use of artificial intelligence, algorithms, and other automated decision-making systems. The proposed regulations aim to address how employment discrimination protections apply to the emerging technologies. More information about the proposed regulations can be found here.
• SB 1047 – The Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Systems Act: SB 1047’s purpose is to regulate the development and use of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models. The bill requires developers to assess risks and harms before training AI models, and requires developers to report AI safety incidents to the state. Under this bill, developers may be held liable for the misuse of their AI models. This bill is expected to be voted on this month, and if passed, would go into effect in January 2025.