School safety: panic buttons.

Existing law provides that school districts and county offices of education are responsible for the overall development of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of their constituent schools. Existing law requires the schoolsite council of a school to write and develop a comprehensive school safety plan relevant to the needs and resources of the particular school. This bill would, if federal funding becomes available for those purposes, authorize the governing board of each school district and each county superintendent of schools to equip the interior of each classroom, cafeteria, theater, gym, and other regularly used space, except a parking lot, in a school serving pupils in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, with a panic button, as described. The Tort Claims Act provides for the liability and immunity of a governmental entity for its acts or omissions that cause harm to persons. This bill would specify that a school district that complies with the provisions specified above and maintains the functionality of the panic button shall be immune from liability if the panic button fails to activate due to circumstances beyond the school district's control.