49429.5. (a) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.
(b) On or before November 1, 2024, county offices of education, in consultation with the department and other relevant state and local agencies, shall coordinate agreements between school districts and charter schools within the county in order to develop a system through which qualified mental health professionals and other key school personnel employed by individual school districts and charter schools throughout the county could be rapidly deployed on a short- or long-term basis to an area of the county that has experienced a natural disaster or other traumatic event, in order to provide support to pupils and staff, to the extent the school district or charter school employing those professionals or personnel determines they can be deployed under the circumstances. In developing agreements for this system of sharing mental health professionals and other key school personnel, county offices of education shall consider, at a minimum, all of the following:
(1) The cost of creating and maintaining the system described in this subdivision.
(2) The criteria required for a local educational agency to request the use of mental health professionals and other key school personnel employed by another local educational agency.
(3) Potential reimbursement between local educational agencies.
(4) Reimbursement for travel expenses incurred by mental health professionals and other key school personnel.
(c) Single school district county offices of education shall comply with subdivision (b) by entering into agreements with at least one other county office of education they share a border with.
(d) County offices of education that share a county border with a single school district county office of education shall consult with and enter into agreements with at least one single school district county office of education in order to comply with subdivision (b).
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 909, Sec. 2. (AB 2072) Effective January 1, 2023.)