The Safe Learning Environments Act contains provisions that are designed to protect students from sexual abuse and other misconduct in schools. Major provisions of the act apply to private schools. Although those parts of the act will not apply to parents teaching their own children at home (often called PSA schools), they can apply to private schools that have homeschool students enrolled in them (“PSPs”).
California State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez sponsored the law, and Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law last year.
The first part of the new law that will likely affect a broad range of PSPs is that any employee, volunteer, or governing board member of a private school is now a mandatory reporter. “Volunteer” is defined as a person who is over 18 years of age and who interacts with students outside of the immediate supervision and control of the student’s parent or guardian or a school employee.
By July 1, 2026, PSPs must adopt written policies that explicitly address professional boundaries between students and school employees, adult volunteers, and other students. These policies must also establish appropriate limits on social media contact between students and school employees or volunteers. Some PSPs have physical school facilities; in that case, the policy must address how that facility promotes safe environments for the children’s learning, including how the facility is supervised.
Mandatory Training
PSPs are now required to do annual training on preventing child abuse for their employees, volunteers, and anyone who is working for them who is a mandatory reporter. That training can be done using the online training that the state Department of Social Services provides, or it can be done using an equivalent training module that is approved by the school’s insurance provider and is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Safe Learning Environments Act. One organization that is offering equivalent training modules is Ministry Safe, and PSPs and other affected private schools can find more information here. (Please note that sharing this resource does not constitute an endorsement by HSLDA.)
Many PSPs are operated only by volunteers. However, if a PSP has employees, those who hire for the organization should be aware the new law establishes a statewide data system designed to keep teachers and other school workers who have a record of misconduct or credible complaints of misconduct from escaping notice. This database is supposed to be developed by July 1, 2027, and participation in it will be mandatory for private schools that have employees.
HSLDA encourages you to look at the Safe Learning Environments Act for yourself, to determine what parts of it (if any) apply to your PSP or homeschool group. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to Group Services.
At HSLDA, protecting children is personal to us as we advocate for the freedoms that enable homeschooling, children, and families to flourish. In addition to the resources above, we encourage you to visit HSLDA’s resources on this topic.