Any person who willfully disturbs any public school or any public school meeting is guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500).
Article 2Willful Disturbance, Public Schools or Meetings
Section § 32210
If someone intentionally disrupts a public school or a school meeting, they're breaking the law and can be fined up to $500 for this misdemeanor offense.
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Section § 32211
This law states that if you are not a student, parent, school employee, or someone whose job requires you to be at a school during school hours, and you’re asked to leave the school by the principal or their representative, you must leave promptly and stay away for at least seven days. If you don’t leave or return too soon, you could face criminal charges. You have the right to appeal this request to the school district superintendent and, if needed, to the school board, which will make the final decision. Notices with school hours must be posted at every school entrance. The law does not override local ordinances.
(a)CA Education Code § 32211(a) Any person who is not a pupil of the public school, a parent or guardian of a pupil of the public school, or an officer or employee of the school district maintaining the public school, or who is not required by his or her employment to be in a public school building or on the grounds of the public school, and who has entered any public school building or the grounds of any public school, during school hours, and who is requested either by the principal of the public school or by the designee of the principal to leave a public school building or public school grounds, shall promptly depart therefrom and shall not return thereto for at least seven days. A request that a person depart from a public school building or public school grounds shall be made by the principal, or the designee of the principal, exclusively on the basis that it appears reasonable to the principal, or the designee of the principal to conclude that the continued presence of the person requested to depart would be disruptive of, or would interfere with, classes or other activities of the public school program.
(b)CA Education Code § 32211(b) Any person who fails to leave a public school building or public school grounds promptly upon request of the principal of the public school or the designee of the principal made pursuant to subdivision (a) or who, after leaving a public school building or public school grounds pursuant to a request of the principal of the public school, or the designee of the principal, made pursuant to subdivision (a), returns thereto, except pursuant to subdivision (d), within seven days, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished pursuant to Section 626.8 of the Penal Code.
(c)CA Education Code § 32211(c) Any person who is requested pursuant to subdivision (a) to leave a public school building or school grounds may appeal to the superintendent of the school district in which the public school is located. That appeal shall be made not later than the second succeeding schoolday after the person has departed from the public school building or public school grounds. The superintendent shall, after reviewing the matter with the principal, or the designee of the principal, and the person seeking ingress to the public school during school hours, render his or her decision within 24 hours after the appeal is made, and the decision shall be binding upon both parties. A decision of the superintendent may be appealed by the person seeking ingress to the public school during public school hours to the governing board of the school district in which the public school is located. That appeal shall be made not later than the second succeeding schoolday after the superintendent has rendered his or her decision. The governing board of the school district shall consider and decide the appeal at its next scheduled regular or adjourned regular public meeting, and the decision of the governing board shall be final.
(d)CA Education Code § 32211(d) Where the office of the superintendent of the school district or the office of the governing board of the school district is situated in the public school building or on the grounds of the public school from which a person has been requested, pursuant to subdivision (a), to depart, the person may enter the public school building or the grounds of the public school solely for the purpose of, and only to the extent necessary for, personally making, at the office of the superintendent or the office of the governing board, an appeal pursuant to subdivision (c).
(e)CA Education Code § 32211(e) The governing board of every school district shall cause to have posted at every entrance to each school and grounds of the district a notice which shall set forth “school hours,” which are hereby defined for the purposes of this section as the period commencing one hour before classes begin and one hour after classes end at any school, or as otherwise defined by the governing board of the school district.
(f)CA Education Code § 32211(f) For the purposes of subdivision (a), a representative of a school employee organization engaged in activities related to representation, as defined by Section 7104, shall be deemed to be a person required by his or her employment to be in a school building or on the grounds of a school.
(g)CA Education Code § 32211(g) Nothing in this section shall be construed as preempting any ordinance of any city, county, or city and county.
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Section § 32212
This law highlights the importance of minimizing interruptions during class because it disrupts learning. Each school district's board is encouraged to create a policy aimed at reducing these interruptions based on their local needs. Additionally, the Superintendent of Public Instruction is responsible for providing school boards with a model policy to help reduce and manage classroom interruptions, like intercom use.
(a)CA Education Code § 32212(a) The Legislature finds and declares that interruption of class time seriously impairs the educational process.
(b)CA Education Code § 32212(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that each governing board of a school district formally address the problem of classroom interruptions and adopt a policy to control those interruptions, consistent with local circumstances and practices.
(c)CA Education Code § 32212(c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall develop and distribute to each governing board of a school district a model policy for the reduction and control of classroom interruptions, including, but not limited to, intercom and public address system use.
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