Major CAPSO Legislative Milestone Win:

Alternative Mandated Reporter Training

CAPSO is pleased to share a significant legislative victory milestone for California’s private school community.

As CAPSO members know, SB 848 created a substantial obstacle for private schools wishing to use an alternative mandated reporter training program rather than the training offered by the state. Under SB 848, alternative programs, including training provided by law firms and other qualified platforms, required approval from the school’s liability insurance provider.

This requirement created considerable difficulty for many of our members. Liability insurance providers have not traditionally been- and generally do not want to be- in the business of evaluating and approving training programs. Their previous role was to require mandated reporter training as a condition of insurance while deferring to each private school’s governing authority to select a program that was appropriate for its community and met all requirements of California law.

CAPSO has worked diligently to secure a legislative correction that restores this approval authority to the private school’s governing authority. We are thrilled to report that, on August 13, CAPSO successfully secured the following amendment to SB 1083 as a vehicle for this correction:

(2) The alternative training module shall be approved by the public entity risk pool joint powers authority or liability insurance provider used by the school district, county office of education, state special school or diagnostic center operated by the State Department of Education, private school, or charter school.

(3) For private schools, the alternative training module shall be approved by the private school’s governing authority.

This amendment restores the appropriate division of responsibility: private school governing authorities will once again be responsible for selecting and approving alternative mandated reporter training for their schools while remaining responsible for ensuring that the training complies with all state-established requirements.

This is a major win for CAPSO and its members. It reflects the effectiveness of CAPSO’s sustained advocacy, the importance of elevating the real-world experiences of our schools, and the strength of our collective voice in Sacramento.

We recognize, however, that this correction will not resolve the challenges schools are experiencing during the current school year. SB 1083 must first complete the remaining legislative process and be signed into law. Assuming the bill is approved, this amendment will take effect on January 1, 2027. At that time, private school governing authorities will be able to approve compliant alternative training for new employees, volunteers, governing board members, and other mandated reporters who require training.

CAPSO will continue to monitor this piece of legislation and will keep members informed as SB 1083 clears its final legislative hurdles. Once the bill has passed through the remaining phases of the legislative process, CAPSO will provide an update as part of our broader end-of-session legislative review. Should the bill not complete the legislative process and become law, CAPSO is now well-positioned, with established support and precedent, to pursue alternative legislative vehicles to resolve this issue for California’s private schools.

We are deeply grateful to the CAPSO members and partners who shared their experiences and helped us demonstrate why this correction was necessary.

Gratefully,

Dr. Tara Rolle

Executive Director

California Association of Private School Organizations (CAPSO)

Read the Full Amended Version of SB 1083 Here