(a) The State Department of Education shall provide regional training to assist school district personnel in the identification and determination of hate violence on school campuses.

(b) (1) A grant program for school districts shall be established by the department for the purpose of enabling pupils and teachers to participate in educational programs focused on fostering ethnic sensitivity, overcoming racism and prejudice, and countering hatred and intolerance. It is the intent of the Legislature that the grants be awarded on a competitive basis with similar sized school districts and county offices of education competing against each other for grant funds. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall establish grant competition bands as follows:

(A) Districts with less than 2,501 average daily attendance.

(B) Districts with more than 2,500 average daily attendance but less than 5,001.

(C) Districts with more than 5,000 average daily attendance but less than 15,001.

(D) Districts with more than 15,000 average daily attendance but less than 30,001.

(E) Districts with more than 30,000 average daily attendance.

(F) County offices of education.

(2) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall allocate the appropriated funds for competitive grants to each of the competitive bands based on the amount of average daily attendance in all districts in the competitive range compared to the statewide average daily attendance in all school districts and county offices of education.

The grant program is not required to be implemented under this section unless funds are appropriated for that purpose.

(Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 959, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2001.)