(a) The Legislature finds and declares the following:

(1) Generally, California school districts employ a disproportionately low number of racial and ethnic minority classified and certificated employees and a disproportionately low number of women and members of racial and ethnic minorities in administrative positions.

(2) It is educationally sound for the minority student attending a racially impacted school to have available to him or her the positive image provided by minority classified and certificated employees. It is likewise educationally sound for the child from the majority group to have positive experiences with minority people, that can be provided, in part, by having minority classified and certificated employees at schools where the enrollment is largely made up of majority group students. It is also educationally important for students to observe that women as well as men can assume responsible and diverse roles in society.

(3) Past employment practices created artificial barriers and past efforts to promote additional action in the recruitment, employment, and promotion of women and minorities did not result in a substantial increase in employment opportunities for these persons.

(4) Lessons concerning democratic principles and the richness that racial diversity brings to our national heritage can be best taught by staffs composed of mixed races and ethnic groups working toward a common goal.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to do all of the following:

(1) Establish and maintain a policy of equal opportunity in employment for all persons.

(2) Prohibit discrimination on any basis listed in subdivision (a) of Section 12940 of the Government Code, as those bases are defined in Sections 12926 and 12926.1 of the Government Code, except as otherwise provided in Section 12940 of the Government Code, in every aspect of personnel policy and practice in the employment, development, advancement, and treatment of persons employed in the public school system.

(3) Promote the total realization of equal employment opportunity through a continuing affirmative action employment program.

(c) The Legislature recognizes that it is not enough to proclaim that public employers do not discriminate in employment, but that effort must also be made to build a community in which opportunity is equalized. It is the intent of the Legislature to require educational agencies to adopt and implement plans for increasing the numbers of women and minority persons at all levels of responsibility.

(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 788, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)