Santa Barbara — SV-120 INFO

Source: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/sv120info.pdf

How Can I Respond to a Petition forSV-120-INFO Postsecondary School Violence Restraining Orders? What is a postsecondary school violence What if I don't obey the order? restraining order? The police can arrest you. You can go to jail and pay a fine. It is a court order that prohibits you from doing certain Do I have to serve the other person with athings and going certain places. copy of my response? What does the order do? Yes. Have someone age 18 or older—not you—mail a The court can order you to: copy of completed form SV-120 to the person named in Not contact the student who is protected by the order item 1 of the petition form SV-100 (or to that person’s Stay away from the student and the student’s home, lawyer). (This is called “service by mail.”) school, and other places The person who serves the form by mail for you must fill Not have any firearms (guns), firearm parts, out form SV-250, Proof of Service of Response by Mail. ammunition, or body armor as long as the order is in Have the person who did the mailing sign the original. effect. This includes firearm receivers and frames, and Take the completed form back to the court clerk or bring it any item that may be used as or easily turned into a with you to the hearing. receiver or frame (see Penal Code section 16531). For more information about the items you would not be Should I go to the court hearing? allowed to have, please see selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/ Yes. You should go to court on the date listed on form restraining-orders/prohibited-items. SV-109, Notice of Court Hearing. If you do not go to the hearing, the judge can make orders against you withoutWho can ask for a postsecondary school hearing from you.violence restraining order? The chief administrative officer of a postsecondary educational institution, or an officer or employee designated by the chief administrative officer to maintain order on the school campus or facility, may request these court orders. I've been served with a petition for postsecondary school violence restraining orders. What do I do now? Read the papers served on you very carefully. The Notice of Court Hearing tells you when to appear in court. There may also be a Temporary Restraining Order forbidding you from doing certain things. You must obey the order until the hearing. What if I don't agree with what the order says? You still must obey the order until the hearing. If you disagree with the orders the person is asking for, fill out form SV-120, Response to Petition for Postsecondary School Violence Restraining Orders, before your hearing date and file it with the court. If you need to include attachments, you can use form MC-025. You can get the forms from legal publishers or from the California Courts website at courts.ca.gov/rules-forms/find-your-court-forms. You also may be able to find them at your local courthouse or county law library.

Judicial Council of California, courts.ca.gov SV-120-INFO, Page 1 of 2Rev. January 1, 2026, Optional Form How Can I Respond to a Petition for Code Civ. Proc., §§ 527.85, 527.9 Postsecondary School Violence Restraining Orders? (Postsecondary School Violence Prevention)

How Can I Respond to a Petition forSV-120-INFO Postsecondary School Violence Restraining Orders? How long does the order last? What if I have a firearm (gun), firearm part, or If the court issued a temporary restraining order before the ammunition? hearing, it will last until your hearing date. At that time, the If a restraining order is issued, you cannot own, possess, or court will decide to continue or cancel the order. Any order have a firearm (gun), firearm parts, ammunition, or body issued at the hearing can last for up to three years. armor while the order is in effect. If you have a firearm (gun), firearm parts, or ammunition, you must sell it to or store it with a licensed gun dealer, or turn it in to a lawDo I need a lawyer? enforcement agency. Having a lawyer is always a good idea, but it is not required, and you are not entitled to a free, court-appointed What if I need to have a firearm or ammunition attorney. Ask the court clerk about free and low-cost legal for my job? services and self-help centers in your county. If the judge grants a restraining order against you, you cannot have firearms or ammunition. The judge may give Will I see the student at the court hearing? you permission to have a firearm or ammunition for work. Yes. Assume that the student will attend the hearing. Do Before permission can be granted, you will be required to not talk to the student unless the judge or the student’s show the judge that (1) carrying a firearm or ammunition is attorney says that you can. required for your work, and (2) your employer is unable to reassign you to another position where carrying a firearm or ammunition is not necessary. There are other things that Can I bring a witness to the court hearing? you will have to prove. For more information, go to Yes. You can bring witnesses or documents that support selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/respond-to-SV-restraining-order/ your case to the hearing. But if possible, you should also obey-firearms-orders/exception, or see Code of Civil bring the witnesses’ written statements of what they saw or Procedure section 527.9(f). heard. Their statements must be made under penalty of perjury. You can use form MC-030 for this. What if I need to have body armor? If you need to have and use body armor for your work, What if I don't speak English? livelihood, or safety, you may ask for an exception with When you file your papers, ask the clerk if a court the chief of police or sheriff in the county where you will interpreter is available. You can also use form INT-300, have and use the body armor (see Penal Code section Request for Interpreter (Civil), or a local court form or 31360(c)). website to request an interpreter. For more information about court interpreters, go to selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/ Can I agree with the protected person to request-interpreter. cancel the order? No. Once the order is issued, only the judge can change or Information about the process is also cancel it. You or the school official would have to file a available online. request with the court to cancel the order. See selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/SV-restraining-order. What if I have a disability? If you have a disability and need an accommodation while For help in your area, contact: you are at court, you can use form MC-410, Disability [Local information may be inserted.] Accommodation Request, to make your request. You can also ask the ADA Coordinator in your court for help. For more information, see form MC-410-INFO, How to Request a Disability Accommodation for Court.

Rev. January 1, 2026 How Can I Respond to a Petition for SV-120-INFO, Page 2 of 2 Postsecondary School Violence Restraining Orders? (Postsecondary School Violence Prevention) For your protection and privacy, please press the Clear button after you have printed the form. Print Save Clear