(1) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish and implement a system of complaint processing, known as the Uniform Complaint Procedures, for specified educational programs, and requires the State Department of Education to review those regulations pertaining to uniform complaint procedures for specified types of complaints, including those that allege unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying against any protected group, as provided. Existing law requires the department to, on or before March 31, 2019, commence rulemaking proceedings to revise those regulations, as necessary, to conform to specified provisions. Beginning July 1, 2026, this bill would require, upon receipt by the department of a complaint subject to the Uniform Complaint Procedures that alleges unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying, the Superintendent to collect specified information, including, among other things, a description of the complaint received. The bill would require the Superintendent to create and post on the department's internet website a summary report of the data described above. (2) Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, among other things, establishes the Civil Rights Department and authorizes it to receive, investigate, conciliate, mediate, and prosecute complaints alleging various civil rights violations, including violations of provisions regarding individuals with disabilities. Existing law, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Disparities Reduction Act, requires the Civil Rights Department, among other specified state entities, in the course of collecting demographic data directly or by contract as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of Californians, to collect voluntary self-identification information pertaining to sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations in sex characteristics/intersex status, as specified. Existing law, the California Public Records Act, generally requires public records to be open for inspection by the public. Existing law provides numerous exceptions to this requirement. This bill would require the Civil Rights Department to collect, for a complaint received, certain demographic information, including the ethnicity, race, and gender of the individual submitting the complaint, and certain information related to the complaint. The bill would require the department, commencing July 1, 2027, to publish a summary report no later than October 1 of each year of the compiled information for the preceding calendar year on its internet website. This bill would require, for any information or data acquired pursuant to the bill's provisions, that information or data to be confidential and protected from public disclosure, including disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act, except that the information may be disclosable pursuant to that act to the same extent as the underlying complaint. The bill would also prohibit the above-described summary reports, dashboards, and transmitted data from containing any personally identifying information about any individual. The bill would require information in the summary reports, dashboards, and transmitted data to be sufficiently deidentified to prevent the identification of the individuals involved in a complaint. (3) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
Existing law requires the Trustees of the California State University, the governing boards of community college districts, and independent institutions of higher education that are qualifying institutions for purposes of the Cal Grant Program, and requests the Regents of the University of California, to the fullest extent consistent with state and federal law, to implement various precautionary measures when federal immigration enforcement activities are undertaken on campuses of those segments, as specified. Existing law requires those precautionary measures to include, among other measures, that in the event that an undocumented student is detained, deported, or is unable to attend to their academic requirements due to the action of an immigration officer in relation to a federal immigration order, as specified, a requirement that the college or university make all reasonable efforts to assist the student in retaining any eligibility for financial aid, fellowship stipends, and exemptions from nonresident tuition fees, among other benefits the student has been awarded or received, and a requirement that the student be permitted to reenroll if and when the student is able to return to the college or university. This bill would require the Trustees of the California State University, and would request the Regents of the University of California, to implement additional precautionary measures, including, among others, requiring adoption of a systemwide policy addressing course grades, administrative withdrawal, and reenrollment for undocumented students who are unable to attend their courses by the final drop date due to immigration enforcement activity, as specified.
Existing law prohibits, except as required by state or federal law or as required to administer a state or federally supported educational program, school officials and employees of a local educational agency from collecting information or documents regarding citizenship or immigration status of pupils or their family members. Existing law requires the governing board or body of a school district, county office of education, or charter school to perform specified actions relating to pupils and immigration status, including, among others, providing information to parents and guardians, as appropriate, regarding their children's right to a free public education, regardless of immigration status or religious beliefs. This bill would require the governing board or body of a local educational agency to post specified information related to immigration enforcement in the administrative buildings and on the internet websites of the local educational agency and each of its schoolsites, as provided. To the extent the bill imposes additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 234.7 of the Education Code proposed by AB 49 to be operative only if this bill and AB 49 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law prohibits public funds from being used in connection with any athletic program conducted under the auspices of a school district governing board or any student organization within the district, which does not provide equal opportunity to both sexes for participation and for use of facilities. Existing law prohibits a city, county, city and county, or special district from discriminating against any person on the basis of gender in the operation, conduct, or administration of community youth athletics programs, as defined, or in the allocation of parks and recreation facilities and resources, as defined, that support or enable these programs. Existing law creates an independent right to bring a civil action for a violation of this prohibition for equitable and monetary relief, as specified. This bill would instead prohibit a city, county, city and county, special district, school district, county office of education, or charter school from discriminating against a person on the basis of sex or gender in the operation, conduct, or administration of community youth athletics programs, or in the allocation of parks and recreation facilities and resources or school and recreation facilities and resources that support or enable these programs. The bill would define various terms for these purposes and make related conforming changes. By imposing a new duties on local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law, commencing July 1, 2025, requires a public or private school that serves pupils in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, and that issues pupil identification cards to have printed on the identification cards the number for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Existing law requires a public or private institution of higher education that issues student identification cards to have printed on either side of the student identification cards the telephone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This bill, commencing July 1, 2026, would require public schools that serve pupils in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, and public institutions of higher education that issue pupil identification cards to additionally have printed on the identification cards the telephone number and text line for a specified LGBTQ+ suicide hotline, as provided.
(1) Existing law, the California Nutrition Monitoring Development Act of 1986, requires the State Department of Public Health to assess the availability and adequacy of existing state and local food and nutrition data systems. The act requires different state departments, including the State Department of Education, to provide to the State Department of Public Health, upon request, nutrition-related data collection forms, documentation, and reports of various programs. This bill would define "ultraprocessed food" for certain school-related purposes and would require the State Department of Public Health to adopt regulations, on or before June 1, 2028, to define "ultraprocessed foods of concern" and "restricted school foods," as specified. The bill would require the department, when defining ultraprocessed foods of concern and restricted school foods, to consider specified factors, including, among others, whether, based on reputable peer-reviewed scientific evidence, a substance or group of substances are linked to health harms or adverse health consequences, as specified. The bill would require schools, as defined, to begin to phase out restricted school foods and ultraprocessed foods of concern by no later than July 1, 2029. Beginning July 1, 2032, the bill would prohibit a vendor from offering restricted school foods and ultraprocessed foods of concern to a school. This bill, on or before February 1, 2028, and on or before February 1 of each year thereafter through February 1, 2032, would require a vendor to report specified information to the State Department of Public Health for each food product sold to a school in the past calendar year, including, among others, the total quantity of food product sold to schools and whether that food product is an ultraprocessed food, a restricted school food, or an ultraprocessed food of concern. The bill, on or before July 1, 2028, and on or before July 1 of each year thereafter through July 1, 2032, would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the State Department of Education, to submit to the Legislature and the Governor a report that contains, among other things, a summary and analysis of the information reported to the State Department of Public Health by vendors and recommendations for state and local legislative actions that could reduce the consumption of ultraprocessed foods, restricted school foods, and ultraprocessed foods of concern in schools. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health to consult with the State Department of Education regarding compliance training and technical assistance for school food service and procurement staff for these purposes and would require the State Department of Public Health to establish a structure to deliver training and technical assistance to local educational agencies. (2) Existing law requires the State Department of Education to develop and maintain nutrition guidelines for school lunches and breakfasts, and for all food and beverages sold on public school campuses, consistent with the requirements for a nutritionally adequate breakfast and a nutritionally adequate lunch. Existing law defines a nutritionally adequate breakfast and a nutritionally adequate lunch for these purposes to mean those that qualify for reimbursement under the most current meal pattern for the federal School Breakfast Program and the federal National School Lunch Program, respectively. Existing law requires a school district, county superintendent of schools, or charter school maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to make available a nutritionally adequate breakfast and a nutritionally adequate lunch, free of charge, during each schoolday to any pupil who requests a meal without consideration of the pupil's eligibility for a federally funded free or reduced-price meal. Existing law authorizes a school operated and maintained by a school district or county office of education, from the midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official schoolday, to sell food and beverages other than meals reimbursed by specified federal nutrition programs, only if the food or beverages meet dietary guidelines, as specified, depending on grade level. This bill, beginning July 1, 2035, would prohibit a school district, county superintendent of schools, or charter school maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, from offering a nutritionally adequate breakfast or lunch that includes restricted school foods or ultraprocessed foods of concern, as provided, and would prohibit a school operated and maintained by a school district or county office of education from selling food or beverages, except for food items sold as part of a school fundraising event, containing those restricted school foods or ultraprocessed foods of concern, as provided. (3) To the extent this bill would impose additional requirements on public schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law establishes the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program, administered as a competitive grant program by the State Department of Education, with the purpose of encouraging, maintaining, and strengthening the delivery of high-quality career technical education programs. Existing law requires an applicant to demonstrate that it, or its career technical education program, as applicable, meets certain minimum eligibility standards. This bill, commencing June 1, 2026, would revise and recast those minimum eligibility standards, as specified, including standards related to (A) collaborating with labor and business entities, (B) ensuring career programs and career pathways are aligned with workforce needs and labor market demand, (C) providing opportunities for certain pupil populations, and (D) reporting information for purposes of program evaluation, as provided. The bill, commencing June 1, 2026, would also require successful applicants to demonstrate a holistic approach to providing career technical education and career pathways, as provided. In developing the request for grant applications and considering grant applications under the program, existing law requires the State Department of Education to consult with the executive director of the State Board of Education and entities having career technical education expertise, including the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. This bill, commencing June 1, 2026, would require the department to consult with the California Education Interagency Council instead of the chancellor for those purposes. When determining proposed grant recipients, existing law requires positive consideration to be given to specified characteristics in an applicant, including that the applicant is located in an area with a high unemployment rate. This bill, commencing June 1, 2026, would require positive consideration to also be given to an applicant located in an area with a high poverty rate. The bill would define high unemployment rate and high poverty rate. Existing law establishes the Government Operations Agency, which consists of several state entities, including, but not limited to, the State Personnel Board, the Department of General Services, and the Office of Administrative Law. This bill would require the California Education Interagency Council established in the Government Operations Agency to perform, in an advisory capacity, certain duties, as specified, including, among others, developing recommendations regarding career technical education, college and career pathways, and workforce development recognizing segmental plans and other pertinent plans, and providing advice and recommending tools designed to support students across their educational careers, as specified. The bill would require the Office of the California Education Interagency Council to support the California Education Interagency Council, as specified, including by, among other things, developing and maintaining an internet website that provides access to the California Education Interagency Council's agendas, reports, work products, and resources. Certain sections of this bill would become operative only if AB 1098 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted.
Existing law states the policy of the State of California is to afford all persons in public schools, regardless of their disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other specified characteristic, equal rights and opportunities in the educational institutions of the state. AB 715 of the 2025–26 Regular Session proposes to, among other things, (1) establish the Office of Civil Rights, under the administration of the Government Operations Agency, with the purpose of working directly with local educational agencies to prevent and address discrimination and bias, as specified, and (2) state the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation to establish coordinators to be employed within the Office of Civil Rights to prevent and address discrimination and bias. This bill would require the Office of Civil Rights to employ a Religious Discrimination Prevention Coordinator, a Race and Ethnicity Discrimination Prevention Coordinator, a Gender Discrimination Prevention Coordinator, and an LGBTQ Discrimination Prevention Coordinator. The bill would require each of the coordinators to be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. This bill would make the operation of its provisions contingent upon the enactment of AB 715 of the 2025–26 Regular Session.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions as the segments of postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires certain postsecondary educational institutions to be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education to qualify as an independent institution of higher education to be eligible for certain programs and to receive an approval to operate. Existing laws applicable to, among other things, the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations by the Department of Consumer Affairs require applicants for licensure or licensees to satisfy educational requirements by completing programs or degrees from institutions or universities accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency or association recognized by the United States Department of Education, or otherwise impose a requirement that a school or program be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. This bill would require, for purposes of any code or statute, a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education as of January 1, 2025, to retain that recognition until July 1, 2029, provided that the accrediting agency continues to operate in substantially the same manner as it did on January 1, 2025. The bill would repeal those provisions on January 1, 2030.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state and authorizes them to operate campuses and provide instruction to students. This bill would provide that a community college district is not required to comply with the zoning ordinances of a city, county, or city and county, for a university housing development project constructed on property owned or leased by a community college district if specific requirements are met. If the project includes units for faculty and staff, the bill would require the community college district to ensure that a portion of the units of the project are made available at affordable rents to extremely low income faculty and staff and lower income faculty and staff. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.
