California’s K-12 schools are gearing up for the new academic year, and lawmakers have passed nine new laws aimed at making the educational experience safer, healthier, and more inclusive.
One of the new laws mandates that public elementary schools must provide at least 30 minutes of recess on regular school days and 15 minutes on shortened school days. This requirement (SB291) ensures that students have adequate physical activity and playtime.
Starting from July, K-12 public schools are prohibited from using suspensions as punishment for student disruptions in class or defiant behavior.
According to the drafter of bill SB274, State Senator Nancy Skinner, behaviors that could warrant suspension, such as students wearing hats in class, sleeping, using inappropriate language, or arguing with teachers, can no longer lead to immediate suspension.
Under the new law (SB274), teachers can remove disruptive students from the classroom but cannot suspend them. Instead, school administrators must assess and provide appropriate on-campus interventions or support.
Furthermore, the law prohibits the suspension or expulsion of students for tardiness or truancy. This law is set to expire on July 1, 2029.
The new law AB1955 prohibits school staff from disclosing a student’s gender identity, sexual orientation, or gender expression to parents without the student’s consent.
The law also protects teachers and school employees from retaliation for not disclosing such information.
AB873 mandates that all K-12 public schools in California incorporate media literacy education into math, science, and social studies history courses. The bill’s author, State Assembly Member Marc Berman, stated that this law aims to enhance students’ critical thinking skills regarding media content.
AB285 requires science curricula for grades 1-12 in California public schools to include education on climate change, focusing on the causes, impacts, and strategies for mitigation and adaptation.
This legislation makes California one of the few states in the United States to mandate comprehensive climate change education across all grades.
For students intending to enroll in California State Universities or Community Colleges, regulation AB607 requires these institutions to publicize the estimated materials’ cost for each course in their course catalogs. However, this policy will be phased in; by 2025, 40% of courses must list costs, increasing to 75% by 2028.
The newly enacted law SB10 stipulates that if public schools provide education for grades 7 to 12, their safety plans must include education on the dangers of opioid drugs (including fatal synthetic pills containing fentanyl).
The law also establishes a statewide framework to ensure students understand the risks associated with fentanyl and have access to resources for prevention and response to fentanyl poisoning and overdose.
Named after Melanie Ramos, a 15-year-old girl who died from fentanyl overdose in a Hollywood high school bathroom in September 2022, this law was proposed in response to the increasing prevalence of opioid drug exposure among student populations.
Students are now allowed one day off per semester to participate in religious activities, an increase from the previous four-hour limit, thanks to the newly passed Religious Absences Law AB1503.
Last year, the Menstrual Equity Act (AB230) mandated that public schools providing education from grades 6 to 12 must offer free menstrual products. Now, a new law extends this requirement to schools providing education for grades 3 to 5.
An analysis by the State Senate cited a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, showing that 10% of girls begin menstruating before the age of 10.
The new law also specifies that schools must provide menstrual products free of charge in “all-gender,” female, and at least one male restroom.