Education

This measure would proclaim March 2026 as Arts Education Month and urge all residents to become interested in and give full support to quality arts education programs for children and youth.

This bill designates the week of March 2 through March 6, 2026, as "School Breakfast Week." It serves as a ceremonial proclamation to raise awareness about school breakfast programs without changing any laws or funding. The measure directly affects schools and communities by encouraging focus on nutrition initiatives during that specific time period. As a commemorative resolution, it does not alter policy or require new actions from government officials.

This bill designates March 22, 2026, as California STEAM Robotics Day to recognize the importance of robotics within science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education. The measure directly affects schools and educational organizations across the state by providing a specific date for them to host events or activities focused on robotics. It does not create new funding, change laws, or mandate specific actions, but rather serves as a formal proclamation to raise awareness about the field. The legislation was passed by the state legislature and signed into law as part of the 2026 statutes.

Existing law authorizes public and private secondary schools to participate in interscholastic sports, and authorizes schools to enter into associations or consortia to enact and enforce rules relating to eligibility for, and participation in, these activities. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district that maintains one or more schools containing any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to establish a policy regarding participation in extracurricular and cocurricular activities by pupils in those grades as a condition for the receipt of specified school funding allocations. Existing law requires the policy to condition pupil participation in extracurricular and cocurricular activities upon satisfactory educational progress in the previous grading period. This bill would authorize the governing board of a school district to adopt, as part of the above-described policy regarding participation in extracurricular and cocurricular activities, provisions establishing a drug testing program for pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive. The bill would require an adopted program to include nicotine testing for athletic extracurricular activities, and authorize the program to include testing for alcohol and controlled substances. The bill would, among other things, require the basis for testing to be random and suspicionless, unless the school has a reasonable suspicion that a pupil used nicotine, or, if applicable, alcohol or a controlled substance. The bill would authorize an adopted drug testing program to condition the voluntary participation in athletic extracurricular activities on participation in the drug testing program, as provided. The bill would prohibit the results of these drug tests from being made available to criminal or juvenile authorities, except as provided, and would require the results to be shared with the superintendent of the school district or their designee, the coach of the extracurricular athletic team, and the pupil's parents or other person having legal custody, as provided. The bill would authorize a pupil drug testing program to require a pupil to participate in a diversion program as a condition of continuing to participate in athletic extracurricular activities upon at least 3 cumulative instances of a positive drug test. Existing law prohibits a pupil from being suspended from school or recommended for expulsion, unless the superintendent of the school district or the principal of the school in which the pupil is enrolled determines that the pupil has committed a specified act, including, among other acts, that the pupil (1) unlawfully possessed, used, sold, or otherwise furnished, or had been under the influence of, a controlled substance, an alcoholic beverage, or an intoxicant of any kind, or (2) possessed or used tobacco, or products containing tobacco or nicotine products. Existing law prohibits the suspension of a pupil who voluntarily discloses, in order to seek help through services or supports, their use of a controlled substance, alcohol, intoxicants of any kind, tobacco, products containing tobacco, or nicotine products solely for that disclosure. This bill would additionally prohibit the suspension of a pupil who tests positive for a controlled substance, alcohol, intoxicants of any kind, tobacco, products containing tobacco, or nicotine products pursuant to an adopted pupil drug testing program solely for that positive test. Existing law authorizes a principal or the principal's designee who, in their professional capacity, has knowledge of or observes a pupil whom they know, or reasonably suspect as evidenced by the pupil's apparent intoxication, has consumed an alcoholic beverage or abused a controlled substance, to report the known or suspected instance of alcohol or controlled substance abuse to the parent or parents, or other person having legal custody, of the pupil. Existing law prohibits a principal or principal's designee who so reports from being subject to civil or criminal liability, except as specified. This bill would extend the above-described authorization to report to the parent or parents, or other person having legal custody, and related liability protections, to a principal or the principal's designee who knows or reasonably suspects that a pupil has used nicotine, as provided.

This bill urges state and local education leaders to formally evaluate new reporting requirements by asking six specific questions about their purpose, audience, value, feasibility, duplication, and duration. It aims to reduce administrative burdens on school districts by ensuring that any new data collection efforts directly support student learning rather than diverting resources. The resolution calls on the Legislature, Governor, and various state agencies to adopt this structured analysis process before implementing additional planning or accountability mandates. By promoting a more coherent system, the bill seeks to help schools use public funds more effectively for classrooms and pupil well-being.

This measure would recognize February 2026 as the centennial anniversary of Black History Month, urge all citizens to join in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans during Black History Month, and encourage the people of California to recognize the many talents of African Americans and the achievements and contributions they make to their communities to create equity and equality for education, economics, and social justice. The measure would recognize the significance in protecting the fundamental human rights enshrined in the United States Constitution and its Amendments, the United States Bill of Rights, and the California Constitution, as specified. The measure would also affirm the commitment of the Legislature all people are equal and shall be treated with respect and dignity and shall enjoy the equal application of the law for which the Legislature has been entrusted.

Existing federal law establishes the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) program, under which pupils who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals receive $40 per month, with specified adjustments, during summer months for grocery benefits. Existing federal regulations require, by 2025, the designated state agency to make a Summer EBT application available to households whose children are enrolled in schools participating in the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program and who do not already have an individual eligibility determination. Existing state law requires the State Department of Social Services, as the lead agency in partnership with the State Department of Education, to maximize participation in the Summer EBT program. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district and the county superintendent of schools to make paper applications for free or reduced-price meals available to pupils at all times during each regular schoolday. Existing law authorizes those entities to make an application electronically available online if the online application complies with certain requirements, including, among others, the inclusion of links to certain internet websites providing information on, and applications for, other government programs, such as CalFresh. This bill, the Stop Child Hunger Act of 2025, would require, upon an appropriation made by the Legislature, the State Department of Education, with support from the State Department of Social Services, to comply with the above-described federal regulations by developing, and providing families with, a statewide application that is made available through a single statewide internet website that enables families to submit federally required information relating to the Summer EBT program, as specified. The bill would require the internet website to, among other things, have the capability of routing a family's completed information to the family's local educational agency to determine Summer EBT eligibility. The bill would require the governing board of a school district, a county superintendent of schools, and the governing body of a charter school to make the above-described paper applications available if required by federal law and guidance, as specified. The bill would require the governing board of a school district, a county office of education, the governing body of a charter school, or a school food authority that provides an application online for free or reduced-price meals, as described above, to also provide links to the internet website providing information about the Summer EBT program. To the extent that the bill would create new duties for local educational agencies or county or other local officials, 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.

This measure would urge California's Members of Congress to reject any proposal to dismantle the United States Department of Education or strip it of its core functions and would call on the President of the United States to preserve, protect, and strengthen the United States Department of Education and its mission to serve all students.

This House Resolution declares January 2026 as School Board Recognition Month to honor the nearly 5,000 school board members across California's 1,000 school districts and county offices of education. The resolution recognizes these locally elected officials for their work in guiding public education and serving diverse communities, emphasizing their role in ensuring students' academic, social-emotional, and health needs are met. It calls on community members to join in acknowledging the dedication of school board members and collaborate to improve the education system. The bill has no operational effect beyond this symbolic recognition and does not change any laws or policies.

Existing law grants the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation authority to operate the state prison system and gives the department jurisdiction over various state prisons and other institutions. Existing law requires the department to make college programs available at every state prison and requires that these programs be provided by the California Community Colleges, the California State University, or the University of California, or other accredited, nonprofit colleges or universities. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, to report to the Legislature information related to the amount of space available for academic and vocational education, including the amount of the deficit or surplus of space at each prison.