Education

(1) 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. Existing law requires teacher instruction and instructional materials, including materials adopted by the State Board of Education and any governing body, to be factually accurate, align with the adopted curriculum and standards, and be consistent with accepted standards of professional responsibility, rather than advocacy, personal opinion, bias, or partisanship. This bill would revise and recast the above-described requirement on teacher instruction and instructional materials by, among other things, deleting the requirement that teacher instruction and instructional materials be consistent with accepted standards of professional responsibility. (2) Existing law authorizes a person to file a complaint of unlawful discrimination with a local educational agency using the uniform complaint process or directly with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, as provided. Existing law requires a person who files a complaint with an educational institution, as defined, to be advised by that institution that civil law remedies may also be available, as specified. Existing law authorizes a party to a written complaint of prohibited discrimination to appeal the action taken by the governing board of a school district to the State Department of Education. Existing law authorizes a party to a written complaint of prohibited discrimination to appeal to the department based on the governing board of a school district's failure to issue an investigation report within a certain timeline. Prior to direct intervention by the Superintendent regarding an appeal to the department based on a failure to issue an investigation report within a specified timeline, existing law requires the department to attempt to work with the local educational agency to issue a local educational agency report, within a specified timeline, to the Superintendent. This bill would instead, prior to direct intervention by the Superintendent, require the department to notify the local educational agency, in writing, to issue a local educational agency investigation report to the complainant and the department within 20 days of the notification. The bill also would instead require a person who files a complaint with a local educational agency to be advised by that local educational agency that civil law remedies may also be available, as specified. (3) If instructional materials are found to have resulted in unlawful discrimination, existing law requires those materials to be immediately and permanently omitted from the course materials and prohibits those materials from being used in any current course offerings or any subsequent course offerings. This bill would require the Superintendent to ensure that local educational agencies omit all portions of the instructional materials found to have resulted in unlawful discrimination.

Existing law, the Leroy F. Greene State School Building Lease-Purchase Law of 1976, effectuates the declaration of the Legislature that it is in the interest of the state and its people to reconstruct, remodel, or replace existing school buildings that are educationally inadequate or that do not meet present-day structural safety requirements, and to acquire new schoolsites and buildings for the purpose of making them available to local school districts for the pupils of the public school system. Existing law authorizes the State Allocation Board, by adoption of rules, to establish priorities for the construction and leasing of projects to schools districts whose pupils will benefit most. This bill would authorize the board to include, as priorities for projects, an efficient response to extreme heat and climate change. If the board adopts priorities related to an efficient response to extreme heat and climate change, the bill would require those priorities to apply only to project applications received after January 1, 2027.

This measure would declare Monday, April 13, 2026, to Friday, April 24, 2026, inclusive, as High School Voter Education Weeks and would encourage local educational agencies to dedicate at least one of those 2 weeks to educating pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, on the electoral process, as provided. The measure would encourage local educational agencies to provide digital and physical resources necessary to provide this information and would encourage the governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies to contract with third-party nonprofit organizations, as provided, to accomplish this endeavor.

Existing law sets forth the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education, and details the ways in which their respective institutions are to be differentiated. Existing law specifies that the California State University (CSU) shall offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master's degree in the liberal arts and sciences and professional education. Existing law authorizes the CSU to award undergraduate and graduate degrees jointly with international institutions of higher education. Existing law vests the University of California (UC) with the sole authority in public higher education to award doctoral degrees in all fields of learning, except that the CSU may award doctoral degrees jointly (1) with the UC in selected fields, (2) with independent institutions of higher education if the proposed doctoral program is approved by the California Postsecondary Education Commission, and (3) with international institutions of higher education if, among other things, the doctoral degrees are for professional or applied doctoral degrees that do not duplicate UC doctoral degrees, and the CSU complies with a specified review and approval process, as provided. This bill would authorize the CSU to award doctoral degrees jointly with one or more independent institutions of higher education without approval by the California Postsecondary Education Commission. The bill would also authorize the CSU to award undergraduate and graduate degrees jointly with one or more independent institutions of higher education. The bill would authorize the CSU to jointly award doctoral degrees with accredited international institutions of higher education without (1) limiting it to professional or applied doctoral degrees that do not duplicate UC doctoral degrees, and (2) complying with the specified review and approval process.

This bill designates April 14 of every year as Sylvia Mendez Day to honor the civil rights activist who challenged school segregation in California. The measure is a commemorative resolution that does not change laws, allocate funding, or alter government operations. By establishing this annual observance, the state recognizes Mendez's historical contributions to education and civil rights.

This House Resolution encourages California high schools to participate in High School Voter Education Weeks, a designated period from September 14 to 25, 2026. The measure asks school administrators to promote voter preregistration and registration for eligible students, designate coordinators to lead civic engagement activities, and participate in the statewide Student Mock Election. It also reminds schools that students in grades 6 through 12 may take an excused absence to attend civic events with prior notice. The resolution does not change existing laws but serves as a formal recommendation to boost youth participation in the upcoming 2026 general election.

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.

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.