In 2025, a set of significant new laws will take effect in California, reshaping the state’s education system. These laws address crucial issues such as student privacy, historical education, and protection against discrimination. Here, we break down four significant laws that will come into effect in January 2025, and how they will impact students, teachers, and school communities across the state.
1. LGBTQ+ Student Privacy: Assembly Bill 1955
Starting January 1, 2025, Assembly Bill 1955 (SAFETY Act) will protect the privacy of LGBTQ+ students by prohibiting school staff from being forced to notify parents about a child’s gender identity. This law was enacted in response to policies proposed by some school districts requiring teachers to inform parents if a student uses a different name or pronoun or seeks to access gendered facilities. Under this new legislation, educators are shielded from retaliation if they refuse to disclose such information. The SAFETY Act also provides additional resources to support LGBTQ+ students in middle and high schools.
2. Accurate Native American History: Assembly Bill 1821
California’s education system will now be required to offer a more accurate portrayal of Native American history, thanks to Assembly Bill 1821. This law mandates that when the state updates its history-social science curriculum, it must consult with California tribes to better represent the experiences of Native Americans during Spanish colonization and the Gold Rush. The law aims to address past misrepresentations and omissions, particularly the impacts of forced labor, violence, and disease on Indigenous peoples during these periods. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, among other supporters, has praised the legislation as a critical step in correcting historical injustices.
3. Mendez v. Westminster in Curriculum: Assembly Bill 1805
In another update to California’s educational framework, Assembly Bill 1805 requires the inclusion of the landmark case Mendez v. Westminster School District in the state’s history-social science curriculum. The 1945 case challenged the segregation of Mexican-American children in Orange County schools, leading to the first statewide ban on public school segregation. This legal victory set the stage for the historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling, which ended racial segregation in public schools nationwide. The new law ensures that California students are taught about this pivotal case, reflecting its importance in the civil rights movement and in the history of desegregation.
4. Protection Against Hair Discrimination: Assembly Bill 1815
Assembly Bill 1815 takes aim at another form of discrimination by extending protections against bias based on hairstyle, particularly in amateur and club sports. While the CROWN Act already prohibits discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles in workplaces and schools, this new law clarifies that these protections now apply to youth sports as well. The bill expands the legal definition of racial discrimination to include cultural, rather than just historical, connections to specific hairstyles like braids, locks, and twists. This measure seeks to combat the racial bias that often affects students of color in sports and beyond.
These four new laws mark an important shift towards greater inclusivity, historical accuracy, and student protection in California’s education system starting in 2025.
