Quick look: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a wide range of education bills at the close of the 2025 legislative session, enacting new laws on literacy, school safety, nutrition and student well-being.
The deadline for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign or veto bills passed this week, closing out a busy 2025 legislative session that produced dozens of new education laws.
These laws cover a wide range of areas — from literacy instruction and school safety to nutrition and student well-being — that will influence how schools operate and how students and families are supported in the years ahead.
Here’s a quick look at the school-related bills that were approved or vetoed this year.
Signed legislation
AB 49 (Muratsuchi): Immigration enforcement restrictions on school grounds
Prohibits immigration enforcement officers from entering nonpublic areas of school campuses without a judicial warrant, subpoena or court order. Local education agencies must adopt written protocols and provide staff training by March 2026.
SB 98 (Pérez): Notification procedures for immigration enforcement at schools
Requires schools and higher education institutions to issue notifications when immigration enforcement is confirmed on campus, including the date, time and location of the event and links to additional resources. Notification procedures must be added to comprehensive school safety plans by March 2026.
AB 715 (Zbur, Addis): Office of Civil Rights and antisemitism prevention
Establishes a new state-level Office of Civil Rights under the Government Operations Agency, including an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator, to assist local education agencies in preventing and responding to discrimination based on religion, race, gender and sexual orientation.
AB 1454 (Rivas, Muratsuchi, Rubio): Literacy and the science of reading
Requires the adoption of literacy instruction and instructional materials aligned with the “science of reading.” Mandates professional development for TK–5 teachers and updates credentialing standards for administrators and reading specialists.
AB 727 (González): LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline on student ID cards
Beginning July 1, 2026, student identification cards for grades 7–12 and public higher education institutions must include contact information for The Trevor Project’s suicide prevention hotline, along with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
AB 1264 (Gabriel): Pupil nutrition and ultraprocessed foods of concern
Defines “ultraprocessed food” for school settings and directs the State Department of Public Health, with input from CDE, to adopt regulations by June 1, 2028 identifying “restricted school foods” and “ultraprocessed foods of concern.” Schools must begin phasing out these foods by July 1, 2029, with a full prohibition on their sale or inclusion in school meals by July 1, 2035.
AB 495 (Rodriguez): Caregiver authorization and family preparedness
Expands who can sign a caregiver’s authorization affidavit to include a broader range of relatives — such as great-aunts, cousins and other family members within five degrees of kinship — allowing them to temporarily care for a child if a parent is detained or deported. The law also bars child care providers from collecting immigration information and lets parents nominate a temporary guardian in family court. Supporters say it gives immigrant families more options to plan for emergencies, while critics expressed concern it could weaken parental protections.
AB 1034 (Farías): Youth mental health in teacher preparation
Adds youth mental health content to teacher preparation and credentialing standards beginning with the next revision cycle after Jan. 1, 2026.
SB 19 (Rubio): Threats of violence
Makes it a crime to threaten violent acts at schools, child care facilities, universities, workplaces, houses of worship or medical facilities — even if there was no intent to carry out the threat — when it causes fear for personal safety.
SB 510 (Richardson): African American history in curriculum frameworks
Requires the Instructional Quality Commission to consider including early African American history in California when revising the state’s history–social science framework or adopting new instructional materials.
SB 640 (Cabaldon): CSU admissions access
Requires participating California State University campuses to provide “direct admission” letters to eligible high school students who meet course and grade requirements, simplifying the application process.
AB 1123 (Muratsuchi): Teacher credentialing commission representation
Adds an early childhood education representative to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing without increasing the total number of commissioners.
AB 461 (Ahrens): Truancy enforcement reform
Removes the misdemeanor penalty for parents of truant students in grades K–8, replacing criminal penalties with support-based interventions.
Vetoed legislation
SB 414 (Ashby): Charter school oversight and flex-based instruction reform
Would have increased fiscal oversight of charter schools offering nonclassroom-based, or “flex-based,” instruction and created an Education Inspector General’s Office to investigate fraud or mismanagement. The bill was vetoed due to cost and implementation concerns.
AB 1224 (Valencia et al.): Substitute teacher limits
Proposed doubling the number of days a substitute teacher could serve in the same classroom — from 30 to 60 days in general education and 20 to 60 in special education. Vetoed over concerns about training and continuity of instruction.
AB 1348 (Bains): ADA funding during immigration-related absences
Would have allowed districts to claim average daily attendance credit for students absent due to immigration enforcement actions. The governor cited existing attendance recovery programs and fiscal impacts in his veto message.
Next steps for schools
Many of the new laws will phase in over the next few years as the state provides additional guidance. In the meantime, local districts and schools are already looking at how these changes may affect local policies, safety plans and classroom practices.