New State Education Laws Address AI Use, Staffing, Student Support for California Schools

California’s 2025–26 legislative session concluded with Governor Gavin Newsom signing numerous bills that will impact schools across the state. These new laws cover a range of topics, including artificial intelligence and online safety, teacher staffing, student assessments, and school accountability reporting. While many provisions take effect on January 1, some have later implementation dates or require state agencies to develop guidance before local changes can occur.

A significant portion of the new legislation focuses on children's online safety and the expanding use of artificial intelligence. Assembly Bill 1159 (Addis) strengthens protections for student data held by education technology companies. Beginning in 2027, this law will prohibit the use of covered student information to train generative AI systems. Local schools may need to review vendor agreements more closely, and families may raise questions about how educational technology tools collect and use data.

Senate Bill 1119 (Padilla), also known as Adam’s Law, establishes protections for minors who use AI companion chatbots. These protections include safety notifications, parental controls, crisis protocols, risk assessments, and independent audits. Additionally, Assembly Bill 2071 (Hoover) directs the California Department of Education (CDE) to develop a statewide plan for expanding digital wellness education, providing age-appropriate resources and guidance on responsible technology and AI use. The CDE's plan is due by January 1, 2028; the law does not require schools to adopt new curriculum immediately.

Regarding social media and devices, Assembly Bill 302 (Bauer-Kahan) will prohibit schools from excluding students from extracurricular activities because they do not use an addictive social media feed, starting with the 2027–28 school year. Schools will also not be able to make social media feeds the only way for students or parents to receive information about activities. While teams and clubs can still use social media, important information like schedules and tryouts must be available through another reliable channel. Separately, Senate Bill 1128 (Stern), effective with the 2027–28 school year, generally prohibits districts, charter schools, and county offices of education from requiring transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students to take school-issued electronic devices home. Schools may still allow students to bring devices home, and the CDE is directed to develop resources on age-appropriate screen time and device use by July 1, 2027.

Changes are also coming to how English learners are reclassified. Under Assembly Bill 2555 (Patel), California is moving to a more standardized statewide approach. Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, students who meet the state-approved threshold on the Summative ELPAC or Alternate ELPAC must be reclassified based solely on that assessment, eliminating additional local criteria. Students eligible based on 2025–26 results must be reclassified by January 31, 2027, with further automation planned for 2027–28. The law also includes new requirements for family communication, such as notification upon reclassification and information about the opportunity to earn the State Seal of Biliteracy.

Early mathematics assessments are another area of focus. Senate Bill 1067 (Weber Pierson) establishes a framework for math diagnostic assessments in kindergarten through second grade. These assessments, based on state-approved criteria and tools, are intended to identify students who may need additional support. The State Board of Education is tasked with developing the necessary criteria and guidance by July 31, 2027. These tools are designed for early diagnosis, not as high-stakes statewide tests.

Teacher staffing was addressed through Assembly Bill 2490 (Valencia), which creates an additional pathway to an emergency career substitute permit. Qualified permit holders will now be able to remain in a single classroom for up to 70 cumulative days, including in special education, an increase from the previous 60-day limit. This measure aims to provide schools with greater flexibility amid teacher shortages. The law also includes training, mentoring, and reporting requirements.

Hiring rules for many noncertificated school employees will also change. Senate Bill 1083 (Pérez) expands existing employment-history checks by requiring prior school employers to disclose more information about credible complaints, investigations, or discipline related to egregious misconduct. This builds on a statewide system and could impact hiring practices for various classified and noncertificated employees starting in 2027.

For parent-teacher meetings, Senate Bill 1412 (Rubio) offers a more straightforward change. Parents, guardians, or other educational rights holders who cannot attend an individual meeting in person may now request to participate by phone or through a school-approved video conferencing platform. Governor Newsom signed this measure on September 28.

Schools will also see greater clarity regarding funding from Proposition 28, the voter-approved initiative for arts and music education. Assembly Bill 2440 (Muratsuchi) clarifies when Arts and Music in Schools funding from multiple school sites may be pooled, which expenditures qualify, and how certain supplement-not-supplant requirements apply. The law also includes new transparency provisions, such as public posting of expenditure plans and waivers.

Finally, Assembly Bill 2496 (Solache) aims to streamline school accountability reports. This law removes certain information from the School Accountability Report Card (SARC) and eliminates the February 28 deadline for presenting the midyear Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and LCFF Budget Overview update. This information must still be presented annually at a regularly scheduled board meeting. The CDE is also directed to report to lawmakers by August 31, 2027, on areas where information in the SARC duplicates data already available through other public sources. These changes are intended to simplify how schools report information to the state and public, without eliminating major accountability tools like the SARC or California School Dashboard.