California Assembly Bill AB715

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/14/25
• Refer: 3/3/25
• Report Pass: 5/12/25
• Refer: 5/12/25
• Report Pass: 5/14/25
• Refer: 5/14/25
• Refer: 5/21/25
• Report Pass: 5/23/25
• Engrossed: 5/29/25
• Refer: 5/29/25
• Refer: 6/11/25
• Report Pass: 7/1/25
• Refer: 7/1/25
• Report Pass: 9/9/25
• Refer: 9/9/25
• Report Pass: 9/11/25
• Refer: 9/11/25
• Enrolled: 9/12/25
• Enrolled: 9/13/25
• Failed: 9/11/25
• Chaptered: 10/7/25
• Passed: 10/7/25

Caption

An act to amend Sections 244, 262.3, 48980, 51500, 51501, and 60151 of, to add Section 60152 to, to add Article 11 (commencing with Section 280) to Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 1 of, and to add Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 33800) to Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of, the Education Code, relating to education.

Summary

AB 715 is an education bill focused on preventing antisemitism and other forms of unlawful discrimination in California public schools, charter schools, and county offices of education. It expands existing anti-discrimination rules to cover professional development materials and services, not just textbooks and curriculum, and requires school governing boards to investigate and remediate discriminatory incidents when they know or have reason to know they occurred. The bill also bars the use of instructional or professional development materials that promote or support discriminatory content, and it allows complaints to be filed directly with the Superintendent of Public Instruction in certain circumstances, including anonymously by members of the public with supporting evidence. The bill creates a new Office of Civil Rights within the Government Operations Agency and requires it to work directly with local educational agencies to prevent and address discrimination and bias. Within that office, it establishes an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, to provide antisemitism education, advise schools, track complaints, and recommend legislation. The Office of Civil Rights must also issue annual public reports on discrimination and bias in schools, provide technical assistance and training, and help develop complaint-processing protocols, with confidentiality protections for underlying complaint data. AB 715 also changes several existing Education Code provisions governing school complaints, instructional materials, and parent notifications. It authorizes appeals when a school district fails to issue an investigation report on time, expands the Department of Education’s corrective-action authority, and requires removal of instructional materials found to violate anti-discrimination law from current and future course offerings. If a contracted organization is found to have provided violating materials or services, it must reimburse funds received and disclose the violation to other districts. The bill further requires annual parent notices and department bulletins to include information about the new protections and responsibilities, and it directs the Superintendent to maintain a web page with antisemitism resources. The bill’s stated purpose is to respond to what the Legislature describes as a rise in antisemitic harassment, bullying, and discriminatory instructional content affecting Jewish and Israeli students. It relies in part on the state’s 2024 antisemitism plan and the federal National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, and it frames the measure as necessary to ensure safe, inclusive classrooms. The bill is contingent on enactment of SB 48, and it includes a state-mandated local program provision with potential reimbursement if mandated costs are found. Overall, the sentiment around AB 715 appears strongly supportive and largely unanimous in the recorded votes, with no recorded committee or floor opposition in the provided history except one committee vote showing a single no vote. The main points of contention implied by the structure of the bill are not reflected in the vote totals but would likely center on how broadly “discriminatory bias” is defined, the new state oversight role, and the potential impact on instructional materials, professional development, and local control. The bill also appears designed to balance enforcement with due process by preserving complaint procedures, confidentiality, and restorative-justice-based remediation options.

Impact

AB 715 amends Education Code sections governing discrimination, instructional materials, complaint appeals, parent notifications, and school district responsibilities. It adds professional development materials and services to the list of items that cannot be adopted if they would subject pupils to unlawful discrimination, creates new state-level oversight structures, and authorizes stronger corrective actions, including technical assistance, reporting, alternative materials, financial penalties, and reimbursement from violating vendors. It also requires new annual notices and reporting obligations for local educational agencies and the Department of Education, and it makes the bill operative only if SB 48 is enacted.

Sentiment

The bill’s legislative history shows broad support and little recorded opposition. It moved through committees and floor votes with overwhelmingly favorable margins, including several unanimous votes and a 71-0 concurrence vote in the Assembly. The framing of the bill in the text and the vote pattern suggest a strong consensus around the need to address antisemitism and discrimination in schools, though the absence of transcript material limits insight into detailed debate.

Contention

The most likely areas of contention are the bill’s expanded definition and enforcement of discriminatory bias, especially the rule that direct harm or the presence of protected-group members is not required, and the new authority for state intervention in local school complaints and instructional materials. Another possible point of dispute is the creation of a new Office of Civil Rights and Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator, which increases state oversight and could be viewed as affecting local control, curriculum decisions, and professional development choices. The bill also imposes new compliance duties and potential financial consequences on local educational agencies and vendors, which may raise implementation and cost concerns.