A hotly contested bill aimed at reducing antisemitism in California schools now awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature.
AB 715, introduced by Democratic Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur of Los Angeles and Dawn Addis of San Luis Obispo, seeks to reign in antisemitism in schools by establishing a new Office of Civil Rights to work directly with schools on addressing incidents of discrimination and hate.
The new department would be administered by the state’s Government Operations Agency, and its director would be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate.
The bill would also establish an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator, who will be tasked with tracking and reporting antisemitism in schools, as well as training and advising local educational agencies on education efforts. The coordinator would also be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate.
If signed, the bill would require any adopted curriculum to be “factually accurate” and align with the current adopted curriculum and standards under California law and would prohibit local educational agencies from adopting any professional development materials or services that would use curriculum considered discriminatory.
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The bill is a joint effort between the chairs of California legislative diversity caucuses, including the Black, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander and Jewish caucuses and follows a few, failed attempts by California legislators to reign in contentious ethic studies courses — a long debated topic in the state but even more so amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and widespread student protests.
The version of AB 715 awaiting Newsom’s signature has undergone several major changes since it was first introduced in May, amid opposition from the teacher’s union and several educational and Arab American advocacy groups.
A previous version of the bill would have prohibited school districts and school boards from using any curriculum or instructional materials that could be considered discriminatory, had specific requirements for materials regarding Jews, Israel or the conflict in Gaza, and created a new complaint process for incidents of antisemitism. The current version of the bill also expands the bill’s scope to include discrimination more broadly, rather than the previous version’s focus on antisemitism.
It comes as the Trump administration has cracked down on antisemitism in schools across the country, recently expanding a probe into the University of California over alleged antisemitism on its school campuses and demanding an additional $1 billion fine and major campus changes to settle antisemitism claims at UCLA. Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara are also included in a list of 60 universities facing civil rights investigations into antisemitism on their campuses. Critics, however, have called the crackdown an excuse to exert more control over university curriculums.
Support for the bill includes dozens of Jewish organizations and advocates, including the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, the Anti-Defamation League and the Bay Area chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
In a letter of support for the bill, the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California called AB 715 “a critical measure to counter antisemitism and other forms of discrimination in California’s K-12 schools” and cited Attorney General Rob Bonta’s 2024 Hate Crime in California Report which found that anti-Jewish bias events rose more than 7% from 2023 to 2024 and increased more than 219% from 2015.
“Our community is deeply shaken. Many Jewish students no longer feel safe in their own classrooms and more families are making the difficult decision to withdraw their children from public schools,” the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California said in the bill analysis. “These issues have divided communities, triggered lawsuits, led to state findings of bias, and heightened fear and anxiety for students and families alike.”
But opponents of the bill have argued AB 715 would chill free speech and censor curriculum in California classrooms. Opponents include ACLU California Action, the Association of California School Administrators, California County Superintendents, California School Boards Association, Council of UC Faculty Associations, Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area chapter and the University of California Student Association, among others.
The California Teachers Association has also strongly opposed the bill, arguing in a letter of opposition that AB 715 would “arm some ill-intentioned people” with the ability to “weaponize public education.” The teacher’s union expressed concern over the requirement that all instruction be “factually accurate,” arguing the “vague rules” around what can be discussed in he classroom may dissuade educators from discussing controversial or sensitive topics and “deprive students of an inclusive and honest education.”
The California Faculty Association also adamantly opposes the bill and has expressed concern that “only one anti-racist coordinator would be required for over 70% of the California student population.”
Theresa Montaño, CFA Teacher Education Caucus tri-chair and CSU Northridge professor, said in a CFA statement that the bill in its current form will have a “chilling impact” on classroom teachers who are already facing lawsuits and threats to their ability to hold critical discussions on current events.
“Teacher discourse on Palestine or the genocide in Gaza will be policed, misrepresented, and reported to the antisemitism coordinator,” Montaño said. “Today, it’s Palestine. Tomorrow, will it be the ‘rainbow flag,’ your ‘Black Lives Matter poster,’ or your ‘ICE out of LA’ t-shirt? The question of equal protection for all students remains a concern.”
The faculty association is supporting a petition by the Council on American-Islamic Relations California — which also opposes the bill — urging Newsom to veto AB 715, which it deemed “classroom censorship.” More than 6,500 supporters signed the petition as of Thursday.
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, AB 715 could cost approximately $4 million each year to establish and operate the Office of Civil Rights and Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator, but could be higher depending on the workload. The committee also said the bill could result in additional costs to develop training materials or resolve discrimination complaints.
Newsom has 30 days to sign or veto the bill and any other measures passed in the final days before the legislative session ended Sept. 13.
