California schools will take additional steps to protect students from fentanyl under new law

California is now one of just a handful of states that will require students to learn about the dangers of opioids, including information about deadly synthetic pills containing fentanyl, under legislation signed on Oct. 13 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Senate Bill 10 mandates that every […]

Boards of education are key in achieving universal participation in postsecondary financial aid

Submitted by the California Student Aid Commission California recently completed the first financial aid cycle since the launch of the All In for FAFSA/CA Dream Act campaign supporting California’s universal financial aid participation law. This state law requires local educational agencies, including charter schools, to […]

New California cybersecurity laws impacting education

California was among 18 states to adopt laws related to cybersecurity that directly or indirectly apply to the education sector in 2022, according to the report “State and Federal Education Cybersecurity Policy Developments 2022,” published by Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) in January. “Cyberattacks are […]

Districts can now begin efforts to build education workforce housing with less red tape

Survey after survey, study after study, lack of affordable housing close to the campuses in which they work continues to be one of the most cited reasons for why teachers and other school employees leave their positions or the education field entirely. This presents a […]

Legal: Board members now subject to “pay-to-play” campaign contribution restrictions (UPDATED)

Update: On Nov. 17, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) discussed the application of amendments to Government Code Section 84308 more fully described in the blog below. The FPPC’s staff attorneys had proposed the commission issue an opinion advising that Government Code Section 84308, as […]

New law supports development of educational materials about local tribes

Assemblymember James Ramos’ (D-Highland) California Indian Education Act, Assembly Bill 1703, was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 23. The new law encourages local educational agencies to create California Indian Education task forces that include representatives of area Native American tribes and educators to […]

CSBA-sponsored bills AB 2584 and SB 1061 provide election reforms that will benefit LEAs

On Sept. 29, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two CSBA-sponsored election reform bills, Assembly Bill 2584 (Berman, D-Menlo Park) and Senate Bill 1061 (Laird, D-Santa Cruz). AB 2584 provides needed reforms to the recall process for local elected officials, and SB 1061 ensures that voters are […]

New state policy requires high school seniors to apply for FAFSA

By The California Student Aid Commission In California’s 2021–22 state budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature included a groundbreaking new policy that local educational agencies, including charter schools, must confirm that their graduating high school seniors complete an application for financial aid (or an […]