A bill aims to improve reading abilities for California children by requiring schools to teach this key topic. Another attempted to overhaul the canteen meal by eliminating highly processed food. The third aims to protect students from derailing due to discrimination.
These bills, along with other bills passed by the Legislature on the last busy day of the meeting, will directly affect the classroom experience of about 5.8 million California public school students. Broadly speaking, these bills target students’ ideological, healthy and emotional well-the results are not without controversy.
The measures are now landing on the table of Governor Gavin Newsom, who must approve or refuse by October 12.
General Assembly Act 715: Anti-Discrimination
Among the most intense educational measures, General Assembly Act 715 Once was Arise due to dissatisfaction – in largely in the Jewish Group Alliance – the way in which racial research is taught in some classrooms in California. Critics say that in some schools, race studies classes are improperly focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which reflect prejudice against Jews. The allegations of bias were rejected by lecturers who included conflict in their syllabus.
The final version of the bill – pairing with companions Senate Bill 48 – Expanding the focus beyond anti-Semitism, which is a response to those who question why the original bill language is only targeting Jewish discrimination.
“California has taken a historic anti-anti-Semitism stance in our school,” said David Bocarsly, executive director of the California Jewish Public Affairs Commission. “For a long time, Jewish students have endured slander, bullying and open hostility in the classroom, with nowhere to turn. AB 715’s commitment to these students and to all children in California, they are not invisible, their safety and dignity are important.”
The final legislation will establish a National Civil Rights Office to report to the governor’s cabinet. It will take surveillance and assistance tasks – raise complaints and questions; prepare study materials and reports on identifying and combating discrimination; and help teachers, schools and districts comply with state anti-discrimination laws.
The dedicated coordinator will address different forms of discrimination – their respective discrimination, used for anti-Semitism, religious discrimination, racial and racial discrimination, gender discrimination and LGBTQ+ discrimination, respectively.
Issues related to race research will include ensuring anti-discriminatory curriculum and teacher training materials. To investigate formal complaints, the state will rely on existing complaint procedures that examine alleged violations involving discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying.
AB 715’s critic – Including the California Teachers Association. – Recognizes that the bill has been amended to address their concerns, but remains opposed. This could make discussions on controversial students and elsewhere, and could also mistakenly equate legitimate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, they said.
AB 1454: Reading Science
A detailed bill would overhaul the way to teach reading in a California classroom – mandatory pronunciation-based courses and ultimately for decades of debate on how best to teach children this basic skill. The bill is unusual in states that usually emphasize local control guidance.
AB 1454 will require the district to adopt teaching materials based on what proponents call the “reading science” based on research on how young children learn to read.
The favorite methods now tend to decode and sound from the letters’ sounds and to emit words Five pillars For more effective guidance: phoneme awareness (sounds made by letters), pronunciation, reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
Hopefully this teaching style will continue to disappointing test results.
A 2022 study of 300 California school districts found that less than 2% of districts are using courses that supporters believe are strong enough in their reading habits.
These advocates have long criticized alternative “all-language” approaches that rely heavily on the concept of children being more involved when they learn to read and less emphasis on decoding words. The teacher focuses on the children around him having books to develop a love for reading and instructs the children to find unknown words based on context, pictures and other clues.
“Renovating California’s education system requires a coordinated approach that is rooted in proven solutions,” said Marshall Tuck, CEO of Edvoice, which is advocated for the change by education advocacy nonprofits.
However, many California teachers remain committed to adopting state-managed approaches, especially the opposite of their classroom experience and previous training. Advocates of students studying English are particularly strongly opposed to the philosophy of reading.
AB 1264: Super Processed Food
Chicken nuggets, corn dogs, packaged frozen pizza, fries, canned fruits and sugary cereals are the types of super processed foods targeted in school meals in the 1264 General Assembly Act, which will require healthier buffet restaurant options in the coming years.
Frequently processed foods often include reconstructed meat as well as chemical additives such as preservatives, emulsifiers, coloring and other ingredients that lack cooking from scratch (not to mention added sugar, fat, and salt), which can simultaneously undermine the “physical and mental health” of students and intervene in their learning ability,” Bill Bill author’s learning ability.
The bill is against manufacturers, who believe it is too restrictive and is influenced by non-scientific whimsicality.
The final version alleviates some concerns by setting up a review process rather than simply listing banned food and chemicals. Over the past few years, there have been gradual stages.
Expect processed foods retained on the menu to be healthier and also speed up efforts to prepare food in the school kitchen and rely as much as possible on local and fresh ingredients.
AB 564: Cannabis Tax and Childcare Services
The Legislature also voted to increase the cannabis excise tax, which took effect in July and raised the state tax rate paid by consumers to 19%. The goal is to strengthen the struggling law – the cannabis industry. one Part of child care funds It is one of the casualties with lower taxes.
General Assembly Act 564 This means an estimated annual decrease in law enforcement, child care, high-risk youth services and environmental cleaning services. Of the total, about $81 million will provide subsidized nurseries for approximately 8,000 children from low-income families. Overall, the national budget to assist childcare is $7 billion, a figure that advocates what is seen as needed, especially as further potential cuts are imminent.
Other notable measures
General Assembly Act 461 Under state law, treatment of truancy as a crime will be ended. Existing laws can allow parents or guardians of long-term absent or late students to fine up to $2,000 and up to one year in prison.
Prosecution is rare, and potential penalties are often seen as deterrent. But California’s pendulum has moved from hard exploration measures to alternatives such as counseling and family assistance.
The Legislature also passed the bill Support immigrant familiesThis often has a carry-over effect on how schools operate, for example, unless there is a valid judicial arrest warrant, the bill will violate immigration officials on campus.
Times worker Daniel Miller contributes to this Report. The golden report of the Times Early Childhood Education Program focuses on learning and development of California children from birth to 5 years old. For more information about the program and its philanthropist funders, go to latimes.com/earlyed.
