New education bills could become law in California

SACRAMENTO - Several education-related bills are now on Governor Gavin Newsom's desk awaiting his signature, ranging from banning certain food dyes in school lunches to a ban on legacy admissions at private colleges.

School Lunch

In California, public school lunches and breakfasts are free for all students in every grade. 

Assembly Bill 2316 the "School Food Safety Act," sponsored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Los Angeles, would add stricter requirements on what those meals can include. 

The bill would prohibit schools from offering foods that contain six synthetic dyes, such as Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5, which are commonly found in baked goods, chips, soda, and candy. Studies have linked the consumption of these dyes to neuro-behavioral disorders, such as ADHD, in children.

Homework Policy 

Another bill, Assembly Bill 2999 "Healthy Homework Act," sponsored by Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Santa Clarita, would require school districts to work with parents and teachers to create policies around homework. 

This would include setting standards for the amount and quality of homework assigned and determining how it should factor into students' overall grades. 

The bill’s author says the goal is to reduce "busy work" and ensure homework contributes meaningfully to students’ education.

Legacy Admissions Ban

Assembly Bill 1780,   sponsored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, targets legacy and donor admissions at private colleges and universities. 

While the University of California  and California State University systems already do not use these criteria in admissions, but this bill would extend the ban to private colleges and universities across the state. 

If signed into law, schools would be required to send an annual report to the state legislature to ensure compliance.

Undocumented students could work on campus

Assembly Bill 2586  would allow undocumented students at California's public colleges and universities to work at on-campus jobs, regardless of their immigration status. 

The UC system had previously considered a policy on this, but rejected it, citing the legal risks. 

The wording of the bill instructs the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges to treat the federal law banning the hiring of undocumented noncitizens as inapplicable and argues public universities and colleges are their own entities.