Anti-Education California Assembly Bill 715 Delayed in Win for Education Advocates
Controversial Assembly Bill 715, an anti-education bill masquerading as discrimination prevention, has been delayed from its second committee review. AB 715 has been fought against by teacher’s groups and groups fighting for Palestinian rights. Over 70 grassroots organizations and educator unions opposed this bill, and its delay due to this grassroots people power is a huge win for people fighting for education equity. The bill would have threatened academic freedoms and targeted educators who speak about or teach about Palestine. The Caifornia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) wrote in an opposition letter that this bill would have “a severe chilling effect on what California public school teachers are permitted to teach, and what our students are permitted to learn in K-12 classrooms.” Proponents argue that this bill is necessary to prevent discrimination, despite California’s education code having extensive anti-discrimination protections and the fact that this bill only deters one form of discrimination while promoting another.
AB 715 would set a horrifying precedent for extremely restricting what students are allowed to learn in public schools. This would be government censorship of students learning about foreign affairs. Additionally, this bill would set a legal precedent for conflating anti-Zionism with anti-semitism, which would lead to students or teachers learning or teaching about the genocide in Gaza potentially being penalized or painted as anti-semites for taking a common sense stance against violence and genocide. This delay is a huge win for education advocates, but more advocacy is necessary to preserve teacher and student rights in the classroom.
CAIR California
By CAIR California | Press Release | July 8th, 2025