AB 908: Instructional materials: compliance review.
This bill aims to ensure that instructional materials adopted by school districts in California accurately portray the state's cultural and racial diversity. The materials must include contributions from people of all genders in various roles, Native Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, European Americans, LGBTQ+ Americans, persons with disabilities, and other ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic groups. The state department of education will monitor compliance with this requirement as part of its annual review of state and federal programs.
| Sep. 09, 2025 | Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Menjivar. |
| Aug. 29, 2025 | Read second time. Ordered to third reading. |
| Aug. 29, 2025 | From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 29). |
| Aug. 18, 2025 | In committee: Referred to suspense file. |
| Jul. 17, 2025 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (July 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Amended IN Senate July 07, 2025 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 21, 2025 |
| Introduced by Assembly Member Solache |
February 19, 2025 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Existing law states the policy of the State of California to afford all persons in public schools, regardless of their disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other specified characteristic, equal rights and opportunities in the educational institutions of the state. Existing law prohibits discrimination on the basis of those specific characteristics in any program or activity conducted by an educational institution that receives, or benefits from, state financial assistance or enrolls pupils who receive state student financial aid. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to annually review 20 school districts for compliance with those sex discrimination provisions and regulations adopted pursuant to those provisions. Existing law requires instruction in social sciences to include a study of the role and contributions of, among others, people of all genders, Latino Americans, LGBTQ+ Americans, and members of other ethnic, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic status groups.
This bill would require the above-described required instruction in social sciences to be included in the compliance review.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 60040 of the Education Code is amended to read:60040.
(a) When adopting instructional materials for use in the schools, governing boards shall include only instructional materials that, in their determination, accurately portray the cultural and racial diversity of our society, including:(a)
(b)
(c)