Key Laws and Regulations
Together, these actions demonstrate California’s sustained leadership, beginning with an early statutory mandate and followed by strengthened pedagogy, statewide coordination, professional learning infrastructure, and implementation funding.
Key milestones in law and statewide infrastructure (chronological)
1976 – Civil rights foundation
• Ralph Civil Rights Act (Civil Code § 51.7) enacted (Chapter 1293, Statutes of 1976). It
establishes the right to be free from violence or threats of violence motivated by protected characteristics, providing a broader civil-rights backdrop for school climate and hate-incident response.
September 28, 1985 – Holocaust and genocide enter required instruction
• California amends Education Code § 51220 (grades 7–12) to embed human rights
instruction with particular attention to genocide, later described in statute and legislative findings as including the Holocaust in required social science instruction.
September 18, 2014 – Genocide education supports strengthened
• AB 1915 (Armenian Genocide Education Act) is chaptered (Chapter 414, Statutes of 2014). The law reinforces genocide education and strengthens instructional supports, including encouragement to use survivor, rescuer, liberator, and witness testimony aligned with the History–Social Science Framework.
October 6, 2021 – Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education established
• Governor Gavin Newsom launches the Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education to strengthen statewide coordination, identify best practices, and elevate resources for schools.
September 25, 2023 – AB 1078 signed into law
• AB 1078 (Chapter 760, Statutes of 2023) amends the Education Code to prohibit school boards from banning instructional materials that include information about diverse communities, reinforcing inclusive curriculum standards following a district’s removal of a book referencing a gay political leader.
September 28, 2024 – California Teachers Collaborative established as an official program of California
• SB 1277 is chaptered (Chapter 890, Statutes of 2024), adding Education Code § 51221.1 and establishing the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education to provide statewide professional learning infrastructure.
October 7, 2025 – AB 715 enacted
• AB 715 is chaptered (Chapter 428, Statutes of 2025), strengthening statewide civil rights and antisemitism prevention capacity. While not solely an education mandate, it supports the conditions necessary for effective Holocaust and genocide education.
October 13, 2025 – SB 472 enacted
• SB 472 is chaptered (Chapter 761, Statutes of 2025), adding Education Code § 51221.2. The law directs statewide notice clarifying Holocaust and genocide education requirements and establishes a Holocaust and Genocide Education Grant Program (subject to appropriation).
Education Code § 51220(b)(1) (grades 7–12) requires that social sciences instruction include “human rights issues,” with “particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust.”
Education Code § 51226.3 directs the state to include age-appropriate curriculum resources (aligned to the History–Social Science framework) on civil rights, human rights violations, genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust, and it encourages use of survivor/rescuer/liberator/witness testimony and teacher professional development on these topics.
Education Code § 49414.4 – Restorative Justice within multi-tiered supports
This statute states that it is the intent of the Legislature that a Multi-Tiered System of Supports be used by schools can include restorative justice practices, trauma-informed practices, social and emotional learning, and positive behavior interventions to help students gain social and emotional skills and repair harm in the school community.
Education Code § 48900.5 – Restorative justice as an alternative means of correction.
Under the provisions governing suspension and discipline, “other means of correction” that schools may use include participation in a restorative justice program as one of the options before suspension is imposed. Additionally, for incidents like racist bullying, schools are encouraged to have both victim and perpetrator engage in restorative justice practices as suited to their needs.
Ralph Civil Rights Act (Hate Violence Protections) (Civil Code section 51.7)
A California law that protects people from violence, threats, and intimidation based on race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and other characteristics.
Learn more: Ralph Act Fact sheet: California Law Protects You From Hate Violence
Government Code § 11135 – Anti-Discrimination in State-Funded Programs
This law ensures that state-funded programs, including public education, do not discriminate based on protected characteristics.
Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) – CA Dept. of Education
The standardized process schools and districts must use to address complaints of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying.
Learn more: CDE Uniform Complaint Procedures (Overview)
Sample complaint form guidance: Uniform Complaint Form Example (ACLU SoCal)
California Civil Rights Department (CRD)
The state agency responsible for enforcing civil rights laws and supporting victims of hate violence and discrimination.
Official agency site: California Civil Rights Department (CRD)
CA vs Hate – Hate Incident Reporting
A statewide system to report and get support after hate incidents or hate crimes.
Report or learn more: CA vs Hate – Reporting Resources
LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Protections (Context Resources)
Information on protections for LGBTQ+ Californians under state law (e.g., gender identity and sexual orientation nondiscrimination).
Context and rights overview: California DOJ LGBTQ+ Rights Info
California Protects the Right of LGBTQ+ Fact Sheet (Civil Rights Department, California)