Bill may weaken Jewish student protections
State lawmakers warn that a recently proposed bill would gut key protections in California law for Jewish students, potentially rolling back safeguards amid rising hate incidents. The measure has sparked concern among advocates and could trigger new compliance and safety planning in schools. (clevelandjewishnews.com)
Assembly Bill 2159 was introduced by Assemblymember Robert Garcia on Feb. 18, 2026 and is formally titled "Pupil discipline: cyberbullying: parent accountability." (legiscan.com)) The bill text that supporters and critics have cited would repeal the requirement that teacher instruction and instructional materials be "consistent with accepted standards of professional responsibility, rather than advocacy, personal opinion, bias or partisanship." (jns.org)) JNS reports AB 2159 would remove the law’s direction to use the Biden Administration plan that referenced the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and would also strip the provision requiring the Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator to be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. (jns.org)) AB 715 — the statute AB 2159 would alter — was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 7, 2025; AB 715 created a statewide Office of Civil Rights and mandated an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator appointed by the governor and subject to Senate confirmation. (legiscan.com)) Supporters of AB 2159 include CAIR‑CA and the California Coalition to Defend Public Education, which say the bill corrects language that could chill classroom discussion and calls for merit‑based, unbiased selection processes for coordinators. (cair.com)) Jewish lawmakers and advocacy groups, including AB 715 co‑author Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, have publicly warned that AB 2159 would "gut" key safety and instructional‑material protections created by AB 715. (jns.org)) The Anti‑Defamation League recorded 1,162 antisemitic incidents at K‑12 schools in 2023 and 860 such incidents in 2024, figures cited by legislators when framing the need for AB 715. (adl.org)) Official tracking lists AB 2159 as introduced and notes the bill "may be heard in committee March 21, 2026," making committee consideration the bill’s immediate next procedural step. (legiscan.com))
