STOP AB 715

WHY LEGISLATORS SHOULD OPPOSE AB 715

• False premise: The justification for this bill is based on grossly exaggerated reports of antisemitism from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Wikipedia does not consider ADL a reliable source on anything concerning Palestine and Israel.

• States are not allowed to treat one form of discrimination against a protected group as more important than any other, under federal discrimination law. Hiring an antisemitism coordinator does just that. Because hate-crimes against Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims have been underreported since 9/11, the minimizing of these crimes only further erases the real vulnerability of these communities. 

• AB 715’s amended definition of nationality now includes’ “...a social organization where a collective identity has emerged…”. This will allow any ideologically driven social or nationalist group claiming a “collective identity” to make a case to censor speech in the classroom. 

• Censorship of Ethnic Studies and other academic fields: AB 715 not only continues to police Ethnic Studies, carrying on AB 1468’s censorship goals,, but also broadens its reach to encompass all curriculum or education materials developed and taught in K-12 schools. This will disproportionately impact teaching that centers the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Color. 

• The bill is redundant and a waste of resources when our state is already facing a massive budget deficit. Our state already has the Uniform Complaint Procedure (UCP) that covers all forms of bias in the classroom. 

• The bill usurps the power of local school districts to methodically/carefully investigate complaints, stating: "the [state] superintendent may directly intervene without waiting for an investigation by the school district." (244 b)

• The bill will invite more costly lawsuits against school districts. These lawsuits will drain funds from public school programs, leading to cuts in  vital support services for students and teachers, and eliminating jobs throughout our schools. . 

• Represses critical conversations: Instead of safeguarding knowledge sharing, curiosity, viewpoint diversity and discussion, AB 715 will instill fear and censorship in our classrooms. 

• By expanding the ability to complain over a false definition of antisemitism and eliminating due process at the district level, it makes educators far more vulnerable to being subjected to complaints and disciplinary actions.

• The bill invites politically motivated harassment and turns schools into battlegrounds for ideological fights, not places of learning. The bill would allow anyone—including anonymous outsiders—to file complaints against teachers or schools, even without solid evidence. 

• This bill aligns with the Trump/ MAGA GOP  Project 2025 program that has  already been deployed for arrests, abductions, detentions and deportations of legal residents for exercising legally protected free speech and in attacks on the autonomy of educational institutions. 

• AB 715 is a Trojan horse that seeks to put politicians and special interests in charge of policing curriculum and leaves the door open for politicians to censor curriculum in other academic fields. It continues a disturbing trend across the Education sector to rewrite history, ban books, censor educators, and threaten them with disciplinary procedures.

• Truth in education is sacrosanct. Silencing dialogue doesn’t create safety for any student; it shuts down vital conversations about the world we live in.