AJC Applauds Federal Court Ruling Upholding California’s Landmark Classroom Bias Prevention Law

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomed a federal court ruling today ensuring that AB 715, California's newly enacted law protecting public school students from bias and discrimination in the classroom, will go into effect on Jan. 1.

Denying a challenge that sought to block the law, U.S. District Court Judge Noël Wise, said the state had the right to regulate what is taught in public-school classrooms and when.

"As public-school education belongs to the government, the government may regulate [teachers'] speech to accord with the government's educational goals. It is of no significance that the curricula and the attendant speech required to teach it may advance a single viewpoint to the exclusion of another."

The Court's ruling upheld that AB 715-which bars teachers from injecting personal beliefs and bias into instruction and provides added protections for all students, including Jewish students-is constitutional, despite the plaintiff's claims otherwise. The decision affirmed California's right to require that instruction is accurate, inclusive, and nondiscriminatory, and denied plaintiffs' arguments that teachers have a right to free speech that trumps these safeguards.

"Judge Wise's ruling affirms that constitutional law aligns with common sense," saidAJC CEO Ted Deutch. "Public schools need to be welcoming to all, including Jews, and must not be used as platforms for teachers to express individual political views. Bias and discrimination that can lead to outright antisemitism has no place in California - or any - classrooms."

AB 715, passed unanimously on the final day of the 2025 legislative session and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 7, 2025, works in tandem with a separate law, SB 48, to establish a new Office of Civil Rights within California's Department of Education. This office will include an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator alongside coordinators addressing other types of discrimination.

The law also requires schools and teachers to consider the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, including its reference to the widely used International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition-which has been embraced by the national strategy when analyzing antisemitism.

In addition to submitting a "friend of the court" brief in support of AB715, AJC played a significant role in building support for the law's passage.

"We are grateful for today's ruling," said Seth Brysk, AJC Northern California Director. "Now schools must ensure they comply with these nondiscrimination mandates. AJC stands ready to assist students, families, teachers, and administrators in creating and strengthening educational spaces that foster inclusion and resilience against antisemitism."

AJC thanks California Attorney General Rob Bonta for vigorously defending AB 715 in court.

Through its Center for Education Advocacy, AJC offers resources to help families, students, and K-12 school administrators create educational spaces that are resilient against antisemitism. AJC's Guide to Understanding AB 715 is here.

AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org .

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