Schools get bathrooms and books but not condoms

New changes are coming to the California public school system! Schools will add genderless bathrooms. While school book bans and suspensions for willful defiance will soon be illegal. Gov. Gavin Newsom approved each of these bills this year, but vetoed distribution of condoms to high school students, as it went over-budget.

Genderless bathrooms have been present on college campuses and are a safe place for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Approved on Sept. 23, Senate Bill 760 now requires at least one gender neutral bathroom on the campus of any K-12 California public school by 2026. This will be a major adjustment for some campuses, but CVHS has already introduced genderless bathrooms.

School book bans have been a topic of discussion throughout the nation. Bans occurring in Florida and Texas have targeted minorities and/or excluded relevant history in learning. In action against this, Assembly Bill 1078 was approved on Sept. 25, allowing the state to enforce the FAIR Education Act. Parents can use this bill to get their children the education they deserve, and the state can force schools to update their curriculum in accordance with the law.

“I’m glad about banning school book bans because students deserve the ability to determine what education is right for them,” said senior Damien Caldiero.

Previously California had already had a law preventing elementary students from receiving suspensions for willful defiance. Now this right has been expanded to all public school students. Approved on Oct. 8, Senate Bill 274 now bans suspension for willful defiance by 2029 for all students in the public school system. Previously willful defiance was considered as minor infractions such as tardiness or truancy, which penalty for has disproportionately affected students of color. With the passing of this bill, California is looking to find more appropriate solutions for students facing these suspensions.

All three of these bills are aimed at removing race or sexual bias from the California public school system, the next bill is aimed to reduce STD rates for high school students.

Senate Bill 541 if approved would have made free condoms available to high school students, but was rejected for budgeting reasons. With 1.9 million high school students enrolled in California public schools, Gov. Newsom considered the expenditure too great for the school system.

Although this bill was not approved, it did pass through the Senate demonstrating an open-mindedness that may set the precedent for future bills. Uniquely the veto of this bill doesn’t affect CVHS. Our school also provides condoms for students at the health center. 

“I’m glad my children are growing up in California, because growing up in Pennsylvania our communities would never even consider these changes,” said Kathleen Veety, a science teacher.

Here at CVHS we already have implemented all of these bills lining up with the decisions made in our state. Time will tell if these decisions are beneficial or not, and will serve as an example to other states who have made different decisions in education.