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Read. Follow. Verify.California Bill AB 395 Requires Schools, Universities, and State Agencies to Avoid Scheduling Key Events on Major Religious and Cultural Holidays
Record date · September 4, 2026
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What This Bill Would Do
Assembly Bill 395 requires school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, community colleges, the California State University, and state agencies to make good faith efforts starting in the 2027–28 school or academic year to avoid scheduling first days of class, graduations, major s, or public meetings on dates conflicting with religious, cultural, or ancestral holidays. The bill requests the University of California to follow the same scheduling practices and authorizes individuals harmed by violations to bring civil actions for .
Public school students, university attendees, and residents participating in state agency meetings gain protections ensuring they are not forced to choose between participating in civic and educational life and observing significant religious, cultural, or ancestral holidays starting in 2027.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
K-12 students and families
School districts, county offices of education, and charter schools must avoid scheduling first days of class and high school graduations on dates conflicting with their religious, cultural, or ancestral holidays.
Community college and California State University students and faculty
Institutions must make good faith, reasonable efforts to avoid scheduling institutional events on dates conflicting with major holidays and must actively seek input from student and faculty organizations.
State agency participants and members of the public
State agencies must make good faith efforts to avoid holding public meetings, conferences, or functions on dates conflicting with holidays such as Eid al-Adha, Rosh Hashanah, and Diwali.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do these holiday scheduling requirements take effect?
Which higher education institutions are required to comply, and which are only requested?
Can individuals take legal action if an agency schedules a meeting on a protected holiday?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
California Legislature passes AB 395 to prevent major events from clashing with Deepawali
San Diego Unified hopes to boost college and career prep this year
San Diego Unified School District is increasing enrollment in college, career, and technical education (CCTE) pathways to help students explore career interests and meet university admission requirements. The district plans to expand workplace visits, job shadows, and internship opportunities for students throughout the current school year.
Bias ratings based on AllSides / Media Bias/Fact Check
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Version history & redline
6 versions on fileOfficial version history is partial: 6 linked texts are unavailable or incomplete. Source links remain available below.
The text diff for this stage has not been computed yet.
OpenStates mirror retained for redline only; official linked text was unavailable
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Holiday Consideration across Public Sectors
The legislation uniquely coordinates scheduling obligations across three distinct public layers: K-12 education, higher education, and state agency public meetings.
Connected Entities
Sources
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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