California Governor Gavin Newsom signed new legislation on Tuesday designed to counter antisemitism in schools across the state. The measure, strongly supported by the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, aims to address rising incidents of harassment against Jewish students. However, some educators and pro-Palestinian groups argue that the law could unintentionally limit open discussion of complex political topics in classrooms.

“California is taking action to confront hate in all its forms. At a time when antisemitism and bigotry are rising nationwide and globally, these laws make clear: our schools must be places of learning, not hate,” Newsom said in a statement following the bill’s approval.

The legislation establishes a new Office of Civil Rights, which will include a governor-appointed coordinator responsible for training school employees to identify and prevent antisemitic behavior. Working alongside the State Board of Education, this office will also make policy recommendations to lawmakers to better address anti-Jewish discrimination.

According to the Government Operations Agency, maintaining this new office will cost the state around $4 million per year, including funding for six staff members.

While students nationwide are already protected from discrimination under various state and federal laws, several other states — including Missouri, Vermont, and Tennessee — have pursued additional legislation to specifically address antisemitism in K–12 schools. These efforts coincide with growing tensions in the U.S. following the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Earlier this year, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a similar bill that would have prohibited teachers from promoting antisemitism in schools, arguing that it targeted educators rather than addressing discrimination itself.

Meanwhile, at the federal level, the administration of former President Donald Trump froze funding for several universities, including UCLA, citing inadequate responses to antisemitism. UC President James B. Milliken criticized the move, saying it failed to address the root causes of antisemitic incidents and disregarded the university’s ongoing efforts.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which supports the new California law, recorded 860 antisemitic incidents at non-Jewish K–12 schools last year, including harassment, vandalism, and assaults — a 26% decrease from the prior year but still far higher than in 2022, when 494 cases were reported.

One of the voices that influenced lawmakers was Lev Miller Ruderman, a Jewish student from San Lorenzo Valley High School. During a legislative hearing, he recalled that a classmate once used school materials to create a Nazi flag and pinned it to his back — an act school officials initially failed to take seriously. “I felt sad, confused, and overwhelmed,” Ruderman said, explaining that the incident led him to finish the school year at home.

The law allows the new civil rights office to create educational resources for teachers without requiring legislative approval. However, educators have expressed concern about a clause mandating that all classroom instruction “be factually accurate,” arguing that it may suppress nuanced discussion. Seth Bramble of the California Teachers Association said that controversial subjects often have competing interpretations, and restricting them could hinder critical thinking while empowering individuals to legally challenge teachers.

An earlier draft of the bill specifically addressed “instructional materials regarding Jews, Israel, or the Israel-Palestine conflict,” requiring that they remain balanced and factual while avoiding antisemitic content or language labeling Israel as a settler colonial state. Those references were removed in the final version, yet critics argue the law still risks silencing discourse on sensitive geopolitical issues.

“Teacher discourse on Palestine or the genocide in Gaza will be policed, misrepresented, and reported to the antisemitism coordinator,” said Theresa Montaño of the California Faculty Association.

Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, one of the bill’s authors, emphasized that the law is a response to escalating antisemitic acts in schools. “When swastikas are painted on playgrounds, when Jewish students are harassed or humiliated, we cannot look the other way,” he said. “This bill is about ensuring that California schools remain safe, supportive environments that reflect our state’s core values.”