Legislative Update: Tracked Priority Bills of 2024-2025
This legislative season, CAPSO tracked and engaged with multiple bills that posed a potential impact on private schools in California. Below, please find the status of a few of the priority pieces of legislation. For a full list, please visit the CAPSO Legislation Tracker.
Senate Bill 19. Status- Enrolled and presented to the governor
California Senate Bill 19 (2025), the “Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act,” expands state law to criminalize credible threats of violence made against schools, places of worship, and similar institutions—even when no individual is specifically named. The measure closes existing loopholes, strengthens protections for students and communities, and allows prosecutors to take earlier action against serious threats.
CAPSO Position: Support
Assembly Bill 1233. Status- Two-Year Bill
AB 1233 (2025) would require private schools and public schools to report non-certificated employees to a California statewide school employee database. This expansion adds a new compliance obligation for private schools and integrates their employment records into the state’s broader tracking system to prevent the rehiring of individuals with documented egregious misconduct.
CAPSO Position: CAPSO lobbied for the removal of private schools from this legislation. While student safety remains a paramount priority for private schools, CAPSO maintains that imposing an unfunded reporting mandate—within a system designed for public schools and without sufficient regard for private school autonomy and governance—constitutes governmental overreach.
Outcome: CAPSO successfully secured the removal of private schools from this piece of legislation. AB 1233 is now a 2-year bill, and CAPSO remains committed to partnering with the author's office for any future consideration of private school inclusion.
Senate Bill 267. Status- Held in Committee, under submission
Senate Bill 267 proposes to allow California teachers, including those in private schools, to claim a personal income tax credit for up to $250 of out-of-pocket expenses on instructional materials and classroom supplies (effective 2026–2030).
CAPSO Position: Support
Assembly Bill 727. Status- Enrolled and presented to the governor
Beginning July 1, 2026, AB 727 would require schools issuing student ID cards for grades 7–12 to include on them the phone number and text line for The Trevor Project’s LGBTQ+ suicide hotline.
CAPSO Position: CAPSO lobbied for the removal of private schools from this piece of legislation. While private schools may choose to include this or other resources on student ID cards, CAPSO maintains that the private school, and not the state, should determine what resources are appropriate and mission-aligned on school-issued IDs.
Outcome: CAPSO successfully secured the removal of private schools from this piece of legislation. AB 727 no longer applies to private schools in CA.
Senate Bill 848. Status- Enrolled and presented to the governor
SB 848 extends California’s school safety laws to private schools by setting forth several requirements to address abuse, neglect, and sex offenses on school campuses and online. It expands mandated reporter categories and training requirements, and obligates schools, including private schools, to report employees to a statewide school employee database.
CAPSO Position: CAPSO lobbied for amendments related to the inclusion of private schools in this legislation. While many components of this legislation are already established practices in private schools, CAPSO made the author aware of concerns about the manner in which private schools were included. Further, like AB 1233, CAPSO maintains that imposing an unfunded reporting mandate—within a system designed for public schools and without sufficient regard for private school autonomy and governance—constitutes governmental overreach.
Outcome: CAPSO engaged in multiple meetings, provided draft amendment language, and worked to ensure Assembly and Senate committee staff were fully aware of private school concerns. When these efforts did not yield a sufficient response, CAPSO submitted a formal letter of concern to the California Senate and to Governor Newsom. At present, CAPSO is awaiting the deadline for the signature or veto of the governor. If chaptered, CAPSO is focused on the enactment of implementing policies associated with this legislation to inform the next phase of action. Private school leaders and organizations can expect additional information and a call to action from CAPSO once specific state-mandated procedures are issued; at that point, there may also be an opportunity to escalate opposition through legal channels.
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