Education Code section 51500
(a)
(1)A teacher shall not give instruction and a school district shall not sponsor any activity that promotes a discriminatory bias on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, nationality, or sexual orientation, or pursuant to a characteristic listed in Section 220.(2)
Discriminatory bias in instruction and school-sponsored activities does not require a showing of direct harm to members of a protected group. Members of a protected group do not need to be present while the discriminatory bias is occurring for the act to be considered discriminatory bias.(3)
If the governing board or body of a local educational agency finds that instruction or school-sponsored activities are discriminatory pursuant to this section, corrective action shall be taken.(b)
Teacher instruction shall be factually accurate and align with the adopted curriculum and standards as described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 60200, and be consistent with accepted standards of professional responsibility, rather than advocacy, personal opinion, bias, or partisanship.(c)
Local educational agencies shall ensure that parents and guardians have access to materials in a reasonable amount of time pursuant to Section 49091.10 and the California Public Records Act, as set forth in Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code.(d)
For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.
Source:
Section 51500, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=EDC§ionNum=51500. (updated Jan. 1, 2026; accessed Dec. 22, 2025).
