Priority Legislation

AB 2446 Furutani Position - Oppose

While we support Career Technical Education and would support a graduation requirement, we are opposed to having this occur by weakening graduation requirements for Visual and Performing Arts. The arts open doors to self-reflection and self-expression and challenge students to be curious and committed. The arts also enhance thinking skills and set high standards of quality, success and achievement.  In addition, recent studies show that the arts make a significant difference in terms of student achievement and learning across all disciplines. Students with high levels of participation in the arts outperform their peers who have little or no arts experience. High school students who take classes in the arts have higher math and verbal SAT scores than students who don’t.  Also, business futurists predict that right brain, creative development fostered by the arts will be most important in the future for success in all forms of employment.

Alternatively, students at risk of not successfully completing their high school educations cite their participation in the arts as a reason for staying in school.  Students with lower socio-economic status who had sustained involvement in theatre arts were shown over time to have greater self-confidence, motivation, and empathy than did their non-arts peers according to a ten-year national study of over 25,000 high school students. 

AB 2298 Torlakson Position – Support

AB 2298 brings clarity to California Education Code sections that address physical education, thus bringing further leadership for this important component of each student’s instructional program.  In addition, AB 2298 renews monitoring requirements for compliance with federal and state requirements for physical education instruction in California schools.  This will provide both guidance and accountability for quality physical education instruction for our students.

AB 2705 Hall – Position – Support

AB 2705 proposes the inclusion of physical activity programming in after school programs and brings further definition to the criteria of a quality physical education instructional program.

AB 1646  – Position – Support

We support AB1646 largely because this bill encourage the enhanced training and first aid experiences of coaches and thus their ability to respond to student-athlete injuries.