AB 2999: Pupil instruction: homework policy.

Existing law grants pupils, parents, and guardians certain rights regarding the delivery of educational services, including, among others, rights regarding primary supplemental instruction materials. Existing law provides that none of these rights shall be construed as restricting teachers in the assignment of homework.

This bill, the Healthy Homework Act, would encourage each school district, county office of education, and charter school to (1) develop a homework policy for all grades maintained by the local educational agency, as specified, by the start of the 202728 school year, (2) formally adopt a final homework policy by the start of the 202829 school year, and (3) update the adopted homework policy at least once every 5 years, as provided. The bill would, among other things, encourage the local educational agency to annually distribute the adopted or updated homework policy at the beginning of the school year to all certificated staff and administrators, to all pupils and parents or legal guardians, as specified, and by publication on the local educational agencys internet website and on the internet websites of the individual schools operated by the local educational agency. For a local educational agency that formally adopted a homework policy on or before July 31, 2024, the bill would encourage the local educational agency to update its adopted homework policy before the start of the 202829 school year or within 5 years of its adoption, whichever is later, and would encourage the local educational agencys updated homework policy to be consistent with the bills provisions. The bill would authorize the State Department of Education to develop and post on its internet website, guidelines for local educational agencies to use in developing the homework policy, as provided, and would encourage those guidelines to be developed and posted by January 1, 2026.