To view/share as a webpage, click here [[link removed]]

[[link removed]]

AB 2651: Progress Made, Awareness Raised, but Key Issues Remain
How AVFCA Continues Working to Improve the Bill

🛑 A B 2651 (Bonta), known as the Informed Parents, Healthy Schools Act ( [link removed] [[link removed]] passed the Senate Health Committee yesterday by a vote of 9 Ayes (all Democratic members) and 2 Noes (all Republican members), and moves on to the Senate Education Committee. AB 2651 would require the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to establish immunization rate thresholds for schools and childcare facilities. Schools that fall below those thresholds would be required to notify parents. While the stated goal is transparency, AVFCA has been working to ensure that the information provided to parents is accurate, meaningful, and does not unintentionally discriminate against legally protected student populations.

How AVFCA Advocates: Although AVFCA remains opposed to AB 2651 in its current form, our objective has never simply been to stop the bill. Most legislation is a passion project for its author, making it difficult to defeat outright. The most effective advocacy is often working with legislators to improve a bill through thoughtful amendments that preserve its intended purpose while eliminating unintended consequences. That is exactly what AVFCA has been doing.

What AVFCA Has Done: Since the bill was introduced, AVFCA has:

• Discussed concerns with Assemblymember Bonta's office and legislative committee staff.
• Submitted detailed opposition letters, amendment language, and legal analysis.
• Educated Committee Members on the potential discrimination issues the bill language includes.
• Educated superintendents and principals throughout California on the bill's practical impact.
• Had AVFCA's Legislative Team, including Karen and April, testify in the policy committees.

As awareness of the bill's practical implications increased, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), the Small School Districts' Association (SSDA), and other education organizations also expressed opposition of the bill. Seeing education organizations, school administrators, and parent advocates align on many of the same implementation concerns reinforces that these issues extend well beyond any one stakeholder group.

As a direct result of an email AVFCA sent to Senate Health Comittee members, during this week's Senate Health Committee hearing, Senators Menjivar (D) and Grove (R) questioned the treatment of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). We appreciate their willingness to advocate for students with disabilities. Following the hearing, we provided Assemblymember Bonta with additional legal analysis, court decisions, and CDPH documentation to help clear up the misunderstandings that became clear during the hearing.

Key Issues That Remain:

• Students with IEPs: Students whom CDPH already classifies as "Requirements Met, but Missing Doses" should not be counted toward calculations that trigger parent notifications. California courts have repeatedly affirmed these students' right to attend school, and counting them toward notification thresholds raises significant discrimination concerns.
• Point-in-Time Reporting: Schools should have the opportunity to update records, process lawful exemptions, and resolve compliance issues before parents receive notifications. A single reporting snapshot does not necessarily reflect a school's current vaccination status.
• Childcare and Nursery Schools: Unlike K-12 schools, childcare immunization requirements change continually because they are based on a child's age rather than grade level. These facilities also operate under a different reporting system, making their inclusion both impractical and potentially misleading.

While the bill has already been amended, these important issues remain unresolved, and AVFCA will continue working with legislators to improve the legislation before final passage.

Advocacy Doesn't End at the Hearing: Many people only see the two minutes of testimony at a committee hearing. What they don't see are the countless hours spent researching legislation, drafting amendments, meeting with legislators and committee staff, educating stakeholders, responding to amendments, and continuing to advocate until the legislative process is complete. This is the work AVFCA does every week.

Whether the issue involves education, vaccine exemptions, informed consent, nutrition, environmental health, or individual rights, our legislative team is committed to ensuring that the voices of parents and citizens are represented where policy decisions are made. Thank you for making this work possible. Your support allows AVFCA to continue showing up, week after week, advocating on behalf of California families.

Support Our Work: Thank you to everyone who continues to support strategic, principled advocacy on behalf of California families. For over a decade, AVFCA has worked closely with legislation and policy in California. We encourage you to rely on AVFCA as a trusted source for accurate, up-to-date information when it comes to bills in CA.

If you found this information helpful and appreciate the work A Voice for Choice Advocacy is doing, please support us by making a donation today.

[link removed]

C
Christina Hildebrand
President/Founder
A Voice for Choice Advocacy, Inc.
[email protected] [[email protected]]
www.AVoiceForChoiceAdvocacy.org [[link removed]]
www.avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org [www.avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org]
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed] ]
You are receiving this email because you have signed up on the AVFC or AVFCA website or on a sign up list in person. If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .
A Voice for Choice Advocacy
530 Showers Drive, #7404
Mountain View, CA 94040
United States