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Education Law

Introduction

The logo of the California Department of EducationEven though there is a decent bit of federal regulation concerning broad education laws, a lot of education law is governed by states.  In California, state education law is mostly regulated and enforced by the California Department of Education.  You can learn more about them on their website.

Laws

California's compulsory education law requires all children ages six through eighteen to be enrolled in a public school, with limited exceptions, and considers students who are absent from school for more than three days to be truant.  Public access to the law is linked above, and it is also available on Lexis and Westlaw.

The FAIR Education Act requires California schools to include in social studies curriculum the contributions of all people throughout history, including all genders, all minority races and ethnicities, LGBTQ+ persons, and people with disabilities.  Public access to the law is linked above, and it is also available on Lexis and Westlaw.

There are plenty of other state laws governing education in Californa, and most other California education laws can be found in the California Education Code.  Public access to the Code is linked above, and it is also available on Lexis and Westlaw.

In addition to state laws, California often expands upon federal laws to offer more robust protection to students.  For example, the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is extended to age 22 for California residents.  More about these types of plans and programs can be read on the CA Dept. of Education's website.

Regulations

Most California education regulations can be found in Title 5 (Education) of the California Code of Regulations (CCR).  Public access to the Title is linked above, and it is also available on Lexis and Westlaw.

Other States

Westlaw has a 50 State Statutory Survey and a 50 State Regulatory Survey for education law.

Lexis has a 50 State Survey on Statutes and Regulations for education law.

Franklin County Law Library also has compiled a 50 State Survey of Special Education Laws & Regulations, which would be a great starting place if researching special education law.