California Attorney General Rob Bonta has released updated guidance to help schools in the state address immigration enforcement on their campuses. The guidance, issued on December 1, aims to ensure that all students, including the estimated 133,000 undocumented children attending California’s public K-12 schools and those with family members lacking legal status, can safely access education.
Attorney General Bonta stated: “I know many California teachers and administrators are wondering how best to protect their students amid the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate, callous mass deportation campaign. California cannot interfere with federal immigration enforcement, but we can and have chosen not to assist with the President’s inhumane agenda. We have a number of new laws on the books designed to protect the rights of California’s students to safely attend schools to the fullest extent allowable under the law. In California, our diversity is our strength, and we will continue to stand up for our immigrant communities in the face of relentless attacks from the federal government.”
The new model policies reflect recent amendments made by several bills signed into law in September and October 2025—AB 49 (Muratsuchi), AB 419 (Connolly), and AB 495 (C. Rodriguez)—which modified Education Code section 234.7.
Key points from these changes include prohibiting school officials from allowing federal immigration officers into nonpublic areas without a valid judicial warrant or court order unless required by law or necessary for educational programs supported by state or federal funds. Additionally, educational personnel are barred from sharing information about students or their families with immigration enforcement agencies unless presented with proper legal documentation such as a judicial warrant or subpoena. This restriction also applies to information about school employees.
Local educational agencies are required to update their policies by March 1, 2026, to comply with these new requirements. Schools must also distribute the Attorney General’s “Know Your Educational Rights” guidance to parents and guardians and make it available both online and within administrative buildings in all languages provided by the Attorney General.
Bonta reminded families that all children have a right to free public education regardless of immigration status. Schools must accept various documents as proof of age or residency for enrollment purposes but are not obligated to retain copies of these documents. Federal and state laws generally require written consent before releasing student records except under specific circumstances such as court orders or subpoenas.
Students who experience discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, or immigration status retain the right to report hate crimes or file complaints with their school district.
