The California Coalition to Defend Public Education
The California Coalition to Defend Public Education (CCDPE) includes teachers' organizations, parents groups, civil rights groups, religious congregations, racial justice organizations, and supporters of ethnic studies focused on protecting free speech and critical thinking and analysis on all issues in our California public schools.
The Problem
AB 715: Trumpian Bill Attacking Education is now Law in California
AB 715 Censors Educational Content and Threatens Teachers by Weaponizing Antisemitism Across CA's K-12 Public Education System
The Solution
AB 2159: A Bill that Ensures K-12 Education is Protected
AB 2159 was introduced by Assemblymember Garcia in March 2026 as a way to clean up and remove the harms that AB 715 poses to our teachers and students
How Will AB 2159 Address the Issues with AB 715?
"I drafted the definition of antisemitism. Rightwing Jews are weaponizing it"
-Kenneth Stern, author of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which AB 715 uses.
AB 715 comes directly from the Heritage Foundation's Project Esther (companion to Project 2025) playbook, which is designed to dismantle pro-Palestinian advocacy within the United States by weaponizing false charges of antisemitism, attributing anti-Jewish discrimination and hate to actions and rhetoric that are not actually antisemitic.
While the bill is pitched as an effort to combat discrimination in the form of antisemitism in California public schools, the reality is that the bill’s authors seek to 1) stifle any criticism of Israel and 2) prevent teaching about Palestine within California public education.
AB 715 relies on the IHRA definition which conflates antisemitism with criticism of Israel. It is widely considered problematic and has been rejected by over 100 international bodies and civil society organizations, including even Israeli groups. The author of the IHRA definition, Kenneth Stern, has himself staunchly come out against its use and weaponization in education policy.
By Lily Greenberg Call, former special adviser in the Department of the Interior and first Jewish person who resigned from Biden's administration over his support for Israel's assault on Gaza.
Why Are Civil Rights Groups Involved?
Fundamental civil rights, academic freedoms, and students' constitutional rights to receive an education that reflects the truth of our society's diversity and complexity are at stake. Advocacy groups continue to warn that AB 715 equates Palestinian solidarity and historical context with hate speech, raising concerns about censorship and academic freedom.
Instead of promoting our schools as bastions of knowledge, sharing, and safe spaces of curiosity and discussion, AB 715 instills fear and censorship in our classrooms.
The National and Global Context
AB 715 could have come from MAGA groups who share the intent to suppress discussion on race history and global justice in California’s schools. AB 715 emerges from a broader national trend in which well-funded lobbying groups seek to restrict classroom discussions of settler colonialism, systemic racism, and U.S. foreign policy-particularly as they relate to Palestine. Some of the organizations that backed this have also opposed ethnic studies and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the country
Recent articles on how the Trump administration, right-wing interests, and pro-Israeli groups are weaponizing antisemitism to attack education on a national level:
New York Times: California Democrats Are Fighting Trump's Battle For Him
"Assembly Bill 715 is framed as a measure to combat an “antisemitic learning environment.” In reality, it imports one of the most troubling censorship tactics from the Trump era into a deep-blue state. Democrats are the ones leading the charge."
Washington Post: Inside the powerful task force spearheading Trump’s assault on colleges, DEI
"The Trump administration is using antisemitism investigations as a pretext to pursue an unrelated conservative agenda, critics say."
Huffington Post: Jewish Faculty Call Out Weaponization Of Antisemitism Label In Higher Education
"Jewish staff say the federal government and their own institutions are using the term to exert more control over the education system and punish critics of Israel."
New York Times: University Leaders Reject Republican Attacks on Campus Antisemitism
"Critics of the Republican efforts say the hearings are not sincere efforts to protect Jewish students, but are instead designed to silence speech that supporters of Israel do not like."
New York Times: The Group Behind Project 2025 Has a Plan to Crush the Pro-Palestinian Movement
"Even before President Trump was re-elected, the Heritage Foundation, best known for Project 2025, set out to destroy pro-Palestinian activism in the United States."
Jewish Currents: Examining the ADL’s Antisemitism Audit
"A line-by-line reassessment of the organization’s data illuminates the flaws in its methodology."
Organizations Opposing AB 715
Over 120 Organizations Said NO to this Bill
No on AB 715 Coalition No on AB 715 Coalition No on AB 715 Coalition No on AB 715 Coalition No on AB 715 Coalition No on AB 715 CoalitionNo on AB 715 Coalition
© 2025 California Coalition to Defend Public Education