California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill in September 2024 aimed at reducing the burden of homework on students, which will come into effect in 2025. The “Healthy Homework Act,” also known as California Assembly Bill 2999 (AB 2999), was initiated by California Democratic State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, and signed into law by Governor Newsom in September 2024, with an effective date set for 2025.
This legislation is designed to alleviate the pressure on adolescents but does not prohibit homework; instead, it formally encourages all school districts in California to establish homework policies for all grades. These policies are required to take into account the impact on students’ physical and mental health, and to consider input from parents, teachers, and students themselves.
Schiavo stated, “This is about addressing the issue of homework, which is a major source of stress for children. It often comes first.”
The law encourages schools to consider both the quality and quantity of homework assigned to students. It also mandates schools to consider the resources available for students to successfully complete their homework, including parental support and technological opportunities.
The law requires the California Department of Education to publish guiding principles on its website by January 1, 2026, for school districts to use when formulating homework policies. School districts are also mandated to introduce a homework policy before the start of the 2027 school year. No formal objections have been raised against the bill.
At the time of the new law’s introduction, Stanford University and the non-profit organization “Challenge Success” conducted a survey of over 300,000 American students, which found that 45% of students identified academic workload and homework as their top sources of stress. 13,000 California high school students participated in the survey, revealing that they spend an average of 2.5 hours on homework every night.