New State Laws (and How They Affect High School Students)

As we roll into 2022, things are changing rapidly. After a stagnant two years of lifting and enforcing mask mandates, lockdowns, and vaccination standards, our lives surrounding the pandemic are in flux. Despite the state of the pandemic, we students will also see some things done differently when we return to school next year.

California has an Assembly and Senate, whose responsibility is to draft, vote on, and pass laws, much like Congress in Washington, D.C.. When they pass laws, each one that they agree on goes into effect on January 1st of the following year. Many of them might seem minor, but a few are going to create big changes here at school. Here are some of the noteworthy changes we’ll see in the 2022-2023 school year.

Mandatory menstrual products in school

The Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021 will ensure that all public schools will provide free menstrual care products in all restrooms. This change will affect all schools serving grades 6 and up, as well as CSU and CCC campuses. The bill states: “California recognizes that access to menstrual products is a basic human right.” Pioneer High School was ahead of the curve when it came to supplying students, thanks to the amazing work of our Feminist Club. “I think that providing free products should have been done long ago,” comments Ms. Craggs, the Feminist Club advisor. “It’s something that I’m amazed hasn't always been in place. It could be problematic because not all students use the same products. Since they’d likely be bought in bulk, it may not cover the needs and preferences of each student. That’s why Feminist Club works to provide a diverse range of period products to meet the needs of everyone.”

Mental Health Curriculum

Mental health has been an extremely important topic on social media, at school, and in the news. Students, and especially minors, have undoubtedly been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left many kids with feelings of hopelessness, isolation, depression, or anxiety. Starting this year, Senate Bill 224 ensures that all health classes include mental health as part of the curriculum, and will cover causes, symptoms, and treatments. “Woodland Joint Unified School District is ahead in many ways,” says the Health teacher Ms. Asada, “and we cover most of what the new law, Senate Bill 224 requires…we will need to step up the curriculum to make sure we cover items such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder, which we currently mention but do not fully cover.”

Later Start Times

Perhaps the most notable change that Pioneer students will see next year is a total change in the school schedule. Senate Bill 328 stipulates that “The school day for high schools, including high schools operated as charter schools, shall begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m.” meaning that the school day starts a whole half hour later. For lots of us, this is a great thing: who doesn’t want extra time to get to school? Plus, most high school students are smack dab in the middle of puberty, so getting plenty of sleep is crucial to a healthy body.

It’s not all positive, though. This change is also going to cause a reworking of the day-to-day schedule. One tentative plan is to have the day begin at 8:30, and go from periods 1-4, take lunch, then periods 5-7. This is causing an uproar with the class of 2023, who are thinking about their senior schedules. Seniors who have maintained good grades are allowed to omit 6th and 7th periods so that they can leave school each day at lunch. If they have to return for 5th period, many seniors will be stuck at school for far longer, defeating the purpose of an early release.

Mohini Sharma and Ryan Cristo are two juniors who have been especially vocal. “Ryan and I have been speaking to our classes about this issue, trying to bring it to their attention,” Mohini says. “We’ve been gathering information and opinions from the Class of 23 to bring to administration so we can propose a compromise. From what we’ve noticed from our PASS survey, not many juniors have been super vocal about it, and we’re trying to at least get their input.” Mohini and Ryan encourage juniors to examine their senior schedules and start talking with their friends, family, and teachers about how a shortened schedule will work next year.

Following this dissent, the discussion to rework the schedule to be more senior-friendly has started with the school board. Hopefully a compromise can be reached in the best interests of everybody involved.