Stop Assigning California Students to Fake Classes – AB 1012

Update: On Friday, Oct. 9, Gov. Brown signed AB 1012 into law!

AB 1012 aims to limit the ability of California schools to enroll students in “fake classes” – a practice that robs students of learning time and the opportunity for a real education.

Thousands of students across California are being tracked into instruction-free classes, where they earn meaningless credits for sitting at home, in the office, or taking a course they’ve already passed. Many students are denied academic coursework that is required for graduation or college admission.

The school districts where fake classes are most prevalent serve almost exclusively low-income students of color – making this a major education equity issue and a problem that contributes to unequal access to higher education.

AB 1012 seeks to put an end to this practice. It will also establish a statewide process for supporting school districts that find themselves relying on fake classes to fill out students’ course schedules.

Providing students an education for the entire school day is one of the most basic functions that schools serve. It is time to ensure that all of our schools have the support they need to provide real classes to every student until they graduate. 

AB 1012 is supported by a broad coalition of organizations advocating for educational equity, including the ACLU of California, Public Counsel, NAACP, Californians for Justice, Public Advocates, EdTrust-West, EdVoice, and many others.

AB 1012 bill language.