Title
Mr. Schmerelson, Dr. Rivas - Workplace Readiness Week in California High Schools (Res-006-25/26) (Noticed September 16, 2025)
Body
Whereas, In the State of California, residents aged 16-24 comprise 12% of California’s working population with 72% of young workers identifying as people of color, 64% earning low wages, and half still attending school;
Whereas, The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) was signed into law, which ensured young workers’ rights to safe environments and to pursuit educational opportunities, even as states around the nation have passed laws to weaken this regulation since 2022;
Whereas, According to the U.S. Labor Department Wage and Hour Division, minors employed in violation of child labor laws increased between 2015 and 2022 over threefold, from 1,012 to 3,876 cases;
Whereas, In 2020, the rate of work-related injuries treated in emergency departments for workers, ages 15-24, was 1.5 times greater than the rate for workers 25 years of age and older;
Whereas, Sexual harassment is highest in industries where young workers are concentrated: according to the Center for American Progress, in 2017, restaurants/food service, hospitality, and retail accounted for nearly 30% of all sexual harassment claims;
Whereas, In 2021, almost half (44.2%) of the 19,000 wage theft claims for unpaid wages filed in California were in the aforementioned industries where young people predominantly work;
Whereas, California has extensive existing regulations surrounding the type of employment allowed for minors, restrictions on hours worked, and requirements for employers of minors;
Whereas, Until recently, there was no regulation in place requiring minors to receive information regarding their rights as active participants in the workforce, specifically their rights as employed minors;
Whereas, This lack of knowledge has made California working youth vulnerable to exploitation, harassment, and harm in the workplace;
Whereas, Therefore, it is essential for young Californians entering the workforce to be thoroughly educated on their rights as workers and to give them the tools to prevent exploitation from their employers;
Whereas, Assembly Bill (AB) 800, authored by Assemblymember Liz Ortega and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2023, enacts a Workplace Readiness Week in California high schools to educate students on their rights as workers, and their explicit rights as employed minors;
Whereas, AB 800 requires that students be provided with information on workers’ rights, including child labor laws, wage and hour protections, workers’ compensation, and the right to organize, all as part of their regular education;
Whereas, The law also requires that this information be provided to students in writing before receiving a worker’s permit; and
Whereas, The California Department of Education (CDE) in collaboration with UC Labor Centers and other participating organizations, has created materials to facilitate the implementation of AB 800 in California high schools, including a full curriculum and informational leaflets in English and five of the most commonly spoken languages in California; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That there be a designated AB 800 Coordinator, created by the Los Angeles Unified School District (the District), responsible for managing the implementation of AB 800 in District high schools; That a designee or designees of the Division of Instruction manages the implementation and oversee AB 800 in LAUSD High Schools;
Resolved further, That college and career counselors will receive professional development on AB 800’s requirements so they may plan accordingly when addressing workers’ rights and protections to students;
Resolved further, That the Division of Instruction's Office of Career Technical Education (CTE) and Linked Learning should hold two yearly workforce readiness and rights trainings, one per semester, mandatory for CTE educators, Work Experience Educators, the Assistant Principals responsible for coordinating Work Permits, and 12th-grade Social Studies teachers; That the Division of Instruction's Office of Career Technical Education (CTE) and Linked Learning will continue to provide workforce readiness and rights trainings for CTE educators, Work Experience Educators, the school site personnel responsible for coordinating Work Permits, CTE and Linked Learning staff, and 12th-grade Social Studies teachers;
Resolved further, That the District should include workers’ rights and resources on Schoology Groups for Social Studies, CTE, and Work Experience educators, along with Learning Management Systems (LMS) groups dedicated to school site administrators;
Resolved further, That the Division of Instruction should include workers’ rights and protections resources on their Secondary Social Studies website and send out emails to Secondary Social Studies educators about these resources; and be it finally
Resolved, That the District should print out poster-sized versions of the UC Labor Center-created “Know Your Rights” document to be placed in all secondary school Counseling Offices.