Overview
- The law took effect Wednesday, July 1, 2026, and requires every public school to give students access to at least one all‑gender restroom.
- The California Department of Education does not track statewide compliance, and districts report mixed readiness with some already converted and others still completing changes.
- The statute allows schools to convert existing single‑occupancy restrooms to meet the requirement, and districts have typically covered modest conversion costs from general school funds.
- Costs have ranged from minimal upgrades to six‑figure projects in large districts, and the law ties access to some state modernization funds to building all‑gender facilities for schools that lack them.
- Opponents, including some parents and local board members, raise privacy and resource concerns and point to multi‑stall conversions at the State Capitol as emblematic examples used in recent right‑leaning coverage.