By: Nicolle Fefferman, director, Young Workers Education Project and LAUSD History Teacher and Janna Shadduck-Hernández, Ed.D. project director, UCLA Labor Center and Faculty, UCLA Labor Studies Department
On Oct. 14, 2025, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school board implemented AB 800 in the nation’s second-largest school district. With a unanimous vote, the board became the first school district in the U.S. to focus on delivering workplace rights education to its secondary students during the school day. The resolution includes additional training for district staff and classroom teachers, poster versions of the know-your-rights document for school site counseling offices, helpful curricular resources to support classroom teaching, and a designated staff person within the district to monitor implementation.
In Octubre 2023, California passed AB 800—a law that requires all high schools in the state to teach workplace rights to their 11th graders, 12th graders, and students seeking work permits. The week leading up to Mayo 1 was designated as “Workplace Readiness Week,” and a know-your-rights document was created through a collaboration with the UCLA Labor Center, UC Berkeley Labor Center, the California Department of Education, and the Young Workers Education Project. Together, the UCLA Labor Center and the Young Workers Education Project built a five-day, standards-based curriculum based on AB 800 and intended for use in World History, U.S. History, Government, Economics, and Ethnic Studies courses. It was an important step, but more needed to be done to ensure that students would actively learn their rights.
UCLA Labor Center Director Saba Waheed, California Deputy Labor Commissioner Sherri Bell, and California State Senator María Elena Durazo spoke in support of the board resolution that was put forward by Board President Scott Schmerelson and co-sponsored by Board Vice President Dr. Rocio Rivas and Board Member Sherlett Hendy-Newbill.
Waheed shared that “What’s become clear to us is that we have to get this information to young workers earlier, and LAUSD is a model for the country.” Bell, an LAUSD graduate, said that the resolution provides a strategic and impactful approach in a city once considered the wage theft capital of the nation. Durazo spoke about her lifetime of struggle for workplace justice, noting that “the best time for students to learn their rights is before needing those rights.”
LAUSD school board members shared personal stories and suggestions for expanding this learning to even younger students and school families. The board’s enthusiasm for this resolution made clear the urgency and need for labor rights education. In a time of economic and political uncertainty, this resolution provides students with the information and confidence necessary to stand up for themselves and coworkers. With the right resources and support, classroom communities will become critical spaces for protecting young people and ensuring that hard-won rights are being upheld in Los Angeles workplaces.
