Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and School Principals:

Assembly Bill 727: Pupil and Student Safety: Identification Cards

According to Section 215.5(a)(4) of California Education Code (EC), as added by Assembly Bill 727, commencing July 1, 2026, a public school, including a charter school, that serves pupils in any of grades seven to twelve, inclusive, and that issues pupil identification cards, shall have printed on either side of the pupil identification cards the Trevor Project’s LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning plus) Suicide Hotline that is available through both of the following options:

Telephone: 866-488-7386.

Text line, which can be accessed by texting START to 678-678.

Please note that, according to EC Section 215.5(c)(1), a school subject to EC Section 215.5(a) that has a supply of unissued pupil or student identification cards that do not comply with the above requirements shall issue those pupil or student identification cards until that supply is depleted.

Also, under EC Section 215.5(d), EC Section 215.5(a) applies for a pupil or student identification card issued for the first time to a pupil or student and to a pupil or student identification card issued to replace a damaged or lost pupil or student identification card.

Additional Resources

The 988 Lifeline website: https://988lifeline.org/

The Crisis Text Line website: https://www.crisistextline.org/

The Domestic Violence Support website and National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

The Trevor Project Hotline web page: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of School-Based Health Programs at OSBHP@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Signed by

Erika F. Torres, Ed.D., MSW
Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction
Student Success and Career Readiness Branch

EFT:mbb