California introduces new law to reduce homework overload to reduce student stress and it's about time

Parents and children alike understand the struggle of endless hours spent on homework after a full day of school. Whether it’s a kindergartener’s reading assignment or a high schooler juggling tasks from multiple classes, homework stress is a familiar challenge in many households. Now, a new California law aims to ease this burden and restore balance to students’ lives, as reported by FOX40. The Healthy Homework Act, officially known as AB 2999, was introduced by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo and inspired by her sixth-grade daughter, Sofia Johnson, who found her homework load overwhelming.

“Homework is exhausting. It’s overwhelming,” Johnson said, describing how her entire day was consumed by schoolwork. Schiavo introduced the bill to address what she called “the top stressor for kids,” a problem that has long affected students across the state. Signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024, the legislation will go into effect this year. It doesn’t ban homework outright but encourages school districts to develop policies that take students’ physical and mental health into account. The California Department of Education has been tasked with creating evidence-based guidelines for homework by 2026, and districts will need to implement their policies by 2027.

The impact of excessive homework has been well-documented. As Newsweek reported, a survey by Challenge Success, a nonprofit organization affiliated with Stanford University, found that 45% of students identified homework as their biggest source of stress. California high school students reported spending an average of 2.5 hours on homework every night, in addition to six hours spent at school. The same survey revealed that many students viewed their assignments as busy work with little value. Schiavo also pointed out how excessive homework can push students to the brink, causing them to fall behind or even drop out.

“I just toured a school in my district where they talked about how they are trying to reduce the kids who are missing school or dropping out of school. The top reason they hear is because kids are getting behind,” Schiavo explained. “They just get into a hole when you miss homework. You have homework the next day, you are trying to catch up from the old homework—too much homework can overwhelm them.” Schiavo also pointed out that students from low-income and rural communities face additional challenges, such as lacking access to high-speed internet or other resources needed to complete their assignments.

Educators have also expressed concerns about the impact of heavy homework loads on students’ health. Physical symptoms such as headaches, exhaustion and lack of sleep are common among students struggling to keep up with their assignments. Casy Cuny, a California Teacher of the Year, highlighted the need for equity in education. “A child’s grade should not be dependent on the resources they have at home to do the homework,” Cuny said. “I truly believe the resources should be dependent on the learning that takes space in the classroom with the professional. That’s why I support this bill – because in the end, it will be what’s best for kids.”

Denise Pope, co-founder of Challenge Success and senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, testified in support of the bill. She emphasized the importance of listening to student voices when creating policies. She also pointed out that homework stress was a greater concern for many students than future plans or relationships. As of now, this legislation has no formal opposition, per KGET News.