AB 1884: Interscholastic athletics: drug testing: suspensions: nicotine use.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law authorizes public and private secondary schools to participate in interscholastic sports, and authorizes schools to enter into associations or consortia to enact and enforce rules relating to eligibility for, and participation in, these activities.

Existing law requires the governing board of a school district that maintains one or more schools containing any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to establish a policy regarding participation in extracurricular and cocurricular activities by pupils in those grades as a condition for the receipt of specified school funding allocations. Existing law requires the policy to condition pupil participation in extracurricular and cocurricular activities upon satisfactory educational progress in the previous grading period.

This bill would authorize the governing board of a school district to adopt, as part of the above-described policy regarding participation in extracurricular and cocurricular activities, provisions establishing a drug testing program for pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive. The bill would require an adopted program to include nicotine testing for athletic extracurricular activities, and authorize the program to include testing for alcohol and controlled substances. The bill would, among other things, require the basis for testing to be random and suspicionless, unless the school has a reasonable suspicion that a pupil used nicotine, or, if applicable, alcohol or a controlled substance. The bill would authorize an adopted drug testing program to condition the voluntary participation in athletic extracurricular activities on participation in the drug testing program, as provided. The bill would prohibit the results of these drug tests from being made available to criminal or juvenile authorities, except as provided, and would require the results to be shared with the superintendent of the school district or their designee, the coach of the extracurricular athletic team, and the pupil’s parents or other person having legal custody, as provided. The bill would authorize a pupil drug testing program to require a pupil to participate in a diversion program as a condition of continuing to participate in athletic extracurricular activities upon at least 3 cumulative instances of a positive drug test.

Existing law prohibits a pupil from being suspended from school or recommended for expulsion, unless the superintendent of the school district or the principal of the school in which the pupil is enrolled determines that the pupil has committed a specified act, including, among other acts, that the pupil (1) unlawfully possessed, used, sold, or otherwise furnished, or had been under the influence of, a controlled substance, an alcoholic beverage, or an intoxicant of any kind, or (2) possessed or used tobacco, or products containing tobacco or nicotine products.

Existing law prohibits the suspension of a pupil who voluntarily discloses, in order to seek help through services or supports, their use of a controlled substance, alcohol, intoxicants of any kind, tobacco, products containing tobacco, or nicotine products solely for that disclosure.

This bill would additionally prohibit the suspension of a pupil who tests positive for a controlled substance, alcohol, intoxicants of any kind, tobacco, products containing tobacco, or nicotine products pursuant to an adopted pupil drug testing program solely for that positive test.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1 · Republican 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. April 17, 2026In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2. April 13, 2026Re-referred to Com. on ED.
3. April 9, 2026Read second time and amended.
4. April 8, 2026From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on ED. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (April 7).
5. March 23, 2026Re-referred to Com. on A.,E.,S., & T.
6. March 19, 2026From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on A.,E.,S., & T. Read second time and amended.
7. March 19, 2026Referred to Coms. on A.,E.,S., & T. and ED.
8. February 13, 2026From printer. May be heard in committee March 15.
9. February 12, 2026Read first time. To print.