GOVERNOR SIGNS AB 1575, KATIE MEYER’S LAW, STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH LEGISLATION

SACRAMENTO: Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin is pleased to announce that Governor Newsom has signed AB 1575, Katie Meyer’s Law, which will allow students at California’s public colleges and universities to select an adviser to help them navigate the disciplinary process.

Existing law does not require campuses to honor a student’s selection of a particular individual to be an adviser during a disciplinary hearing for an academic or athletic code of conduct violation. Even more shocking, current law fails to require colleges to allow students to have an adviser during these proceedings at all. For the institutions that do allow advisers to participate alongside the student, there is rarely training on the campus’ specific disciplinary procedures. This leaves the majority of California students, who do not have the means to retain legal representation, without access to trusted assistance and mental health supports during stressful disciplinary proceedings.

“AB 1575 is inspired by the memory of a vibrant young woman from my district,” said Assemblymember Irwin. “California’s colleges and universities are filled with the best and brightest students who come from around the world to study, conduct research, participate in athletics, and better their lives. At times, their higher education journey presents them with challenges they are not prepared to navigate on their own. This bill creates better supports for our students during what may be the most stressful time of their young adult life.”

This new law provides options for an adviser for students that receive a disciplinary notice from their college. The adviser could be a parent, coach, peer, professor, or other trusted presence who will be provided training on the institution’s policies, receive notifications, and have the ability to participate alongside the student throughout the disciplinary process.

The Meyer family has advocated for this model on a national level. Their advocacy has focused on the distressing number of high-achieving student athletes who have died by suicide in recent years. They champion greater access to advisers and resources that could help prevent students without support from experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

“AB 1575 does not reinvent the wheel when it comes to mental health techniques, but it does provide a ‘front end safety net’ for our students, whereby their adviser would be informed on day one of an administrative conflict,” explained Gina and Steve Meyer, Katie’s parents. “We truly believe this bill could have saved Katie’s life. We miss her endlessly and realize AB 1575 will not bring her back, but it will save lives going forward. Katie would have wanted that.”