The Orinda school district has adopted an updated homework policy aimed at better balancing academics, wellness and extracurricular activities. It’s also designed to create more consistency across classrooms and schools, set clearer expectations for students, staff and families, and align with current research and best practices.
Approved at the April 13 Orinda Union School District board meeting, the revised homework policy takes into account issues raised by the California Healthy Homework Act, AB 2999, which took effect in January 2025.
Essentially, the district handed in its own homework early. AB 2999 encourages – though it does not legally require – districts to develop homework policies by the start of the 2027-2028 school year and formally adopt final policies by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.
Using its existing Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) process to collect parent, staff and student input gave the district a headstart. (In California, every school district must create and regularly update an LCAP showing how it will use state funding to improve outcomes for students.)
“We already had an existing homework policy,” Glimme said. “With the yearlong LCAP committee, we revised it to align with AB 2999 and with our stakeholder input.”
AB 2999 provided a framework for the district’s revisions, which emphasize homework quality over quantity, as well as homework that is “purposeful and aligned to classroom instruction,” supportive of “independent learning and skill development” and “appropriate to grade level and student needs.”
Key new provisions include homework-free weekends and school breaks, less reliance on parent help or outside resources, and grade-level time guidelines for how much homework should be assigned. The district says the changes are intended to promote fairer and more consistent experiences for students.
Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, who sponsored AB 2999, said, “Given the current student mental health crisis, and that recent studies show students cite homework as a top three stressor in their life, addressing homework requirements will allow us to protect student mental health.”
The new policy will be implemented at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.
