ARTICLE 8.5. School Instructional Gardens [51795. - 51798.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 8.5.

in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 51795. Section 51795.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) School gardens provide an interactive, hands-on learning environment in which pupils learn composting and waste management techniques, fundamental concepts about nutrition and obesity prevention, and the cultural and historical aspects of our food supply. School gardens also foster a better understanding and appreciation of where food comes from, how food travels from the farm to the table, and the important role of agriculture in the state, national, and global economy. (b) Encouraging and supporting school gardens creates opportunities for children to learn to make healthier food choices, participate more successfully in their education experiences, and develop a deeper appreciation of their community. (c) School garden programs can equally enhance any subject area including science, environmental education, mathematics, reading, writing, art, nutrition, physical education, history, and geography. School gardens provide a unique setting in which improved pupil performance can be achieved.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 51796. Section 51796.

(a) The Instructional School Gardens Program is hereby established for the promotion, creation, and support of instructional school gardens through the allocation of grants, and through technical assistance provided, to school districts, charter schools, or county offices of education. The program shall be administered by the department. (b) The Superintendent may convene an interagency working group on instructional school gardens that may include, but not be limited to, representatives of the department, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Department of Public Health, and the California Integrated Waste Management Board. The working group may advise the Superintendent on the following: (1) Effective and efficient means of encouraging school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education to develop and maintain a quality instructional school garden program. (2) The availability of state and nonstate resources and technical assistance to help school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education in establishing and maintaining instructional school gardens. (3) Public and private partnerships available to assist school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education in using instructional school gardens to complement the academic program of participating schools. (c) The Superintendent may establish an advisory group involving other agencies and groups with expertise in instructional school gardens, including, but not limited to, the California Environmental Education Interagency Network. The purpose of the advisory group is to support program efforts through technical assistance, resources, in-kind support, site visits, and other related efforts. (d) (1) The Superintendent shall use existing resources to comply with subdivisions (b) and (c). (2) The Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Department of Public Health, and the California Integrated Waste Management Board shall use existing resources to comply with subdivision (b).

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 51796.2. Section 51796.2.

(a) A school district, charter school, or county office of education may apply to the Superintendent for funding for a three-year grant under this article in a manner determined by the Superintendent, in order to develop and maintain an instructional school garden. The application, at a minimum, shall indicate the school or schools at which the instructional school gardens are, or are to be, located; the grade level or grade levels to be targeted; the potential number of classes within the grade levels and number of pupils who would use the instructional school gardens; and the intended items of expenditure for any funds received. The application also shall include an explanation of the six-month reporting requirement specified in Section 51796.5. (b) The Superintendent shall distribute the grants applied for pursuant to subdivision (a) to school districts, charter schools, or county offices of education. Each grant shall be not more than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) per schoolsite, except that a district, charter school, or county office of education that applies on behalf of at least one schoolsite with an enrollment of 1,000 or more pupils may receive a grant of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) per schoolsite with an enrollment of 1,000 or more pupils.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 51796.5. Section 51796.5.

As a condition of the receipt of funds pursuant to this article, a school district, charter school, or county office of education, within six months of the final expenditure of funds received, shall report to the Superintendent, in conjunction with the interagency working group convened pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51796, in a manner prescribed by the Superintendent, regarding the use of funds and the manner in which the instructional school garden or gardens are used to complement the academic program of the participating school or schools. A school district or county office of education may submit one report for all of the schools that have received grants that are under the jurisdiction of the district or county office.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 51797. Section 51797.

During its annual discretionary grant funding process, the California Integrated Waste Management Board may give preferential consideration to providing an appropriate level of funding to the program established pursuant to this article.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 51798. Section 51798.

A school district, charter school, or county office of education that is operating a school garden may sell produce grown in the school garden, regardless of whether the school participates in the Instructional School Gardens Program, if the school district, charter school, or county office of education complies with applicable federal, state, and local health and safety requirements for the production, processing, and distribution of the produce.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026