Landmark End Chronic Disease-Sponsored Student Health Bill Signed Into California Law

Bipartisan legislation brings prevention into the classroom by helping students understand how everyday habits affect their learning and long-term well-being

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- End Chronic Disease is celebrating a major victory for prevention focused health policy as Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1133, the Ready to Learn, Ready for Health Act, into law. The legislation passed with unanimous support.

Sponsored by End Chronic Disease and authored by Senator Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach), the bipartisan legislation will help California students understand how nutrition, sleep, physical activity, stress, technology and environmental factors can influence their physical health, mental well-being and ability to learn.

“When more than 40 percent of school-aged children and 76-percent of U.S. adults have at least one chronic health condition, many of which are often preventable, we need to start thinking about health earlier in life. Every student deserves a fair shot at being healthy, and good health starts with education,” said Kelly McKenna, CEO of End Chronic Disease. “We’re grateful to Senator Strickland for his leadership in carrying this bill on behalf of California’s children, and to the California Legislature for recognizing that improving our nation’s health begins long before someone becomes a patient.”

The new law represents a significant step in End Chronic Disease’s work to address the root causes of chronic illness and advance practical, evidence-based policies that support prevention. Rather than waiting until people become sick, the organization is working to give individuals and communities the knowledge and tools they need to build healthier lives from an early age.

SB 1133 does not require schools to add a new class or adopt a specific curriculum. Instead, it works through California’s existing curriculum review process. When the state’s Health Education Framework is next revised, the Instructional Quality Commission will consider including evidence-based preventive health instruction addressing:

• Nutrition, food literacy and their relationship to metabolism, inflammation and long-term disease risk
• Exercise and physical activity as factors in physical and mental health
• The effects of stress and sleep on hormones, weight, immunity and cognition
• The impacts and responsible use of social media, artificial intelligence and digital platforms
• The ways air quality, water quality and food environments affect health
• The connection between daily choices, physical health and mental well-being

“This bill is very personal for me, as I lost a childhood friend too soon due to the health choices he made when he was younger,” said Senator Strickland. “His passing at age 50 was a heartbreaking reminder that the habits we make early in life can have a lasting impact on our health and longevity.”

The law comes as chronic illness affects a growing share of American families and places increasing pressure on the nation’s healthcare system. End Chronic Disease has made early education a central part of its effort to move the country toward a prevention-first approach to health.

A national poll released by End Chronic Disease found that nearly 94 percent of likely voters supported nutrition education in school health classes, including nearly 63 percent who strongly supported it. The strong public support reflects a growing recognition across political lines that young people should receive practical, age appropriate information about the habits that shape lifelong health.

End Chronic Disease also would like to thank Governor Newsom and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and organizations that helped make the Ready to Learn, Ready for Health Act law.

“California is showing that preventing chronic disease is not a partisan issue,” McKenna said. “It is a shared responsibility and an investment in the next generation. This law gives students information they can use every day and establishes a model that other states can follow.”

Supporters of SB 1133 included the Alameda County Office of Education; Fresno Unified School District; CFT – A Union of Educators & Classified Professionals, AFT, AFL-CIO; the California Baptist Capitol Ministry; Informed Policy Advocates; and Teen Lifestyle Medicine.

INTERVIEW AVAILABILITY
Senator Tony Strickland and End Chronic Disease CEO Kelly McKenna are available for interviews via Zoom or in person. To schedule an interview, contact Christina Pascucci at Christina@endchronicdisease.org

ABOUT END CHRONIC DISEASE
End Chronic Disease, Inc. is a national nonpartisan nonprofit working to address the root causes of chronic illness through public education, policy advocacy and evidence-based solutions. The organization advances policies and initiatives that give individuals, families, healthcare professionals, researchers and policymakers the information and tools needed to prevent disease, improve health outcomes and build healthier communities.

Christina Pascucci
End Chronic Disease
christina@endchronicdisease.org