Computer science bill to address disparities in access in underserved areas – if it passes

Unless Assembly Bill 2097 — requiring every public high school to teach a computer science course — advances in the state Legislature on Thursday, access to computer science in California will continue to be inequitable across socioeconomic, racial, gender and geographic lines, according to the bill’s author.

“It’s predominantly our underserved communities, our Black and brown communities, our rural communities, where students are going to schools that don’t even give them access to computer science,” said Assemblymember Marc Berman about his bill, which would close gaps and increase access to computer science classes in California, as 30 other states do.