California passes bill inspired by Katie Meyer
Assembly [AB] Law 1575 was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 28, 2024. The new law requires all public college and university students to have an adviser when facing legal allegations regarding the student Code of conduct, which is the state of behavior the students are expected to uphold. AB 1575 was introduced following the death of former NPHS student Katie Meyer, who died by suicide in March of 2022 while she was goalkeeper and captain for the Stanford Women’s Soccer Team.
Katie’s Save is a foundation started by Gina and Steve Meyer, parents of Katie Meyer, focused on mental health representation in the sports community. The foundation is centered around the number of collegiate athletes who have recently died by suicide. Katie’s Save has been continuously gaining local support, but is now receiving donations and publicity on a national level, likely resulting from the passing of AB Law 1575.
The adviser is a trusted presence for student athletes and will receive any notifications about the allegations of which they were convicted. They will be provided with training on the institution’s codes and the capability to partake alongside the student throughout any administration-indicated discipline process.
Prior to her death, Katie Meyer was charged with retaliation after she allegedly spilled coffee on a Stanford football player, due to claims of him having kissed Meyer’s teammate without consent. According to “USA Today”, Katie Meyer received an email threatening her removal from the university from the disciplinary infraction with the football player and her body was found the next day. The Meyer family’s goal is to prevent any similar situation from occurring again, thus starting the development of AB 1575 to reduce the acute reactions regarding the student.
Gina and Steve Meyer started the initiative of AB 1575 by talking about the importance of the mental health of athletes to multiple schools like Cal Lutheran University and by events such as Together for Mental Health. During spring of 2022, Katie’s Save discussed with Assembly member Jacqui Irwin about a way of making an impact to support students, which is when the law came into play. After two years the law was passed by California and is currently in effect today.
