Global Courant
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill to ban school boards from rejecting textbooks based on their teachings about the contributions of people of different racial backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identities
By means ofSOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press
September 25, 2023, 10:26 PM
FILE – California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during an interview in Sacramento, California, Tuesday, September 12, 2023. Newsom signed a bill to ban school boards from rejecting textbooks based on their teachings about the contributions of people with different racial backgrounds, sexual orientation and gender identity. On Monday, September 25, Newsom said the measure was “long overdue.” (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, file)
The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, California — California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday to ban school boards from rejecting textbooks based on their teachings about the contributions of people of different racial backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identities.
Newsom called the measure “long overdue.”
“From Temecula to Tallahassee, fringe ideologues across the country are trying to whitewash history and ban books from schools,” Newsom said in a statement. “With this new law, we are strengthening California’s role as the true state of freedom: a place where families – not political fanatics – have the freedom to decide what is right for them.”
The bill comes into effect immediately.
The topic of banning and censoring books has become a political flashpoint in the US, popping up in states across the country. Many of the new restrictions issued by conservative-dominated school boards concern textbook representations of sexuality and LGBTQ+ history.
The California bill drew more attention when a Southern California school board this summer rejected a social studies curriculum for elementary school students that included additional material about Harvey Milk, a San Francisco politician and gay rights advocate.
A 2011 state law requires schools to teach students about the historical contributions of gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
Newsom threatened the school board with a $1.5 million fine and the board later voted to approve a modified curriculum for elementary school students that met state requirements.
The new legislation prohibits school boards from banning classroom materials or library books because they “provide inclusive and diverse perspectives consistent with state law,” according to a news release from Newsom’s office.
The bill passed the state Legislature after intense debate over what role the state should have in the curricula adopted by local districts and how lawmakers can ensure students are exposed to diverse and accurate representations of history.
Newsom also signed a bill Monday to increase penalties for child traffickers.
Democrats on the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee blocked the proposal earlier this year. Some lawmakers initially opposed it because they feared child trafficking victims could be unintentionally punished.
After it was blocked, Newsom voiced his disapproval of the bill’s failure to pass, and lawmakers revived it. Republican Senator Shannon Grove, who authored the bill, later amended the bill to prevent victims from being criminalized.
