International Courant
A conservative Riverside County faculty board that had beforehand rejected a social research curriculum that talked about slain homosexual rights activist Harvey Milk reversed course Friday evening and mentioned it might go ahead with the academic supplies that meet state requirements.
The choice by the Temecula Valley Unified College District adopted a sequence of contentious public conferences and a risk by Gov. Gavin Newsom to high-quality the district $1.5 million if it didn’t buy new social research books authorized by the state earlier than the beginning of the brand new faculty 12 months Aug. 14. Milk is talked about in supplemental supplies, not the precise textbook.
Some board members opposed classes on LGBTQ+ historical past as inappropriate with not less than one saying the curriculum would promote pedophilia.
Board President Joseph Komrosky, who has opposed the curriculum and referred to as Milk a pedophile, didn’t instantly return a message. The board mentioned at Friday evening’s assembly it might pull any reference to Milk in supplemental supplies and substitute it with the biography of one other homosexual rights activist, in response to KTLA-TV.
The governor, who has normal himself a progressive chief in nationwide tradition battle points, applauded the board vote in a press release.
“Fortuitously, now college students will obtain the fundamental supplies wanted to be taught,” mentioned Newsom, who had beforehand pledged to ship textbooks to the district even with out board approval. He blamed “extremists” for opposing a curriculum that oldsters and academics evaluated positively.
“Demagogues who whitewash historical past, censor books, and perpetuate prejudice by no means succeed. Hate doesn’t belong in our lecture rooms and due to the board majority’s antics, Temecula has a civil rights investigation to reply for,” Newsom mentioned, referring to an investigation he introduced final month by the state Division of Schooling.
Underneath a legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011, historical past classes and textbooks in California public colleges are required to incorporate contributions of homosexual, lesbian and transgender People.
As a direct response to the state of affairs enjoying out in Temecula in current months, Newsom has rushed to create new laws that, if handed, will give the state further energy over faculty textbooks.
The district, in an space that leans Republican, oversees the training of about 28,000 college students.
Temecula faculty board adopts social research curriculum
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