California lawmakers OK bill to fine school boards that ban books over race, LGBTQ+ issues

Members of the public spoke for and against a policy to limit LGBTQ+ teachings during a July meeting of the Temecula Valley Unified School District board. The California Legislature approved a bill on Thursday that would allow fines against school boards that ban textbooks based on their inclusion of LGBTQ+ and race lessons — an attempt to halt escalating culture wars playing out in right-leaning enclaves of the liberal state. “All students deserve the freedom to read and learn about the truth, the world and themselves.” The bill explicitly requires that the school boards for the state’s 1,000-plus districts approve textbooks that “accurately portray the cultural and racial diversity of our society.” The law would also create a process for county superintendents — and the state — to intervene when school boards do not meet that standard. The bill sets a “troubling precedent” for the state to leverage funding in order to punish school boards, the association said, adding that it will have “an unintended impact on the district’s programs, its employees and students.” The move is a rare interference in education by state officials in California, which has historically leaned on local control when it comes to schools. Jackson said the bill “has nothing to do with local control,” and that school boards would still be in charge of many curriculum decisions — but now the state has more power to ensure accountability.