California lawmakers passed a bill last week prohibiting the banning of books in public school districts due to content related to racial or gender diversity, and the governor is now expected to sign it into law.
Last Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom showed his support for the bill and suggested he plans to sign it into law.
“California is the true state of freedom: a place where families, not political zealots, have the freedom to decide what is right for them,” he said. “With the passage of this legislation that prohibits book bans and ensures that all students have textbooks, our state’s Family Agenda is now even stronger. “All students deserve the freedom to read and learn about the truth, the world, and themselves.”
The state Senate passed the bill mostly along party lines last week; In May it had no problems being approved in the Assembly.
Under the bill, school districts would be fined for banning books.
The bill, which was introduced and drafted by Assemblyman Corey Jackson of Riverside, does not prohibit the banning of books, although it would impose a fine if books are banned because they contain “inclusive and diverse perspectives.”
The bill also directly targets local school board control over the curriculum and books that will be allowed in schools.
The bill, which was introduced and drafted by Assemblyman Corey Jackson of Riverside, does not prohibit the banning of books, although it would impose a fine if books are banned because they contain “inclusive and diverse perspectives.”
Last Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom showed his support for the bill and suggested that he plans to sign it into law.JOHN G MABANGLO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Around the same time the Assembly passed the bill in May, the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVSD) voted to reject an elementary school curriculum for mentioning Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official. in California.
In July, Newsom posted a video criticizing the school district for “censoring” social studies materials simply because it mentioned Milk, adding that the state was “intervening.”
“We are going to buy the book for these students, the same one that hundreds of thousands of children are already using. “If these extremist school board members don’t do their jobs, we will do their jobs and fine them for their incompetence,” Newsom said.
Newsom also claimed that the book was censored by the school board and that he and others were concerned about access to information.
Recently donated LGBTQ+ books are displayed in the library at Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond, California, after the state’s superintendent of schools, Tony Thurmond, celebrated the donation of such books to 234 elementary schools.Getty Images
Dr. Joseph Komrosky, president of the TVSD Board of Education, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the board did not “ban” the textbook, but instead chose not to adopt a new curriculum and teaching material. complementary textbook that included Milk.
But that was just one of several objections, Komrosky said.
“But what the Governor has conveniently ignored is that Board of Education members expressed other important concerns about the District’s process, including whether it had adequately engaged the community regarding the adoption of the curriculum, as well as whether the proposed curriculum adequately addressed needs. of English learners and special education students,” Komrosky said at the time.
Dr. Joseph Komrosky, president of the TVSD Board of Education, said the board did not “ban” the textbook, but instead chose not to adopt a new curriculum and supplemental textbook material that included Milk .X / @JosephKomrosky
Still, Newsom threatened to fine TVSD $1.5 million, and the board ultimately adopted the curriculum.
Jackson’s bill threatens financial penalties against school boards that restrict access to classroom and library materials because they feature LGBTQ people or were written by LGBTQ authors, the bill says, “discriminates against LGBTQ people and constitutes censorship in violation of California laws and policies.
The bill goes on to say: “efforts to categorically exclude topics related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or other protected characteristics, or current or historical discrimination based on protected characteristics, from school library collections, plans study or classroom discussions. constitute censorship that violates California laws and policies.”
Jackson’s bill threatens financial penalties against school boards that restrict access to classroom and library materials because they feature LGBTQ people or were written by LGBTQ authors, the bill says, “discriminates against LGBTQ people and constitutes censorship in violation of California laws and policies. Images
This comes after a recently released report revealed that nearly 1,500 books were banned in the first half of the 2022-2023 school year.
According to PEN America’s School Book Ban Index listings, there were 1,477 cases of individual books being banned during the first half of the 2022-23 school year.
PEN America recorded more book bans during the fall 2022 semester than in each of the previous two semesters.
According to PEN America’s School Book Ban Index listings, there were 1,477 cases of individual books being banned during the first half of the 2022-23 school year. MediaNews Group via Getty Images
PEN America also reports that 30% of banned “unique titles” are books about race, racism or characters of color.
They also note that 26% of banned unique titles have LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
PEN America stated that they have followed book banning efforts over the past two years by documenting the growth of groups advocating for book banning, widespread challenges to books across the country, local-level efforts such as school district policies and procedures, and state-level policies.
The book ban issue has been prevalent in red states such as Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah and South Carolina, where it was addressed by local school boards.
Fox News Digital’s Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn