California will purchase and deliver copies of a social studies textbook to students in a local school district after district officials blocked the book because of “inappropriate” content, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The Temecula Valley Unified School board in southern California first gained the governor’s attention in May when it rejected a social studies textbook containing references to LGBT activist and politician Harvey Milk—whom the board’s president Joseph Komrosky called a “pedophile” based on reports that Mr. Milk had a sexual relationship with a minor.
“We’re going to purchase the book for these students, the same one that hundreds of thousands of kids are already using. If these extremist school board members won’t do their job, we will, and fine them for their incompetence,” the governor said.
The debate centers around a book called “Social Studies Alive,” a textbook recently piloted in schools within the district and was brought before the board for official approval in May. While the textbook does not mention Mr. Milk in its main text, its optional supplemental material features him.
In a July 13 statement, Mr. Newsom also claimed Temecula’s students would begin the school year on Aug. 14 without enough social studies textbooks for every student “because of the school board’s decision to reject a widely used social studies curriculum.”
The governor said he would partner with lawmakers to pass Assembly Bill 1078 to prohibit local school boards from excluding books that contain “diverse perspectives.”
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said he supported Mr. Newsom’s actions and likened the Temecula board’s decision to “book banning.”
“School districts should not ban books in California, especially as it harms students of color and LGBTQ+ youth,” Mr. Thurmond said in a July 13 statement. “[Assembly Bill] 1078 lays out the structure for today’s action and I am proud to have sponsored this bill to protect our students from the harmful effects of book banning, exclusion of inclusive textbooks and discrimination.”
