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Newsom to Deliver Textbooks Rejected by Southern California School Board to Students

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Newsom to Deliver Textbooks Rejected by Southern California School Board to Students
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 2, 2023. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Micaela Ricaforte
By Micaela Ricaforte
7/14/2023Updated: 12/30/2023
0:00

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.

In a July 13 Twitter post, Mr. Newsom threatened to send the books to Temecula students and to enact legislation that would fine the district if the board doesn’t accept the textbook.

“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.”

California State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond speaks during a news conference at Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond, Calif., on May 17, 2022 (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
California State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond speaks during a news conference at Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond, Calif., on May 17, 2022 Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Micaela Ricaforte
Micaela Ricaforte
Author
Micaela Ricaforte covers education in Southern California for The Epoch Times. In addition to writing, she is passionate about music, books, and coffee.
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Related Topics
Gavin Newsom
LGBT
Temecula
Temecula Valley Unified School District
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