Staff Reports
The Temecula Valley Unified School District in California is about to feel the sting of their conservative decision making. After the school board voted against a state-endorsed curriculum that includes LGBT lesson plans and a biography of gay activist Harvey Milk, they will now be facing a whopping $1.5 million fine. Ouch! On top of that, they also have to pay $1.6 million in shipping costs for all the materials. Talk about adding insult to injury!
California Governor Gavin Newsom wasted no time expressing his opinion on the matter, calling the school board’s decision a willful violation of the law and a subversion of parents’ wishes. He even went so far as to call the board members “extremists” and vowed to purchase the textbooks for the district himself. Well, Governor, who needs checks and balances when you can just purchase your way through everything?
🚨 BREAKING: California will be imposing a hefty fine of $1.5 MILLION on the Temecula Valley School District after the school board voted to reject a state-endorsed curriculum that includes LGBT lesson plans for young children.
CALIFORNIA IS A DISGRACE!!https://t.co/FwCdOkU4zY
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) July 21, 2023
What’s even more outrageous is that California is trying to pass another bill that would allow them to fine districts for removing books with “inclusive and diverse perspectives” from their lesson plans. So not only do they want to force schools to include certain books, they also want to punish them if they dare to exercise their own judgment. It’s like they want to erase any sense of individuality and freedom from our schools. What happened to choice and diversity of thought?
Assemblymember Corey Jackson, who is so enthusiastic about the bill, claims that these book bans are denying students the right to access different stories and perspectives. But what about the rights of the parents who don’t want their children exposed to certain ideologies at such young ages? Shouldn’t their voices be heard too?
It’s clear that California is using its power to push a specific agenda onto our schools. They claim it’s about inclusivity and diversity, but it seems more like an attempt to silence anyone who disagrees. Our schools should be places where different ideas are explored and students are encouraged to think critically, not institutions of conformity. Someone needs to remind California of that before our education system becomes a one-sided echo chamber.
