New California Law Strengthens State Control Over Local School Boards, Prevents Banning of Inclusive and Diverse Materials

New California law gives the state more power over local school boards.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law new legislation that gives more control to the state government in order to prevent local school districts from banning inclusive or diverse books, curriculum, or instruction material.

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond sponsored and pushed for the passage of AB 1078 to counter policies adopted by some local school boards related to the LGBTQ community.

The law authorizes complaints against school boards for insufficient textbooks or instructional materials that discriminate against students of color or LGBTQ+ students.

Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson, the legislation’s author, explained that “insufficient instructional materials” refer to resources that do not align with California’s core academic content standards.

New California law gives the state more power over local school boards

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law new legislation that aims to prevent local school districts from banning books, curriculum, or instructional material deemed as inclusive or diverse. The law, known as AB 1078, gives more control to the state government and was sponsored by State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. It comes in response to a wave of policies adopted by some local school boards related to the LGBTQ community.

Preventing discrimination and ensuring inclusive education

AB 1078 was introduced to address dangerous trends of banning books and restricting inclusive curriculum in local school districts. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond expressed concerns about a small group of extremists seeking to divide communities and discriminate against communities of color and the LGBTQ+ community. The law allows complaints to be filed against school boards that have insufficient instructional materials, especially if they discriminate against students of color or LGBTQ+ students.

Defining “insufficient instructional materials”

According to an article in Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson, the author of AB 1078, “insufficient instructional materials” refers to resources that do not align with California’s core academic content standards. Examples provided include textbooks that lack information about recent U.S. Presidents or exclude prominent Civil Rights leaders from the LGBTQ+ community. The law aims to ensure that school resources adequately represent diverse perspectives and meet the state’s curriculum framework.

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