NEWS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Law Prohibiting Schools From Banning Books
Courtesy of gavinnewsom/Instagram
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a bill prohibiting school boards in the state from banning books, curriculum and other educational materials amid a wave of bans targeting materials on race and LGBTQ issues.
Appearing in a video message with the bills author, Democratic Assemblymember Corey Jackson, Newsom, also a Democrat, said the new law was “long overdue.”
“Remarkable that we’re living in a country right now in this banning binge, this cultural purge that we’re experiencing all throughout America and now increasingly here in the state of California where we have school districts banning books, banning free speech, criminalizing librarians and teachers,” he said.
“We want to do more than just push back rhetorically against that, and that’s what this legislation provides.”
Under state law, instructional materials are required to “accurately portray the cultural and racial diversity of our society,” and the new bill imposes fines on schools that ban those materials, including textbooks. The new law takes effect immediately.
“It is the responsibility of every generation to continue the fight for civil and human rights against those who seek to take them away,” Jackson said in a statement.“Today, California has met this historical imperative and we will be ready to meet the next one.”
In July, Newsom fined the Temecula Valley Unified School District $1.5 million for refusing to adopt a social studies textbook that included Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California, and was assassinated in 1978.
“From Temecula to Tallahassee, fringe ideologues across the country are attempting to whitewash history and ban books from schools. With this new law, we’re cementing California’s role as the true freedom state: a place where families — not political fanatics — have the freedom to decide what’s right for them,” Newsom said in a statement.
According to a recent report from the nonprofit PEN America, there were 3,362 recorded instances of K-12 schools banning books in the 2022–23 school year, an increase of 33% from the year before. More than 40% of those book bans were recorded in Florida, followed by Texas, Missouri, Utah and Pennsylvania.
TMX contributed to this article.
