A bill in the California assembly would impose a fine on school districts that remove books for discriminatory reasons.
The measure, authored by Assemblymember Corey Jackson of Riverside, wouldn’t prohibit schools from banning books, but it would impose a fine if the materials are removed because they contain “inclusive and diverse perspectives.”
“Our students of color and our LGBTQ+ students should not be threatened for their viewpoints, and they should not have education withheld from them,” State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said in support of the bill during a Senate Education Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Some parents voiced concern that the measure would strip local school boards of their power.
“As a former school board member, I highly value local control," Thurmond said. "But local control does not give anyone the right to threaten, bully, or mistreat any of our students."
Temecula Valley Unified School District teacher Caroline Thomas spoke in favor of the bill, citing her school board’s opposition to LGBTQ+ books. The district’s superintendent was fired last month after opposing a textbook that mentioned Harvey Milk.
Thurmond, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Attorney General Rob Bonta sent a joint letter to California superintendents in June cautioning that removing books from school libraries “simply because [officials] dislike the ideas contained in those books” is unconstitutional.
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