Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill Thursday allowing the legislature to set social science curriculum in the schools. A similar bill was vetoed by former Governor Schwarzenegger last year.
SB 48 (Leno, D-San Francisco) Instruction: prohibition of discriminatory content, was promoted as a way to prevent bullying, although many other laws address the situation. (See below.) It requires highlighting the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in history lessons, as well as disabled people and a host of cultural groups.
The need for special exceptions was questioned by opponents of the legislation, including the California Catholic Conference, who pointed out that anti-discrimination on sexual orientation and ethnicity is already law, the language is overly vague, and the measure (which will probably now be litigated in court) will continue to complicate the job of teachers.
Read We Need to Stand Up for Parents and Children where Archbishop Jose Gomez describes the measure as “another example of the government interfering with parents’ rights to be their children’s primary educators.” Thank you to all the Network members who responded to the Action Alert asking the Governor to veto the bill. For more information, contact Carol Hogan, chogan@cacatholic.org.
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