Temecula Valley School District Reverses Curriculum Decision Due to Pending Lawsuit
Gov. Newsom issued a $1.5 million fine to the district
By Evan Symon, July 24, 2023 12:48 pm
The Temecula Valley Unified School District board voted during the weekend to reverse a decision made by the board last week to reject California’s elementary school social studies curriculum, having the district adopt the updated social studies curriculum.
The school district has been in a battle over textbooks and curriculum since November of last year, when the school board was nearly entirely replaced during the election. Following the change of power, the new conservative majority of the TVUSD began going after different areas of study, including passing a resolution banning the teaching of critical race theory shortly after the change of power. While this prompted some student walkouts last year, the move was ultimately successful, leading to other big changes.
This included a May 2023 decision to reject textbooks that had been previously approved of in a pilot program due to concerns that included the discussion of sexuality preferences to younger grades and supplemental material to textbooks that included lessons involving LGBT activist and former San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk despite Milk’s past 0f being attracted to minors. That decision was denounced by the state with lawmakers led by Governor Gavin Newsom forming new laws and shoring up violations to stop the TVUSD’s decision.
Specifically they noted violations to the 2011 FAIR Education Act, which added LGBT people and people with disabilities to the list of groups that must be represented in school texts. With Temecula rejecting the current curriculum, they would have had to use textbooks dating to 2006, and thus violating the law.
With classes in the district expected to begin on August 14th, and still no textbooks, the district was pressured to take another vote on July 18th, voting again 3-2 to reject the textbooks. In response the very next day, Newsom issued a $1.5 million fine to the district, as well as announcing a contract to get textbooks to the district that meet state standards in time for the first day of school.
“The three political activists on the school board have yet again proven they are more interested in breaking the law than doing their jobs of educating students — so the state will do their job for them,” said Governor Newsom in a statement last week. “California will ensure students in Temecula begin the school year with access to materials reviewed by parents and recommended by teachers across the district. After we deliver the textbooks into the hands of students and their parents, the state will deliver the bill — along with a $1.5 million fine — to the school board for its decision to willfully violate the law, subvert the will of parents, and force children to use an out-of-print textbook from 17 years ago.”
A school board in Temecula decided to reject a textbook because it mentioned Harvey Milk.
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CA is stepping in.We’re going to purchase the book for these students—the same one that hundreds of thousands of kids are already using.
If these extremist school board members won’t do… pic.twitter.com/r2iirL8b5v
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 13, 2023
Board reverses decision over curriculum
Faced now with even more pressure, the Temecula Valley board had an emergency meeting over the weekend in which they finally approved the curriculum, albeit while also asking district officials to review the supplementary material that discusses gay rights and same-sex legality in California. A recommendation was also added by the board to make the material age and grade appropriate while also meeting state and federal law.
Board President Dr. Joseph Komrosky specifically noted that the board had only reversed course due to a lawsuit being threatened against the board, and not due to Newsom’s threat or fine. “Gov. Newsom, I act independently and authoritatively from you. I am a sovereign citizen in the United States of America,” said Komrosky during the meeting. “If we do not provide curriculum — I want everybody to hear this — we will literally be sued.”
Newsom subsequently declared victory in the matter, while also noting that the matter was brought forward by “extremists” who wanted to “whitewash history.”
“Fortunately, now students will receive the basic materials needed to learn,” noted Newsom in a statement. “But this vote lays bare the true motives of those who opposed this curriculum. This has never been about parents’ rights. It’s not even about Harvey Milk – who appears nowhere in the textbook students receive. This is about extremists’ desire to control information and censor the materials used to teach our children.”
“Demagogues who whitewash history, censor books, and perpetuate prejudice never succeed. Hate doesn’t belong in our classrooms and because of the board majority’s antics, Temecula has a civil rights investigation to answer for.”
However, while Newsom’s action did help solidify the state response to any other district in the state wanting to try the same action, experts on Monday noted that it is only a pyrrhic victory for Newsom. While textbooks and supplementary materials are firmly backed by the state, how they are taught is still largely up to districts and teachers.
“For anyone upset with the ruling take heart in knowing that students out there are not being brainwashed or being forced to learn something with an ‘ideology’,” explained educational expert and curriculum advisor Sherri Alberts to the Globe on Monday. “What was being challenged was supplementary material, which means it could be a pamphlet, something from a guide, added pages, or something like that. And yes, it is California state law to learn about LGBT rights in there, and Temecula Valley needed to comply there by law.”
“But also realize that many teachers can quickly just go over this or mention in it just enough to comply with state standards. It’s not an entire course on it. And you also need to give kids credit too. They’re going to ask what the hubbub was about with the books, the teachers will explain, and the kids, wondering, will look up just what the problem was. It isn’t like generations past that had to go to the library to find something out. They have the internet at their fingertips, and they can get more nuanced information from there.”
“We’re seeing more and more challenges with textbooks and books in recent years, and it is largely because parents have better access to information now and can quickly point out flaws in what is in textbooks, which by the way, act more like a guide rather than what is taught. Students doing reports can easily find all sorts of factual information out there. I do walk-ins on classes all the time, and there are always students raising their hand and bringing up things not covered by the texts, or teachers giving more information or encouraging outside discovery. And not just encouraging. I’m talking mini-reports where they need to cite actual book sources and that are checked religiously against plagiarism and from having been used by AI bots.”
“Newsom won this battle with textbooks, but there is no way he is going to stop students and parents from getting the full and rounded story.”
As of Monday, state officials have yet to say if similar actions will be taken against other districts looking at possibly raising the same issues.
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Disgusting. Using threats of violence and intimidation to a school board, Newsom hypocritically then talks about a child’s “freedom to learn” when his intimidation tactic succeeds. There is no freedom in a coerced brainwashing regime posing as “education.”
Yes disgusting and wickedly immoral! Parents need to get their kids out of public schools. Voters need to remember this when Governor Climate Change runs for President.
Temecula us full of bigots and racists, their kids better inherit all their money, they won’t be any competition for universities or jobs someday, whitewashing history, don’t want junior to know great granny and grampy would lynch and murder folk before church on Sundays
It was a mistake for the District to give into Newsom’s threats? Newsom does not have any legal authority to dictate what books the District must purchase or order the state to do so in place of the District? Newsom is a demonic WEF globalist parasite on Californians?
Newsom had announced a contract to get textbooks to the district that meet state standards in time for the first day of school? Would it surprise anyone if the contract was with his Weinstein trollop wife who is a publisher of porn for kids?
Newsom Twosome: Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s films that are shown in public schools feature porn, radical gender materials, and her husband Gavin (https://www.openthebooks.com/substack—newsom-twosome-siebel-newsoms-films–shown-in-middle-schools–feature-porn-radical-gender-materials-and-her-husband-gavin/)
EXACTLY. Why cave in to that horse’s ass? He has no legal authority to do this.
This vote by the Board was a very bad move.
Gruesome had that “state of emergency” and “executive order” power for so long he thinks he still has it when he doesn’t. This was a BLUFF. How could it be anything else? Unfortunately the Board is going to pay and pay with parents for panicking this way. So now the board members are A-OK with this disgusting curriculum? I don’t think so. The big neon sign that this is not legal is that Gruesome wants them to pay a ransom and is forcing something on them that he doesn’t have any legal right to do. Sorry —– that’s not kosher, not even in crazy and corrupt California.
Newsolini once again demonstrates he is a small minded tyrant.
California the land of the freeeee?
Lies, all lies!
How does that jackboot feel against your necks Temecula School Board and parents?
A $1.5 M fine devoid of due process? The Temecula School Board and the Californian’s are mere sniveling whining cowards; forget not Cali elected Newson, failed to recall him then reelected him: Cali wanted Newsom, got him and now further emboldened the tyrant.
Another chance to push back squandered; the joke is on you Cali residents…
A lot of us signed the petition for the recall and in a very oddly run election, voted TO RECALL him!!! Does anyone think it was a secure and fair election? I surely don’t! I am SO tired of people saying all of us in California voted for this bull 💩💩!! No, ALL of us didn’t! We are victims of f the corrupt democratic party, that I have no doubt, is willing to lie, cheat and steal in every election. Any time the Democrats lose can election, they whine and throw a tantrum more than anyone else, because they know they should have won because they cheated! Not everyone in California is for this leftist bullcrap!
Honestly, I wish they would have fought this as there was no legal basis for the state of force the school district ot pay for the books. Although it sounds like the supplemental material that contained much of the celebrations of perversion have been left out. So there is that at least. And at the very least it helped to remind a lot of people that the Dem icon Harvey Milk was an admitted pedophile and was also a big supporter of Jim Jones and the People’s Temple.
The Commucrats just got the green light to intimidate and threaten anyone who goes against their extreme leftist agenda. Why didn’t they let them sue? At least, put up a fight. Too many cowards in this state.
Parents need to get their kids out of California public schools.
Agree. It is just more evidence that local control of schools is nearly non existent when they are taking federal and state funds to balance their budgets.
It is a sad day when the children are failed by those in charge to protect and educate them.
A lesson could be learned by all, doing what is right and not easy. The Temecula Valley School Board took the easy path.
It’s further proof of the perversions being pushed on the children in California schools. I wonder if these lessons include any of the films made by the Governor’s wife Jennifer. Jennifer’s the Representation Project is used to steer children’s sexual orientation and knowledge far ahead of their age….
What a vile, corrupt man! Not above blackmail, coercion, and bullying.
Hey! Does the Guv’s Mrs have anything to do with these school books?
Mr. Newton. It is an abuse on your part to decide what things my children should or should not know. Far as I know, no one tells you how to raise your own children. And if someone wanted to do it, I bet you didn’t like it or allow it. In our case, we have decided that our beloved children should not worry more than being children, their only concern should be playing, eating, and sleeping. We do not allow any social network, tablet or cell phone to end up in their hands and disturb their innocence. If they should know something, it will be according to their age and when we see that they are ready to know it. You don’t live with us, you don’t know our family, let alone our children, you don’t even care about them. You don’t even have the right to dare to think what my children should know and what they shouldn’t.
I congratulate those of the school district who have fought so hard to care for the innocence of our babies. It is a pity and a sadness everything that is happening