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Gavin Newsom fines school district $1.5 million for rejecting materials mentioning gay rights activist
By Taylor Penley
Published July 20, 2023
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom followed through on his threats to fine the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD), launching his next culture war attack against conservative board members who rejected state-endorsed curriculum that allegedly mentions gay rights activist Harvey Milk.
"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," Newsom said Wednesday in a statement.
"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."
NEWSOM THREATENS TO FINE SCHOOL BOARD IN DISPUTE OVER ‘BANNED’ BOOKS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on May 2, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to the fine, the district will have to pay $1.6 million associated with shipping the materials to the district, NBC News reported.
In a video on July 13, the prominent Democrat said the state would be "stepping in" to ensure the district's students received the same materials as those belonging to other California schools. Along with the threat, he blasted board members as "extremist[s]" for holding the line.
"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 their job, we will — and fine them for their incompetence," he said.
Following Newsom's remarks, board members stuck to their guns and struck down the content with a 3-2 majority rejection on Tuesday.
The Wednesday statement from Newsom's office hammered the board for subjecting students to outdated materials — namely a textbook published in 2006. In previous language, he accused the board of "censoring" the book.
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An image from the livestream of a March 22 Critical Race Theory workshop in Temecula Valley, California. (Temecula Valley Unified School District)
In a statement previously sent to Fox News Digital, Dr. Joseph Komrosky, the president of the TVUSD Board of Education, fired back at Newsom's claims, insisting that the board did not ban the book, but instead chose not to adopt the new state-recommended material.
"It is unfortunate that Governor Newsom and others have seized upon an action by the Temecula Valley Unified School expressly authorized by the California Legislature and mischaracterized not only what has occurred, but why," he said in part, reiterating that he did not speak on behalf of the entire board.
Komrosky previously garnered attention from the governor after labeling Milk as a "pedophile." Newsom responded by tweeting, "An offensive statement from an ignorant person. This isn’t Texas or Florida. In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn. Congrats Mr. Komrosky you have our attention. Stay tuned."
A close-up of American politician and gay rights activist Harvey Milk (1930-1978) as he campaigns for a position on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in September 1977. (Janet Fries/Getty Images)
"It was never my intention to insult anyone, as it is always my intention to lead with civility. My word choice is based upon facts represented by Mr. Milk, and I don’t believe those facts are a good example for our children to learn about in elementary school," Komrosky said in response to the tweet.
Near the end of the Wednesday statement from Newsom's office, plans for Newsom to work with the state's legislature and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond to "enact legislation to impose fines on any school district that fails to provide adequate instructional materials" were noted.
Opponents of the textbook argue that sex and homosexuality should not be taught in materials for elementary school students, an argument emerging in school districts across the nation as many continue to include LGBTQ+ content inside the classroom.
Milk, the person in contention, was the first gay man to win an election in San Francisco. The late California lawmaker was known to have had a relationship with a 16-year-old boy while living in New York in his thirties, CNN reported, adding, at the time, the age of consent in the Empire State was 14.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Newsom's office and the TVUSD for additional comment.
Newsom's press office responded, saying the textbook in contention does not contain references to Harvey Milk and added that the $1.5 million fine was unrelated to shipping costs as previously reported but is instead related to AB 1078.
Additionally, Dr. Joseph Komrosky, President of the TVUSD Board of Education responded with the following:
"I speak personally here and not on behalf of the entire TVUSD Board when I say, the Temecula Valley Unified School District is not done with its work on curriculum for the 2023-2024 school year. We continue to engage our parents and work diligently towards finding the right solution for our community, and every day we make progress towards that goal.
"We still have the time to continue this critical process and meet all state and federal mandates before the next school year begins. Throughout this process, we have put a high value on Board priorities such as curriculum & instruction as well as family & community. One such policy priority of the Board is that "Our families and community members will feel connected, informed, and welcome to participate as true partners in the education of our students." We take that policy seriously and intend for those words to have actual meaning. Additionally, parental feedback is critical in collaborating with our educators, and executive staff to find agreement on what standards will best achieve educational excellence. A critical component of that exercise is to determine the subject matter's age appropriateness for any curriculum and the specific grade level at hand.
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"While engaged in this process, I am confident that while reviewing any curriculum for use in this District, TVUSD will select the best material that emphasizes our mission of, "High-Quality Teaching and Learning for All", but that also avoids any teacher-to-student conversations related to sex and sexual activity at the elementary school level. These conversations are better left to the parents and their children."
The comment additionally stated the district does not approve of Newsom's alleged attempt to "usurp" local control, adding, "We sincerely hope he has a 14-day return policy with the publisher of the books he just purchased."
The Temecula Valley School Board voted on Friday to adopt the updated curriculum to which Newsom responded in a statement that reads in part, "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."
This story has been updated to include comments from TVUSD board President Dr. Joseph Komrosky and Gov. Gavin Newsom's office and to include a note that the $1.5 million fine is not associated with shipping costs, but an additional $1.6 million cost is associated with these costs instead.
Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/gavin-newsom-fines-school-district-1-5-million-rejecting-textbook-gay-rights-activist