Newsom blocks effort to criminalize behavior at school board meetings: 'Creating a new crime is unnecessary'

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday blocked an effort to criminalize misconduct at school board meetings, citing the move was "unnecessary."

Senate Bill 596 sought to make a misdemeanor of misconduct that affects school employees.

The Portantino School Employee Protection Bill applies anywhere within the purview of a school employee’s place of work — any "disruptions" of classroom work or extracurricular activities and other facilities, including any meeting of a school board, a charter school, a county board of education or the State Board of Education. 

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Such behavior "is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $500, nor more than $1,000, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both imprisonment and the fine."

"No one should be threatened or harassed for providing academic instruction in accordance with California state law," State Sen. Portantino stated in May when the bill passed the California Senate floor.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom blocked an effort to criminalize misconduct at school board meetings that affects school employees, citing the move was "unnecessary." (California Governor Gavin Newsom YouTube channel)

Newsom vetoed the measure once it passed both chambers, sending the bill back without a signature.

The California governor added that there is a "need to be cautious" about exacerbating heightened political tensions by passing laws that could be construed as restricting parents’ voices.

"This bill would make it a misdemeanor to cause substantial disorder at any meeting of the governing board of a school district, the governing body of a charter school, a county board of education or the State Board of Education," Newsom said.

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"This bill also specifies that a person who subjects a school employee to threats or harassment while the employee is away from a school site or after school hours for reasons related to the employee’s course of duties would be guilty of a misdemeanor," he continued. "Credible threats of violence and acts of harassment — whether directed against school officials, elected officials, or members of the general public — can already be prosecuted as crimes. As such, creating a new crime is unnecessary."

An aerial view of the California State Capitol in Sacramento. (Justin Sullivan/Justin Sullivan)

The measure passed the State Assembly by a 65-8 vote and passed the State Senate by a 30-8 vote.

Portantino did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lance Christensen, the Vice President of Education Policy and Government Relations at the California Policy Center, told Fox News Digital that the measure was "blatantly unconstitutional" and that "the governor was right to veto SB 596" 

"But he undermined any credibility by signing other bills, like AB 1078 (Jackson, D, Riverside) intended to silence parents," Christensen added.

"While this proposal was specifically intended to chill the speech of parents concerned about their children's curriculum, safety, and discipline in public schools, it was one of several anti-parent bills considered by the legislature this past year."

The bill came after parents across the country have protested controversial curriculum like critical race theory as well as certain books being in public libraries. This has reignited the debate on how much control parents have over their children's education. 

Education policy became a top concern among voters. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, school board meetings have often become contentious battles between parents and school board officials, reigniting the debate on how much control parents have over their children's education.

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