New legislation would ban textbook bans

A bill introduced last month would require that textbooks used in California schools represent people from all races, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations.

The author of Assembly Bill 1078, Corey Jackson, D-Riverside, told the Sacramento Bee that the current curriculum used in schools often erases Black, Latino, Asian and LGBTQ+ voices.

“When students are exposed to a narrow range of experiences, they may struggle to relate to the material, which causes them to disengage from learning, or even develop biases that limit them from engaging with people from different backgrounds,” Jackson told The Bee.

The bill will prohibit school districts from banning curriculum, textbooks and other instructional materials without state approval.