News Update

Conservative Temecula school board rejects social studies curriculum over Harvey Milk inclusion

The majority conservative Temecula Valley School board voted to leave 11,397 students without a textbook next year because the supplemental material to the textbook included gay rights activist Harvey Milk, KABC Los Angeles reported.

The curriculum was meant to replace outdated textbooks, and had already been vetted by 47 Temecula Valley teachers who taught the material in 18 elementary schools as part of a pilot program throughout the year, according to KABC. It was also approved by the California Department of Education.

The decision left many in the community stunned. Board Member Allison Barclay, who voted to approve the curriculum, said that none of the families of the 1,300 students who learned from the curriculum during the pilot program voiced any complaints. All 18 schools that were part of the pilot sent surveys to parents to solicit input, but less than a dozen cared to answer it.

The new curriculum would have allowed the district to replace books that are no longer in print. The two school board members who voted in favor of the curriculum warned that failing to approve it puts the district in violation of the Williams Act, which requires students to have equal access to school materials, according to KABC.