News/Commentary

Newsom hits school district with steep fine for rejecting controversial textbook

July 21, 2023 | | Print Article

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) is taking his penchant for bullying to new highs, slapping a school board with a $1.5 million fine because conservatives don’t want controversial woke textbooks teaching their children about sex and homosexuality.

(Video Credit: KCAL News)

Newsom fined the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) an exorbitant amount, taking the next step in an escalating culture war against conservatives in the state of California. The school board members rejected state-endorsed textbooks that mention gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

Newsom had previously warned the school board members that if they didn’t toe the line he would hit them with the $1.5 million fine. Plus $1.6 million to cover the cost to ship the materials to the district

“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 declared on 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,” he dictatorially raged.

(Video Credit: KTLA 5)

Newsom put out a video on July 13 that vowed the state would step in to make sure students in the district were forced to receive the same woke materials other California schools use. In the video, he openly threatened the board members and called them “extremist[s]” for refusing to cave to his demands.

“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 warned.

If Newsom thought the board members would give in after he threatened to fine them, he was sorely disappointed. They stood their ground, voting down the textbook content in a 3-2 majority rejection on Tuesday.

Newsom carried through on his threat and announced the fine on Wednesday via a statement from his office. He blasted the board for ostensibly subjecting students to outdated materials. He was referring to a textbook published in 2006, previously asserting that the board members were “censoring” the book.

Dr. Joseph Komrosky, the president of the TVUSD Board of Education, previously sent a statement to Fox News Digital that clapped back at Newsom’s claims. He asserted that the board had not banned the book but had, instead, chosen to not 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 noted before stating that he did not speak on behalf of the entire board.

Komrosky has previously referred to gay activist Harvey Milk as a “pedophile.”

That set Newsom off who tweeted his threat that he was coming for the school board, “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.”

“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 responded.

“We do not appreciate Governor Newsom’s effort to usurp local control and all that will apparently result from these tactics is a waste of the taxpayers’ money,” he said in an emailed statement, according to NBC News.

Newsom also plans 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,” according to his statement.

Fox News reported, “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,” the media outlet continued.

Dozens of the school board meeting attendees delivered impassioned speeches against teaching anything that refers to sex or homosexuality to elementary school-age students. Three of the five school board members listened to those parents and are now defying Newsom.

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