California Education Carnival

[In her latest report, Karen England of the Capitol Resource Institute offers up excerpts of what California legislators have in mind public school students.—ed.]

AB 172—Universal Preschool (Chan-D)

This legislation would require the state to offer “voluntary” universal preschool for 3-5 year olds. Parents may already place their children in preschool—this bill would require all taxpayers to pay for it. CRI is opposed to any state effort to remove children from the home at increasingly earlier ages. Although this legislation requires “voluntary” preschool, it is certainly a step towards requiring attendance.

AB 606—Superintendent of Public Indoctrination (Levine-D)

AB 606 requires the State Board of Education (instead of individual school districts) to increase sensitivity to so-called “discrimination.” These state mandates confiscate even more local control of school curriculum and policies. Policy decisions are best made at the local level, where parents and teachers are in direct contact with the needs of students. In yet another gigantic step towards total centralized control of education, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (currently Jack O’Connell) will have unlimited discretion to withhold state funds from schools that do not comply with his interpretation of the law this bill would produce. Schools should focus on reading, writing and arithmetic, not trying to silence students’ freedom of speech and religion. No public official should have the power to blackmail schools into brainwashing students.

AB 1056– Thought Police Redefine Tolerance (Chu-D)

This bill is the most blatant attack on freedom of speech and religion to date. AB 1056 integrates tolerance training into history and social science curriculum and starts pilot program that force students to learn a “new definition” of tolerance. According to this new definition, students will be forced to not only accept, but advocate homosexuality by “conveying respect” for a lifestyle that violates their religious beliefs. This is an outright assault on the freedom to not only speak out against homosexuality, but the ability to think it is immoral.

AB 2510—Bias Survey Promotes Homosexual Agenda (Lieu-D)

AB 2510 would require the Attorney General’s office, working with the State Department of Education, to survey students on bias-related discrimination and harassment incidents in public schools. 7th, 9th and 11th graders in public schools will be forced to fill out questionnaires asking whether they have experienced bullying, discrimination or harassment based on sexual orientation or gender (actual or perceived). Surveys of this nature are not only an invasion of students’ personal beliefs and experiences, they are an intrusion into the jurisdiction of parents’ authority. These surveys could also be used to search for isolated so-called “incidents” of harassment in order to bolster arguments for more pro-homosexual legislation, such as AB 606 and AB 1056.

SB 1437—Homosexual Indoctrination in Schools (Kuehl-D)

This bill prohibits textbooks, teaching materials, instruction and “school sponsored” activities from “reflecting adversely” upon others based on actual or perceived gender and sexual orientation. This means the terms “mother and father” or “husband and wife” could be removed from textbooks because they reflect adversely upon homosexuals. This is the most flagrant attack on California families thus far.

SB 1471—Sex Education in Schools (Kuehl-D)

This legislation would prohibit teaching or promoting “religious doctrine” in sex education classes. It also prohibits any teaching that “reflects or promotes bias” against people based on their sexual orientation. This legislation would apply to any school or program that receives state funding—it is not limited to public schools. Young children should not be exposed to sex “education” in schools—it is subject matter best left to the instruction and authority of parents. In addition, sex education classes could be prevented from sharing negative statistics about homosexuality if it reflects or promotes bias against sexual orientation. If schools are required to provide sex education, they should provide all the facts about risky sexual behavior. This bill would prevent accurate sex education in public schools.

Karen England is the executive director of the Capitol Resource Institute.