A showdown is coming over parental rights in California. Instead of heeding parent concerns, school administrators and teachers unions are stepping up their campaign to sideline parents.<\/p>\n
Nowhere is that more apparent than\u00a0AB 1078<\/a>, a bill introduced by newly-elected Assemblyman Corey Jackson (D-Riverside) that would strip local school boards of their authority over the curriculum taught in their school district.<\/p>\n AB 1078 would require school boards to receive\u00a0approval from the state board of education<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0before removing any instructional materials or books from classrooms and school libraries or “ceasing to teach any curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\n The bill is an attack on parents and school boards pushing back against the teacher unions\u2019 drive to teach Critical Race Theory and inappropriate sexualized curricula in K-12 schools. Jackson introduced the bill as part of his \u201canti-racism bill package.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a slap in the face to parents who voted for a new direction in school districts across the state,\u201d tweeted Assemblyman Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) about the bill.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also the middle finger to our state education system that has always been based on local control so parents, not state bureaucrats, have the final say when it comes to their children\u2019s education.<\/p>\n Would it surprise you if we told you that one of\u00a0Jackson\u2019s top five largest campaign contributors is the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) PAC<\/a>?<\/p>\n Or that\u00a0ACSA’s PAC paid\u00a0<\/a>$35,000 to the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender) Caucus Leadership Fund, which also happens to be one of Jackson\u2019s top five largest campaign contributors?<\/p>\n Jackson is also backed by Equality California PAC, one of the most powerful LGBTQ lobby groups in the state. The organization\u2019s largest contributor last year was the aforementioned LGBT Caucus Leadership Fund, which\u00a0gave<\/a>\u00a0$305,000 to Equality California PAC.<\/p>\n You see how political donations work\u00a0in Sacramento? I scratch your back, you scratch mine \u2026 which brings us back to AB 1078.<\/p>\n Instead of local school boards having the final say over what is\u00a0taught in their districts \u2014\u00a0where they can be accountable to the people most closely affected by these decisions \u2014 Jackson\u2019s bill will give all the power to the California Board of Education, where no doubt a committee of union-backed radicals will rubber-stamp text books and lesson plans written by union-favored authors that teach every topic through the lens of race and sexual orientation \u2014 and now gender identity.<\/p>\n Jackson\u2019s bill expands on current law that requires curricula \u201cportray the cultural and racial diversity of our society\u201d including\u00a0\u201ccontributions of both men and women” \u2014 and\u00a0already specifically lists “LGBT\u00a0Americans” \u2014 by\u00a0replacing\u00a0“men and women” with\u00a0\u201cpeople of all gender expressions.\u201d<\/p>\n If AB 1078 becomes law, insulated and unaccountable Sacramento bureaucrats will report to union lobbyists, not parents; and when parents do speak out, local school boards will claim their hands are tied because the authority over curriculum now\u00a0lies with the state.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is all part of the unions\u2019 phony \u2018book banning\u2019 campaign,\u201d said Lance Christensen, Vice President of Education Policy and Government Affairs at California Policy Center.<\/p>\n \u201cParents have been successfully exposing the inappropriate content being pushed in our schools to indoctrinate kids,\u201d Christensen explained. \u201cThe Left is\u00a0trying to deflect attention away from their propaganda by painting parents as fascist book burners.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not going to stop until every concerned citizen says enough is enough,\u201d Christensen said.<\/p>\n The good news? This week, California Congressman and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) held a press conference with House Republicans announcing the introduction of the\u00a0\u201cParents Bill of Rights Act,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0which outlines basic rights of parents when it comes to their children\u2019s education; number one is \u201cThe right to know what\u2019s being taught in schools and see reading materials.\u201d<\/p>\n There is a reason why local school boards, not the state, should stay in charge of school curriculum.<\/p>\n TAKE ACTION: Californians who do not live in Assemblyman\u00a0Jackson\u2019s district should\u00a0connect with their respective legislators in the Senate and the Assembly<\/a>\u00a0and remind them why parent voices matter in our schools. Those who want to go one step further, and respectfully express their views, may contact Asm. Jackson’s\u00a0legislative director\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0because Jackson does not receive communication from non-constituents via\u00a0his office website.<\/p>\n