California Governor Warns Against Book Bans in Schools

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and state Superintendent Tony Thurmond have warned K-12 leaders against restricting what students read and learn about marginalized groups, cautioning that a litany of state laws and constitutional precedent could stand in their way should they shelve books or cut curriculum based on their inclusion of themes related to race and sexual orientation. The admonition builds on recent actions from California Democrats who have recently acted to shield California’s public schools from a slew of restrictions pushed by Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on what students learn about race and gender.