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Schools

Budget Cuts Forcing Slower Implementation of SB 48

Adoption of new materials halted until 2015, new textbooks may not be in students' hands until 2017. Districts may still take the initiative to purchase new materials if need.

The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act, otherwise known as SB 48, took effect Jan. 1 after being signed to much fanfare and controversy last July.

It's implementation, though, may take longer due in part to the state's financial situation over the past few years. In 2009, adoption of new curriculum frameworks and materials was suspended until the 2013-2014 school year with ABX4 2 in an attempt to give districts greater flexibility to manage budgets. Last year, that timeframe was extended to 2015-2016 with SB 70.

Jeanine Robertson, assistant superintendent of education services at Charter Oak Unified, attended a seminar held by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The half-day seminar late in November 2011 aimed at providing assistance to districts to help them comply with the new law.

Officials said that until new curriculum adoptions take place, districts will be "held harmless" in not complying with the law.

"The last adoption that we did was the Elementary Reading Program and we implemented that in September of 2010," Robertson said. "At this point, we're holding tight until new curriculum is adopted."

The earliest textbooks would be brought into classrooms is possibly 2017, said Tina Jung, spokeswoman for the California Department of Education in an article from the Bay Area Reporter.

But between now and when new frameworks and materials are adopted again, districts still can purchase textbooks and materials at their own discretion as long as they are made available to all students in the district and are in line with approved standards, officials said.

"We're not planning any adoptions right now, we can't afford to. They were all done and we're up to date before everything was suspended," Robertson said.

Authored by gay state senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), the law adds language to state Education Code Section 51204.5 to include in social studies courses the contributions of many groups in California, among them "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, persons with disabilities, and members of other ethnic and cultural groups."
 
Education officials would also periodically inspect schools to ensure compliance with SB 48, although exactly when and how often could not be determined, Jung said. Possible reprimands for non-compliance and the potential costs to districts remain unknown.

Many groups, some religious, surfaced in opposition to the law. "Stop SB 48" worked last year to get a referendum on the 2012 ballot, but failed to gather the needed 500,000 signatures.

Local politicians also opposed the passage of the bill, including Senator Bob Huff (R-29th District) and Tim Donnelly (R-59th District).

“Something is wrong when 2 percent of the people can dictate that every school district in the entire state of California must now teach a positive impression, teach the positive aspects of the homosexual agenda in your schools,” Donnelly said, while Huff called the new law “inappropriate” and said it “sexualized” education.

Whatever individual districts decide to do, Jung said "the bottom line" is that "it's wrong to discriminate, and our instructional materials should not discriminate."

Officials from Glendora Unified were not available for comment at the time of publication.

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