The School Board Project, developed by AAUW CA Public Policy team, is designed to ensure school boards throughout California include members who are committed to the maintenance of high standards of education for all students – including access to diverse and historically accurate information.
The Role of California School Boards
By Seena Trigas, Member AAUW California Public Policy Committee School Board Project For more information about AAUW California Public Policy Initiatives, please visit https://www.aauw-ca.org/public-policy/
AAUW California is concerned about the censorship of classroom material, the heightened enforcement of board policies rejecting diversity, and providing discriminatory policies against gay and minority students. This concern now leads me, as a former school board member, high school teacher/department chair and adjunct college professor, to reflect on the role of school boards in California and their limitations.
The State Board of Education (SBE) is the controlling structure for K-12 and is the governing and policy-making body of the state for public education. Among its duties is the adoption of statewide academic standards for content and curriculum frameworks. These inform and guide the local school boards in the development and implementation of specific curricula for K-12 students and serve as the basis for the adoption of instructional materials. School board members represent districts within the school district boundaries. As the only locally elected officials representing the interests of school children, board members are advocates for students, the district’s educational programs and public education. The California Education Code requires that governing boards of school districts adopt instructional materials in accordance with the state framework adopted by the State Board of Education and district boards shall provide substantial teacher involvement in the selection of instructional materials.
In 2016, the New State Framework in History and Social Sciences was issued and supported the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful (FAIR) Act. Part of the requirements indicate that all K-12 students shall receive instruction that “strongly emphasizes student inquiry” and “reflects on the contributions of many diverse groups. In 2019 the California School Boards Association (CSBA) Governance Brief stated that “Effective school boards are equity-driven, making intentional governance decisions that combat institutional discrimination and bias (both explicit and implicit) and eliminate disparities in educational outcomes based on socioeconomic status, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or family background.”
In 2023 AB1078 was passed, which requires the California State Department of Education to assess if school boards are in compliance with state laws requiring public schools to provide diverse and comprehensive education. It requires local school districts with insufficient instructional materials to correct this and authorizes the department to purchase (at district expense) adequate curricula if the district restricts students from learning about important topics like racism, sexism, and gender-based marginalization.
AAUW branch members play a critical role in ensuring all California school boards are governed by board members who will follow AB 1078, and who oppose policies that infringe on the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students. All our members are encouraged to become vigilant observers of their local districts, and to contact your assigned liaison if members are not meeting their obligations under the guidelines outlined above.
You can find the reporting form HERE:
and the contact info for your liaison HERE:
Upcoming webinar of interest on the subject:
School Boards: The Battleground for the Education Culture Wars
Feb. 7, 2024 4:00 PM, Pacific Time
Please join us Wednesday, February 7 at 4:00 PM, Pacific Time for an AAUW National Public Policy Committee webinar to learn how one AAUW state board is fighting back and what you can do locally.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y2RuiP5PSNuey04jKNymAA
Across the country, we have seen school boards, and candidates for school boards, taking up controversial policies that have led to banning books from school libraries; the censorship of curriculum in school classrooms due to individuals finding content “objectionable”; and policies leading to the prevention of safe school climates for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
If you have questions about either webinar, please reach out to Robin J. Lucas, Grassroots Advocacy Manager (bppc@aauw.net) or Meghan Kissell (kissellm@aauw.org), Senior Director of Policy & Member Advocacy.