(By Susan Jones, Oct. 15, 2007, CNSNews.com) – A conservative group says private schools and home schooling will be the only sanctuary for California parents when two “school sexual indoctrination” laws take effect on Jan. 1.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger — without comment — signed four bills backed by the homosexual community over the weekend, two of them dealing with public schools. (Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed similar bills last year when he was running for re-election, conservative groups noted.)
“Arnold Schwarzenegger has delivered young children into the hands of those who will introduce them to alternative sexual lifestyles,” said Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), which helped lead the statewide charge against these bills.
“This means children as young as five years old will be mentally molested in school classrooms. Shame on Schwarzenegger and the Democrat politicians for ensuring that every California school becomes a homosexual-bisexual-transsexual indoctrination center.”
The California Student Civil Rights Act (SB 777) legally protects California public school students from harassment as a result of skin color, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
But according to the Campaign for California Families, for a school district to prove that there is no “discriminatory bias” in their textbooks, classroom instruction, and school activities, the district would have to positively portray various sexual lifestyles in all school instruction and activities.
Otherwise, under SB 777, schools will be subject to intimidation and lawsuits by the California Department of Education, CCF said in an analysis of the bill.
Furthermore, SB 777 would require curriculum and activities in every public school, public college, and public university to portray transsexual and bisexual “parents” as the norm, CCF said.
Free speech concerns
While SB 777 would indoctrinate via school textbooks and activities, AB 394 requires schools to publicize antidiscrimination and harassment policies in all schools and offices.
In other words, it will indoctrinate children and parents through publications, postings on walls, curricula on school Web sites, and in handouts to take home, CCF said.
CCF said that sexual lifestyles such as transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality would be positively portrayed to students as young as kindergarten.
“Also disturbing is how AB 394 fails to define ‘harassment,'” CCF said in a bill analysis. “Could a parent who says marriage is only for a man and a woman in the presence of a lesbian teacher be found guilty of ‘harassment?’ Could a student saying that babies are either boys or girls be labeled ‘harassment’ by a transgender teacher?
“Poor drafting means this bill would likely infringe upon free speech in unintended ways,” CCF said.
CCF says existing laws in the Education and Penal codes already prevent discrimination and harassment in the schools, making the two signed by Schwarzenegger unnecessary.
“Fathers and mothers who love their children must sacrifice to protect them from public schools, which — as required by law — will sexually indoctrinate them beginning in kindergarten,” said CCF Randy Thomasson in a message criticizing the governor’s bill-signing.
Schwarzenegger also signed a bill allowing domestic partners and married couples equal opportunity to change their surnames upon marriage or domestic partnership registration.
Conservatives complained that the AB 102 publicly creates the appearance of “same-sex marriage” by encouraging same-sex couples to publicly present themselves as “Mr. and Mr. Jones” or “Mrs. and Mrs. Smith.” It dishonors the distinction of marriage between a man and a woman, CCF said.
A fourth bill signed by Schwarzenegger, AB 14, prohibits discrimination in state-funded programs and activities. According to CCF, that could adversely affect churches that operate state-funded social service programs.
“It’s the height of intolerance to punish individuals, organizations, businesses, and churches that have moral standards on sexual conduct and sexual lifestyles,” said Thomasson, in response to the signing of AB 14. “This is another insensitive law that violates people’s moral boundaries.”
“Arnold Schwarzenegger demonstrates the negative consequences of electing a liberal Republican to office,” Thomasson concluded. “Schwarzenegger fooled many California conservatives into voting for him. Yet now he’s flip-flopped and stabbed them in the back.”
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NOTE: The California state laws referred to in this article that deal with public schools are:
SB 777 - State Bill #777 - it was first introduced in the State Senate, but passed by both the Senate and the Assembly
AB 394 - Assembly Bill #394 - it was first introduced in State Assembly, but passed by both the Assembly and the Senate
1. Why do you think that when Gov. Schwarzenegger was running for re-election last year he vetoed bills similar to the ones he just signed over the weekend?
2. Under SB 777, how will a school district prove that there is no discriminatory bias in their textbooks, classroom instruction, and school activities?
3. What additional requirements are made in the new California law SB 777, according to Campaign for Children and Families (CCF)?
4. What provisions are included in AB 394, according to CCF?
5. a) After doing an analysis of AB 394, what concerns did CCF say they have with this new law?
b) Ask a parent: if you were a parent of a California public school student, would you share CCF's concerns with the bill? Ask your parent to explain his/her answer.
6. Why does CCF say the new laws SB 777 and AB 394 are unnecessary?
7. What problems does CCF foresee with the fourth bill Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law, AB 14?
8. a) in response to the signing of AB 14, CCF president Randy Thomasson said "It's the height of intolerance to punish individuals, organizations, businesses, and churches that have moral standards on sexual conduct and sexual lifestyles. This is another insensitive law that violates people's moral boundaries." Do you agree with Mr. Thomasson's assertion? Explain your answer.
b) Mr. Thomasson said of the governor: "Arnold Schwarzenegger demonstrates the negative consequences of electing a liberal Republican to office. Schwarzenegger fooled many California conservatives into voting for him. Yet now he's flip-flopped and stabbed them in the back." What do you think of Mr. Thomasson's remarks? Explain your answer.