Harvey Milk's day and California's curriculum

The Harvey Milk Day was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger last Sunday. Last year he vetoed the bill honoring Harvey Milk. Since, President Obama awarded Milk the Presidential Medal of Honor and the film of Milk’s life was Academy award winning According to Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger’s spokesperson, President Obama award of the Medal of Honor to Milk and Academy award for his film influenced Schwarzenegger’s decision. This bill will affect the curriculum taught in the public schools of California.

Governor Schwarzenegger proclaimed that each May 22 as Harvey Milk Day. This will not be a state holiday. Yet it does encourage public schools to create lessons to inform students of the life of Harvey Milk. Equality California will develop curriculum for schools and teachers. (Equality California is the largest gay rights organization.) The Campaign for Children and Families opposed the bill and they encourage parents to take their children out of anti-family public schools.

The bill is SB 572, states that all future governors must proclaim May 22nd as Harvey Milk day, “and would designate that day as having special significance in public schools and educational institutions and would encourage those entities to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on that date.” Unfortunately, the bill does not include an opt-out for parents that do not want their children to focus on Harvey Milk all day. The bill does include all grade levels.

Whether you want your children to participate or not as a parent you should always have the right to opt-out. We will continue to monitor the curriculum being taught to our children. It is important to watch the changes that in the curriculum being taught to our students.