In history class, you probably learned about Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, but you probably didn’t learn about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California.
But that’s all about to change — at least in California.
The State Board of Education has approved curriculum changes to include milestones in the LGBT rights movement and contributions by gay Americans.
Legislation passed five years ago required schools to add LGBT Americans to the list of social and ethnic groups included in K-8 curriculum and textbooks.
“California’s law took effect in January 2012, but its implementation was slowed by attempts to overturn it, competing educational priorities and budget cuts that stalled work on drafting recommendations for the school board and textbook purchases,” ABC News reported.
The changes will impact elementary, middle school, and high school history and social science instruction.
Starting in second grade, students will learn that some families have two moms or two dads. In fourth grade, they will learn about the nation’s first gay rights organizations established in the 1950s, and California’s role in the movement. In middle school, students will learn about gender roles in the 18th and 19th century and instances when they were broken. The education will continue throughout high school, up to the 2015 Supreme Court marriage decision and the current court cases involving transgender student rights and bathroom access.
Opponents who attempted to repeal the law argued that parents should decide when and how their children are exposed to the subject of sexual orientation; others argued the new requirements will take away from learning about other important historical figures and events.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson told the L.A. Times the new curriculum will improve the teaching and learning of history and social science.
“It will give our students access to the latest historical research and help them learn about the diversity of our state and the contributions of people and groups who may not have received the appropriate recognition in the past.”
