California doubles down on inclusive education as red states ban books in classrooms

As books tackling racial and LGBTQ+ themes have been banned across the country, California's Department of Education and Democratic lawmakers are doubling down on offering diverse and inclusive lessons in schools.

Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and legislators, meeting for the first time Wednesday as part of a new task force, called on textbook publishers to commit to producing materials that are "free from discrimination and inclusive of the diverse narratives that reflect the student body of California."

Members of the task force, all of whom are Democrats, said that includes instruction about the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities, as well as Black, Native American, Latino and Asian American and Pacific Islander histories.