Two Hindu groups file suits over controversial changes the California State Board of Education made to sixth grade textbooks
Two Hindu groups have filed suits against the California State Board of Education (CBOE) over controversial changes the board made to sixth grade textbooks. The Hindu American Foundation's (HAF) suit filed in state court charges that the changes CBOE approved violate state law by portraying Hinduism in a way that is “demeaning, stereotypical and more critical than the presentation of any other religious tradition.” The other suit, filed by California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials (CPEEM) in federal district court, alleges CBOE violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments by penalizing Hindu groups for their political affiliations and adopting textbook changes that promote Judaism and Christianity over Hinduism. HAF is asking the state court to throw out CBOE’s changes and require the board to rely on changes made by one of the two previous CBOE advisory committees, which approved a set of changes that HAF and CPEEM had requested. However, HAF’s motion for a temporary restraining order to prohibit printing of the textbooks while the case proceeds was denied. HAF’s suit also claims that CBOE’s textbook approval process violates California’s open meetings law.
Sacramento Bee
By Deepa Ranganathan
[Full story]
San Francisco Chronicle
By Charles Burress
[Full story]
[Editor’s Note: For background see below.]
[NSBA School Law pages on textbook controversy]