California education leaders have created a new task force dedicated to ensuring school textbooks are “inclusive” of minority groups amid controversy over several local governing boards rejecting books they say are inappropriate for minors.
The new Task Force on Inclusive Education—consisting of State Superintendent Tony Thurmond along with several state legislators—convened June 21 for the first time.
The group called on textbook publishers to ensure their material includes racial minorities, LGBT individuals, and those with disabilities.
“We have a wonderfully diverse student body in California, and many of our textbooks haven’t kept up,” Thurmond said in a press release the same day. “This is a chance to diversify those narratives.”…