[JURIST] California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger [official website] on Wednesday vetoed the Free Curriculum Act [text, PDF], a bill designed to add protections against discrimination in schools by prohibiting teaching or textbooks that "reflect adversely" on students based on their sexual orientation. The bill passed both the state Senate and Assembly [roll calls] last month. Schwarzenegger argued that existing law already "provides clear protection" against discrimination in schools because it bans discrimination of students based on sex, ethnicity, religion, disability and sexual orientation.

Bill sponsor California Sen. Sheila Kuehl [official website], a Democrat who was the first lesbian elected to the California legislature, countered [press release] that existing laws protect against discrimination in school activities and programs, but fail to protect against discrimination contained in "textbooks and instructional materials." AP has more. The San Francisco Chronicle has local coverage.