California lawmakers will gavel in as scheduled at the state Capitol on Monday to hear several bills following their summer recess, including a proposal to block local education officials from banning books in the classroom.

The Democratic-backed bill would bring a major change to the K-12 education system in the Golden State, preventing governing school boards from barring books that include “inclusive and diverse perspectives.”

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Assemblyman Corey Jackson introduced AB 1078 in February as a response to the school board of Temecula Valley Unified School District, composed of conservative leadership in the blue state, banning a social studies curriculum that cites LGBT activists. The school board reversed its decision in July after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) intervened.

The California Republican Assembly is spearheading opposition to the bill, arguing it is part of a larger agenda that targets “school districts that have banned critical race theory.”

“This is a slap in the face to parents who voted for a new direction in school districts across the state,” Republican Assemblyman Joe Patterson wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, when the legislation was initially introduced.

Other Republicans have voiced opposition to the proposed school board requirement, citing it as an oversight of parental rights.

“I’m extremely concerned that this bill will further divide our state,” GOP state Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh said at last month’s hearing. “We have so many parents leaving the state of California, taking their children with them, because they believe the state of California does not reflect and respect their values … and education is right at the top.”

The bill would establish guidance for school district officials on how book bans are carried out, inducing a required supermajority on the school board to vote in favor of removing a book. School boards would be permitted to appeal through their county board of education if the district fails to provide diverse materials, as well as face a fine.

Jackson said he’s pushing back against the “white Christian nationalism” movement, referring to book bans in California and across the nation.

The bill moved through the Senate Education Committee in July and will be heard by the chamber’s Appropriations Committee as lawmakers are hoping to pass several measures during the final five weeks of their session.

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If pushed through, the legislation would create a deadline of July 1, 2025, to create guidance on how to “manage conversations about race and gender, and how to review instructional materials to ensure that they represent diverse perspectives and are culturally relevant.”

Newsom and other Democrats have condemned book bans in red states and efforts in California that argue parents are no longer involved in the educational decision-making process.