Northern California school district adopts diversity program

The board of the Novato, Calif., school district on Wednesday approved five diversity curriculum pilot materials for use in district schools in the upcoming academic year, including That's a Family, a documentary on diverse families that includes gay- and lesbian-parented families.

"The issue of pursuing a diversity program in the public schools has to do with bringing in broader groups," said school board president Ross Millerick, who argued that diversity education makes schools safer for all students.

More than half of some 60 people who spoke at the meeting criticized That's a Family, many insisting that parents, not schools, should discuss matters as personal as sexual orientation with their children. "Parents are the appropriate teachers of values," said parent Julie Devoris. "This controversy is turning our schools into a three-ring circus."