The answer, it turns out, is slightly more complicated than can be captured in the 30-second television advertisements put out by both sides.
There is nothing in the state education code that requires schools to teach anything about marriage. Even the decision about whether to offer comprehensive sex education is left up to individual school districts.
What state law does require is that districts that offer sex education "teach respect for marriage and committed relationships."
Districts have taken different approaches.
The Los Angeles Unified School District offers ninth-graders a "Life Skills" class that deals with a variety of issues, including personal identity and relationships. A district spokeswoman said marriage is not a specific part of that curriculum but could come up as part of classroom discussion.
In Fresno, meanwhile, district policy is that teachers do not address the subject of gay marriage in the classroom; students who ask about it are told to raise the issue with their families, according to district officials.
Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for Jack O'Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction, said she was unaware of any district that had changed its curriculum as a result of the California Supreme Court's May ruling allowing same-sex marriage.
Still, recognizing how politically potent the issue is, the Yes on 8 campaign has made it the center of its television advertising campaign.
"Mom, guess what I learned in school today?" a little girl says in one spot. "I learned how a prince married a prince."
As the girl's mother makes a horrified face, a voice says: "Think it can't happen? It's already happened. . . . Teaching about gay marriage will happen unless we pass Proposition 8."
In response, the No on 8 side put out an ad called "Proponents of Proposition 8 Are Using Lies to Scare You."
As television screens flicker Big Brother-like in the background, a voice says: "Prop. 8 will not affect teaching in schools."
To counter that, the Yes on 8 side issued a blast e-mail last week titled, "Who Is Really Lying," which accused the No on 8 side of wanting gay marriage to be taught "at the youngest possible age."
In San Francisco, Newsom said he didn't know the schoolchildren would be attending their teacher's wedding, and a spokesman for the mayor said he does not endorse the idea of children leaving school to go to weddings -- no matter who is getting married.
"First-graders should be in class during the day," said Nathan Ballard, communications director for Newsom.
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jessica.garrison@latimes.com
