Parents expressed concern after the California Department of Education discussed the passage of the Ethnic Studies Curriculum into schools on March 18. Pictured are students on the University of Washington campus.
On March 23, the Los Alamitos school district in Orange County (los alamitos school district) held its regular meeting. Although the district has not yet started discussing the Ethnic Studies Curriculum, residents of the district expressed concerns about this Ethnic Studies Curriculum being taught in schools, and some parents clearly The district has not begun discussing the Ethnic Studies Curriculum. The residents asked the school board a month ago to schedule Time to hear the public’s views during their meetings.
On March 18, after eight hours of public discussion, California Department of Education board members voted 11-10 to approve the Ethnic Studies Curriculum. The curriculum will be considered in each school district and there is typically a 30-day period after the proposal to hear comments, so parents can follow their local district meetings and voice their opinions.
A Critical Ethnic Studies Curriculum
Resident Arlene said, “Even under state guidelines, school districts still have some freedom and leeway in teaching and learning, and the board should be transparent about this. This is a very important topic for all children and parents.” Arlene questioned the failure to include Martin Luther King Jr.’s peace movement in the materials, but featured activists who promote violence.
Harriette, a resident, spoke at the meeting and said, “If you think this is an exploration of minority contributions and cultural differences, I urge you to do some homework; you should know that this course has its roots in critical race theory (CRT). The authors of the textbook are very radical, portraying America as built on a foundation of Eurocentric white supremacists, anti-Blackness, sexism, and oppositional classes who want to raise our children to be ‘social justice’ warriors.”
“When I read the sample textbook, I was very curious to know why the authors told us to hate ourselves and each other, and then called it social justice. People should look into who is behind this change and those at the Ethnic Studies Board who are paying huge amounts of money to support it. It reminds me of the charlatans who use blacks as bait and encourage blacks to be victims instead of honest citizens by claiming that it is racism that keeps blacks from succeeding, which discourages blacks from trying and refusing to take personal responsibility. My mother joined the civil rights movement years ago, but she has since seen another voice that encourages blacks to move from striving to rise above themselves to blaming others and society, which is very detrimental to the black community as a whole.”
A Constructive ‘Ethnic Studies Curriculum’
Resident Laura Tanner argues that the Ethnic Studies Curriculum promoted by the California Department of Education uses a narrow political ideology that divides students into oppressors or oppressed using categories such as race, ethnicity and gender, and that it will lead to antagonism, bullying and the confinement of ideas.
Tanner recommends that school districts develop “constructive ethnicity curricula” that “tell the stories of people’s struggles and successes throughout American history, help students focus on their civic responsibilities, increase mutual understanding between ethnic groups, and encourage them to offer their own opinions.
“In 1893, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, of African descent, performed the first recorded successful pericardial surgery, was the first person ever to perform direct heart surgery and established the first black hospital; Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Indian to earn a medical degree, was an active social reformer and physician in the 19th century; William and Ellen Craft, who escaped slavery to freedom and later returned to Georgia to establish a school, knew that education could help lift people out of poverty. We can find many such examples of the struggles of these Americans that can build bridges and encourage people to achieve their Dreams through hard work.”
Social justice lessons
At the district meeting, teachers from the project team also presented plans for a social justice class (Social Justice) that will be taught over the next five years; a link to the syllabus was placed on the district’s webpage and parents were given 30 days to give feedback; if finally approved, teachers will be trained over the summer and the class will be taught in elementary through high schools beginning in the fall. The social justice class will teach the standards of social justice, divided into four areas: identity, diversity, justice and action.
The social justice class differs from the ethnic studies curriculum, which is a complete component. Resident David believes that adding modifiers before certain nouns will mean different things. Social justice has nothing to do with fairness, but rather in demanding equal outcomes, redistributing resources to certain groups supported by parties, and suppressing dissenting voices with political correctness.
I want to talk about ethnic studies and social justice curriculum, and I object to teaching children to see themselves as oppressors or oppressed, which is dangerous to their emotional and mental health development,” said Maggie, a resident. Defining white parents and children as oppressors and people of color as victims will make both sides losers and will not help children of color succeed.”
In light of the continued introduction of radical sex education, critical ethnic studies courses, social justice classes, etc. in California public schools, Harriet recommends that parents focus on the School Choice 2022 movement (School Choice 2022) by creating a funding account for each child, allowing the funds to follow your child’s choice into that school, and that the money can also be used for college and vocational school until children reach age 35 or until they run out.
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