SFUSD’s ethnic studies requirement has been riddled with controversy from the start. SFUSD initially pushed a self-designed curriculum that included inflammatory content such as having students role-play as Israeli soldiers pushing Palestinian into refugee camps and positively portraying the Chinese Red Guard, a group which tortured dissidents during the Cultural Revolution.
SFUSD is now piloting an ethnic studies program that requires students to complete a two-semester course in 9th grade in order to graduate high school. While this is an improvement, the pilot program still has significant flaws.
Requiring a two-semester ethnic studies course in 9th grade means many students take the class before completing U.S. or World History, leaving them without essential historical context. Placing the requirement in freshman year also crowds out time for other foundational coursework.
In addition, a two-semester requirement goes beyond California’s one-semester mandate. Because this approach is uncommon statewide, there are few approved textbooks available, limiting SFUSD’s curriculum options and potentially excluding stronger instructional materials than those currently used in the pilot program. As SFUSD considers cutting one period out of every child’s school day, the amount of instructional time becomes more and more precious and a two-semester requirement crowds out other necessary courses.
That is why we urge SFUSD to course-correct during this pilot period by adopting the following changes:
- Officially move ethnic studies from the 9th grade to 12th grade.
- Reduce the requirement from two-semesters to one.
Send a letter to SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su and the Board of Education by signing the petition below.