Tell SFUSD: Get Ethnic Studies Right!

Tell SFUSD: Get Ethnic Studies Right!

URGENT REQUEST FROM SFUSD PARENTS

BOE VOTING ON THIS TUESDAY JULY 29 - Speak Up now!!

WHAT'S HAPPENING
Before they were recalled, the old school board mandated that high school students take two semesters of an “ethnic studies” course beginning in 2024. The resulting course was controversial and parents pointed out that the homegrown curriculum, which was never vetted or approved by our Board of Education, contained questionable content.

Responding to mounting parent and community concerns, this month the district hastily scrapped the old course. But instead of pausing to get it right, the district is pivoting to an unvetted, unapproved, brand-new “pilot” curriculum. All incoming high school freshmen will be automatically enrolled in this experimental class. The course will continue to be required even though the state doesn’t require it, and even though parents, teachers, and the Board of Education have never reviewed the new materials.

The problems with this approach include:

Limiting student choice by replacing a full year of elective options.
Reducing access to core classes like advanced math, science, world languages and academic supports.
Mandating an experimental curriculum not approved by the Board of Education.
Failing to offer real alternatives - the district says kids can opt out this year, but it’s meaningless if kids still need to take the class to graduate.

What you can do NOW - email school leaders to stop requiring this “pilot,” and to limit any future required ethnic studies course to a single semester.

Name

First NameLast Name

Email

example@example.com

What District do you live in?

Subject Line of Email to City Hall:

Message to Superintendent Su and BOE

Dear President Kim, Commissioners, and Superintendent Su,&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;San Francisco students deserve a district that prioritizes their needs, not political expedience. That means spending valuable class time on subjects that we know will help prepare them for the real world.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;The district’s plan to impose a brand new year-long ethnic studies curriculum, which parents, teachers, and the Board of Education have never been given a chance to review, is disrespectful of students and their families. The new curriculum may be an improvement over the old one, but the BOE should review it and hear from the community before making it a graduation requirement.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;For those reasons the district must:&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;-- Lift the ethnic studies graduation mandate. No student should be required to take an experimental, unvetted pilot course to graduate.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;-- Properly vet the curriculum. If the district offers ethnic studies, it should use a politically unbiased, non-ideological curriculum, which has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Education with input from families.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;-- Restore academic flexibility. If SFUSD insists on a requirement, provide a meaningful opt-out and allow the requirement to be fulfilled by taking a range of rigorous, standards-aligned courses.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;--Require no more than one semester. If the board approves an ethnic studies requirement, it should be limited to one semester.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;Sincerely,

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