The State Legislature on Monday gave final approval to a bill requiring that ethnic studies be made a requirement for graduation from California high school. Members of the Legislative Jewish Caucus sent out a news release seeking to allay fears expressed in the Jewish community that the content of those courses might include anti-Israel or anti-Semitic material.
In a joint statement, Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) and Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) respectively chair and vice chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus wrote:
“Today, the Legislature passed AB 331, a priority bill for the Latino, Black, and Asian Pacific Islander legislative caucuses. It is our sincere hope that this course will provide an opportunity for young Californians to deepen their understanding of our society’s complex history when it comes to issues of race and diversity. We are pleased that AB 331 now includes firm guardrails that will prohibit the teaching of any curriculum that promotes bias, bigotry, or discrimination, including against Jews or Israelis. These guardrails were developed in direct response to concerns about offensive anti-Jewish and anti-Israel content that was included in the initial draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, and send a clear and unequivocal message to every school district in California that bigotry and discrimination have no place in our classrooms. We look forward to continuing to work with our legislative colleagues, Governor Newsom, and community partners to ensure that we have a strong curriculum that is free from inappropriate bias, and that will provide all students in our diverse state with the important benefits of ethnic studies.”
The bill that was sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom for signature or veto now includes these provisions:
(iv) Instruction and materials for a course [in Ethnic Studies] shall meet all of the following requirements:
(I) Be appropriate for use with pupils of all races, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, pupils with disabilities, and English learners.
(II) Not reflect or promote, directly or indirectly, any bias, bigotry, or discrimination against any person or group of persons on the basis of any category protected by Section 220.
(III) Not teach or promote religious doctrine.
Republished from San Diego Jewish News