Following a five-hour meeting, the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education voted to approve the ethnic studies curriculum as a graduation requirement for the class of 2029.
The decision was made in a 3-2 vote, with board members Rowena Chiu and Alison Kamhi voting against the mandate. The class of 2029 will take the one-semester ethnic studies course during their freshman year, paired with a modified version of ninth-grade world history.
Students, staff and community members lined up outside of the board room’s doors for over 45 minutes before the start of the meeting, holding posters displaying the words “Ethnic Studies Now” and “Trust & Transparency.” Due to attendance constraints, some attendees were not allowed into the boardroom. The meeting ended around 10 p.m., with tensions running high and occasional interruptions from the audience.
Notably, new board members Chiu, Kamhi and Josh Salcman said during their campaigns that they support delaying the implementation of ethnic studies. While supporting the concept of ethnic studies, all three emphasized the need for more community feedback and curriculum transparency.
“The fact that two people can’t currently be sure they’re discussing the same conception of ethnic studies is a problem that needs to be addressed before we add a new graduation requirement,” Salcman said. “We need to develop clarity.”
In a surprising turn of events, Salcman voted in favor after board Vice President Shounak Dharap assured that the board would track ethnic studies student outcomes at a study session on March 25. Salcman’s vote was met with fervent cheers from the crowd.
Ethnic Studies in Palo Alto
The board originally delayed the decision regarding ethnic studies in a September 2023 board meeting. Board President Shana Shegal emphasized that PAUSD could lead by implementing ethnic studies at tonight’s meeting — not because of Governor Gavin Newsom’s mandate, but to address disparities in race, ethnicity, disability and socioeconomic status.
“That is our promise that we as a district have created,” Segal said. “We must uphold that promise.”
PAUSD Superintendent Don Austin initially called for the pausing of the Ethnic Studies graduation requirement in a community message on Jan. 16. Austin cited a lack of funding and clarity on course content from the State Legislature, which has not formally mandated the requirement. A special meeting was called on Jan. 23, however, to reconsider adopting the requirement regardless of state funding.
A one-semester ethnic studies pilot course was implemented at Gunn and Paly last fall that followed a California model curriculum. Each class included 20 ninth-grade students selected by lottery due to high interest, according to Palo Alto High History & Social Science Instructional Lead Mary Sano. Two teachers were in the classroom at all times.
The implementation of an ethnic studies course in PAUSD has long been contested within the local community. Assembly Bill 101 stipulated that all California schools provide an ethnic studies course by the 2025-26 school year. The current ethnic studies curriculum is derived from the curriculum adopted by the state in 2021, District Humanities Teacher on Special Assignment Ander Lucia said.
PAUSD Associate Superintendent Dr. Guillermo Lopez acknowledged community concerns that the ethnic studies course employs a politically charged “liberated curriculum.”
The “inclusive model” introduced by California in 2021 highlights California’s ethnic groups’ cultures as well as the struggles they face, Lopez said. He also emphasized that community feedback was taken into consideration throughout the development of this course, a process led by a committee of history teachers from Gunn High and Palo Alto High who spent over two years designing the curriculum.
The current ethnic studies framework includes four main units: Identity; Power, Privilege, and Systems of Oppression; Resilience and Resistance; and Action and Civic Engagement.
Public Discourse
Several PAUSD students spoke in favor of the ethnic studies course during public comment, including some who took the piloted course last fall, saying that ethnic studies prompts meaningful and vulnerable conversations and fosters compassion among students.
Gunn High freshman Quinn Boutin initially had reservations about whether the course content would be relevant to her as a white student. Her initial fears turned out to be completely unfounded, she said at the meeting, as the course effectively taught history and built empathy.
Palo Alto High senior Llew Ladomirak spoke in favor of the ethnic studies requirement, emphasizing that it aligns with students’ desires to work together toward a more positive future.
“We are not afraid to take this class,” Ladomirak said. “Trust us and our teachers to distinguish between learning about violence and resistance, and condoning and supporting violence. … We want to learn the skills and empathy we need to work together to create a non-violent [world].”
Multiple community members spoke against the mandate and argued for ethnic studies to remain an elective.
Sampson Shen, a Palo Alto resident, argued that proponents of ethnic studies have used “guilt tripping,” “manipulation” and “name calling” to unfairly politicize the issue. Shen, whose family has moved twice due to communism in Asia, said that other electives are equally important because of individuals’ lived experiences.
“If our kids and others want to take the World History course instead and learn how communism affected their family, why are people taking away an elective slot from them and demonizing them along the way?” Shen said. “Is our experience invalid?”
PAUSD parent Helen Grossman agreed with Shen, emphasizing the need for transparency between parents and teachers before mandating ethnic studies.
“We, as parents, have only gained access to the course curriculum about a day ago in the board materials,” Grossman said “ In the spirit of transparency and trust, we should have open dialogue of what we’re teaching our kids before making it a requirement.”
More information about the ethnic studies course can be found here.
