Crisis in the Classroom: Ethnic studies class mandate

FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Ethnic studies classes are mandated in California schools.

Governor Newsom signed that bill in 2021.

It's not required until the 2025-26 school year, so not all schools are offering them right now, but Fresno Unified is.

You could say the district is ahead of the curve which is why it's getting called out by a parent group who considers this a crisis in the classroom.

Michele Exner a Senior Advisor at Parents Defending Education said, “It’s pretty clear what they’re trying to do and it has nothing to do with teaching children historical facts and history. It has to do with training them to think about the world in a certain way and shaping their worldview that aligns with progressive politics.”

Dr. Marie Williams, PhD, Instructional Superintendent, FUSD said, “Our goal is not politicization. Our goal is teaching students about their own and the histories of others and taking that knowledge to move toward collective social action.”

The four aspects to the ethnic studies curriculum center on the experiences of four groups: African American, Chicano/Latino, Native American, and Asian Pacific Islander.

“It is making our children look at everything through a prism of race,“ said Exner.

“When you say you don’t see color, what you’re saying is you don’t see me. That’s harmful for students because we’re having racialized experiences everywhere we go in the world.”

One lesson asks students to analyze different identities - according to race, political party, and even sexual orientation — and their relationship to power and oppression.

“It’s certainly not to make anybody feel badly about themselves. And when we talk about things that have happened historically, with marginalized groups, then it becomes necessary that we talk about their experiences and that experience does include oppression,” said Dr. Willimans.

“You are either in a category of oppressed or in the category of oppressor. What this is doing is creating a divisive climate across our academic institution pitting students against one another. These are politicized and controversial tactics that are replacing time spent on academics,” said Exner.

“Ethnic studies is about bringing folks together in community. It’s not about creating division. But if I don’t know the history of other people, if I don’t know, maybe, my own history, I can’t act to transform my community in the way that I would want to because I don’t have the information to be able to do that,” said Dr. Willaims.

Governor Newsom ensures the classes will be free from bias, or bigotry and are appropriate for all students.

Each grade will have its own age-appropriate curriculum for the one semester this course is offered.

“No issues in having classes related to ethnic studies. The problem is when you have a hyper-focus on divisive topics that are not meant to teach children, they’re meant to train them to be political activists and that is problematic,” said Exner.

“We don’t shy away from difficult conversations. We recognize that there is a history of marginalization that has existed in the country and so we want to talk about it,” said Dr. Williams.