California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law Friday that requires all high school students to take ethnic studies courses before they are allowed to graduate.
"This bill would add the completion of a one-semester course in ethnic studies, meeting specified requirements, to the graduation requirements commencing with pupils graduating in the 2029–30 school year, including for pupils enrolled in a charter school," The bill, A.B. 101, reads. "The bill would expressly authorize local educational agencies, including charter schools, to require a full-year course in ethnic studies at their discretion."
Critics argue that the contentious legislation could lead to critical race theory being taught in the classroom.
National Republican talking points against critical race theory playing out now on CA senate floor in debate about AB 101, which would require ethnic studies in high school. @senatormelendez: "The last thing we need is state sanctioned racism being taught in our schools."
— Mackenzie Mays (@MackenzieMays) September 8, 2021
Democrat Assembly Member Jose Medina, one of the authors of the bill, said that an ethnic studies requirement is "long overdue."
"Students cannot have a full understanding of the history of our state and nation without the inclusion of the contributions and struggles of Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans," he said, according to Cal Matters.
A sample of specific ethnic studies lessons include, "Migration Stories and Oral History," "#BlackLivesMatter and Social Change," "Afrofuturism: Reimagining Black Futures and Science Fiction," "US Undocumented Immigrants from Mexico and Beyond," "The Immigration Experience of Lao Americans" and "This is Indian Land: The Purpose, Politics, and Practice of Land Acknowledgment."
Last year, Newsom vetoed a similar bill, which was also authored by Medina, noting needs for revision to the model curriculum.
The previous versions of the curriculum were criticized for being anti-semitic too politically correct. It also faced pushback for including jargon such as "cisheteropatriarchy" and "hxrstory," and asserted that capitalism was a system that exploits racial minority communities.
And while the latest version of the curriculum includes more neutral descriptions of capitalism while addressing concerns from the Jewish Caucus, it still faces opposition.
The Los Angeles Times editorial board said the bill provided too much flexibility to local school districts to create their own curricula. Thousands of people from the Southern California Jewish community signed a petition opposing the new bill due to districts being able to use a previous draft of the model curriculum that contained anti-Semitic content.