At an informational session Sept. 29, Mountain View–Los Altos Union High School District staff and social studies department coordinators briefed the Board of Trustees on options for the district’s ninth‑grade ethnic studies offering, and teachers, parents and students urged trustees to preserve the year‑long course.

Associate Superintendent Terry Faught told trustees the presentation was informational and that the board had “agreed to not to begin discussing board action on ethnic studies until our next meeting on October 13 when the full board will be present.” That schedule-setting drew repeated public requests for a longer runway to allow teachers and departments to collaborate on any changes.

Terry Faught and department coordinators described four models now under consideration: (A) retain the current year‑long ethnic studies course for all freshmen; (B) one semester of ethnic studies plus one semester of in‑seat health; (C) one semester of ethnic studies paired with a semester of world studies; and (D) a hybrid that would require ethnic studies but allow a choice in the other semester (for example, health or another social‑studies elective).

“In 22–23 we initiated a small pilot and in 23–24 we moved to full‑year implementation,” Faught said, noting the multi‑year development process, staff retreats and teacher collaboration that built the current curriculum. He asked trustees to allow time for teachers to continue collaborating if the district decides to change the structure.

Several dozen community members, students and teachers addressed trustees. Antonio Perez, representing Latino Parents Outreach, cited a February 2021 Stanford study that he said showed ethnic‑studies pilots increased graduation and college acceptance rates and called for keeping ethnic studies as a 10‑credit, A‑G‑approved elective with universal access.

Teacher and course lead Julie Yick, who helped develop the district course, asked the board for opportunities to present teacher‑level evidence and to answer trustees’ questions directly. “We would really appreciate that opportunity to be able to share … based on our direct experience in the class,” she said.

Student speakers described classroom experiences. Ariana Bautista Santiago, a junior and former ethnic‑studies student, said the course had helped her understand social movements and classroom collaboration. “Throughout the year, I became more comfortable with my classmates,” she said.

Department coordinators said the district’s core values include maintaining a heterogeneous freshman social‑studies experience, protecting department full‑time‑equivalent staffing and preparing students for later AP and college‑prep work. They warned that moving from a year‑long offering to a semester model could cut social‑studies FTE roughly in half unless the district preserves graduation‑requirement credits or reallocates staff.

Trustees asked clarifying questions about timeline and staffing and acknowledged the complexity of changing a curriculum that took two years of planning. Trustee Alex (last name not specified in the transcript) said he “clearly hear[s] the teacher’s request for more time to collaborate,” and the board’s next steps include a study session on Oct. 13 and a possible decision later in October.

Ending: Trustees did not vote on curriculum changes Sept. 29; staff and department chairs will return with more detailed options and curriculum examples for further study at upcoming meetings. The board set an Oct. 13 study session to continue the conversation and requested a runway that allows teacher collaboration before any formal action.