Board Allows Ethnic Studies Elective to Continue at Lincoln High as a Test Run

The Western Placer Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to allow an ethnic studies elective to continue this school year at Lincoln High School as a test run, saying the course will be revisited before broader expansion. The board’s action followed extended public comment both for and against the class and discussion of scheduling and funding complications.

The move keeps a course already underway at Lincoln intact for students who elected it, while leaving the district able to reconsider expansion or removal before course requests for next year are finalized. Board members said they intend to review results from the pilot and make a decision later this year about whether to offer the course more widely.

Supporters — including students who said the class offers perspectives not always covered in standard history courses — urged the board to let the elective proceed. “Nothing about us without us,” said Rosalice, a Lincoln High freshman who told trustees she had participated in student senate discussions about the class and enrolled because she wanted a “balanced history.” Opponents asked that the district not run the elective before a state mandate takes effect in 2030 and criticized the district for offering an unfunded course while other academic priorities remain.

District staff told the board the course was developed locally under a board-approved framework; the state’s mandate that ethnic studies be a graduation requirement for future cohorts remains unfunded, staff said. Administrators noted scheduling complications: some schools placed the elective in ninth grade while others scheduled it in 11th or 12th grade, producing differences in what students at each high school would need to graduate. Staff said instructional materials are being teacher‑generated for now and that $56,000 in state funds earmarked for initial development remains available for materials or must be returned.

Trustees and staff also discussed how geography, a local graduation requirement embedded across social‑science courses, intersects with the elective. Staff said waivers and scheduling adjustments are possible so students who choose ethnic studies would still meet district graduation requirements.

The board’s decision was procedural: it did not adopt new curriculum materials or commit ongoing funding. Trustees said they would collect feedback from the students and teachers involved, gather data on instructional materials and alignment, and schedule the item for reconsideration before course selection for next year is finalized.

Board action: a motion to leave the course at Lincoln High School as a test run passed. The motion was made during the meeting; the board chair announced the motion carried. The board did not adopt districtwide ethnic studies instructional materials or a permanent change to graduation requirements at tonight’s meeting.

The board also discussed the timing of state requirements: district staff confirmed the state has not funded the mandate, which defers the statewide graduation requirement, and that local decisions about electives are within the district’s authority until funding or state adoption changes the timeline.

Trustees asked administrators to return with outcome data, student and teacher feedback, and a clearer plan on instructional materials and scheduling options for full board consideration prior to final course scheduling next year.