The Orange County Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt an ethnic studies curriculum designed for grades 9 through 12, the board announced at its late-June meeting.

The course, developed by a cross-disciplinary writing team from OCDE's Access programs and other county educators, is a five-credit, semester-long course organized into five themes. "Our mission is to develop an ethnic studies curriculum that celebrates cultural connections, cultivates empathy, and maintains a balanced and unifying perspective," said Jonathan Swanson, OCDE executive director for curriculum, instruction and academic enrichment, during the presentation.

Why it matters: The board asked OCDE staff to produce an ethnic studies offering after state law prompted districts to clarify elective options. OCDE staff said the draft was revised repeatedly through community focus groups, public workshops, a 30-day public review and multiple board workshops. The final draft, staff said, was revised to comply with applicable state requirements (the team cited AB 101 compliance during the presentation) and to make the course accessible to students in OCDE's alternative and juvenile court school programs.

Creation and review: The curriculum team said it included teachers and administrators from Access programs, juvenile court schools, day school programs and contract learning programs and intentionally incorporated public feedback. "Each stage of this writing team carefully evaluated and the feedback received both from the public participants and our board members, and it was used to guide improvements," Swanson said.

Implementation plans: OCDE staff said the curriculum will be posted on UC Doorways so other districts may review and adopt the material. The department also plans to build an online version through a learning management system and to develop teacher preparation and pilot opportunities in 2025-26. "My goal is to get it into the hands of the students because that's how I get my students involved in this process," said Trish Walsh, senior administrator of the humanities team.

Board action and comments: Trustees praised the writing team and staff for the transparent process and the curriculum's emphasis on critical thinking and student engagement. Trustee Williams called the finished draft "centered in the middle" and noted the staff had incorporated outside critiques into revisions. The motion to approve passed 4-0.

Ending: OCDE officials said the county will support teacher preparation and pilot implementation next school year and make the final curriculum available as a free resource on UC Doorways for districts to adopt.