After public outcry over speakers and ethnic-studies rollout, MVLA board greenlights independent student survey

The Mountain View–Los Altos Union High School District Board of Trustees voted April 21 to proceed with an independent survey about the district’s freshman ethnic-studies course after a lengthy public comment period in which dozens of parents and community members raised concerns ranging from course content and mandatory status to reported antisemitic incidents at school events.

Motion and vote: The board voted to proceed with contracting Hanover Research for a student survey of freshmen (and a follow-up/supplemental outreach to sophomores who took the class last year). The motion was moved by Katherine and seconded by Lisa; the motion passed on a board vote recorded in the meeting minutes.

What residents told the board - Concerns about course requirement and timing: Multiple parents argued the district imposed a year-long ethnic-studies graduation requirement for incoming freshmen ahead of state mandate and before broader consensus. Speakers urged that ethnic studies be optional or deferred to a later year; they suggested alternatives such as allowing students to take the course as an elective or integrating content into other social-studies classes. - Academic preparation: Several speakers and parents said students who took the freshman ethnic-studies course felt less prepared for AP World History or other subsequent social-studies coursework; callers asked the board to examine grade and AP-test outcomes as objective data points. - Political content and balance: Public comments repeatedly raised questions about whether ethnic-studies instruction…