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Parents, community members press Sweetwater board to follow AB 101 timeline, restore AP Human Geography option
Summary
Parents and community members told the Sweetwater Union High School District board that Bonita Vista and other district schools have prematurely replaced AP Human Geography with ethnic studies for the incoming 2029 class and urged the district to align implementation with Assembly Bill 101 and restore course options.
Parents and community members urged the Sweetwater Union High School District Board of Education on April 14 to align local course changes with state law and restore AP Human Geography as a social science option for the incoming class of 2029.
The speakers said Bonita Vista High School removed AP Human Geography from social science options and expanded an ethnic-studies offering to a full-year program for students who will graduate in 2029, while AB 101 requires an ethnic-studies graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2030. “Bonita Vista has removed the AP Human Geography from their social science options as part of an early rollout of the AB 101,” said Eileen Yamamoto, a parent of an incoming Bonita Vista student. Yamamoto told trustees she supports the intent of AB 101 but asked the board to “ask to align the implementation with the district’s own timeline and publicly available information and restore AP Human Geography as a social science option for the class of 2029.”
Other parents described limited notice and request deadlines they said disadvantaged families. “Benita Vista only gave families until yesterday, Sunday, to request a human AP switch from ethnic studies,” said Mike Kimoto, a parent, who asked the board to extend the deadline to April 27 and to clarify that a ninth-grade AP human geography student would still meet the one-semester ethnic-studies requirement. David Boehm, a parent and chair of the County of San Diego Independent Redistricting Commission, told the board he could not find evidence that the district had broadly engaged parents of eighth graders before changing course offerings and suggested making the course optional or allowing opt-outs for the next year to allow more time for parental review.
Superintendent Aguirre and staff acknowledged follow-up is needed. A district staff member told a speaker the curriculum documents were not fully accessible to parents until late the prior week. Trustees requested staff to provide follow-up and additional clarity on ethnic-studies implementation and curriculum materials for families and counselors.
Why it matters: The timing and format of ethnic-studies implementation affects course choices, college-credit opportunities and counseling for incoming freshmen. Parents said removing AP Human Geography as a social-science option could reduce access to rigorous, college-level coursework that can yield college credit and cost savings for families.
Board action and next steps: Trustees heard public comment and directed staff to follow up with schools on the communication timeline, clarify whether AP Human Geography will continue to be offered at affected campuses, and provide the board with details on how the district plans to implement AB 101 for the classes of 2029 and 2030. No formal policy change was recorded at this meeting on the subject.
Additional context: Speakers cited the district’s December 2024 graduation policy and state Assembly Bill 101 (AB 101) in describing the timeline for the ethnic-studies requirement and requested that district practice match the law and published district materials.
