Palm Springs Unified board approves AP African American studies course and directs staff to seek U.S. history alignment by 2026–27

The Palm Springs Unified School District Board of Education on Feb. 11 approved a course description for AP African American Studies and added a board directive that staff develop the class to meet California's U.S. history graduation requirements by the 2026–27 school year, with monthly progress updates to the board.

The vote followed nearly an hour of public comment from students, parents, teachers and community members who urged the district to offer the course as a fully accredited A–G class and not relegate it to an elective. Several speakers tied the curriculum debate to broader concerns about unaddressed hate speech and student safety in district schools.

"There's not a lot of people around my school and around the valley that look like me," said Samantha Henry, a sophomore at Palm Springs High School, urging the board to make African American history an accredited part of students' U.S. history education. Student speakers repeatedly said existing lessons often stop at a few figures and do not convey the full contributions and experiences of African Americans.

Teachers and community members echoed those appeals. "All students, black students, white students, all students do better when there's a more inclusive history," said Eric Dawson, a U.S. history teacher at Palm Springs High School, who told the board he had reviewed the course description and supported wider student access to the class.

Board discussion focused on two technical questions raised during public comment: whether the course meets UC/CSU "A–G" criteria and whether it currently satisfies the district's U.S. history graduation requirement. Board member Karen Cornett asked whether the district could seek UC and Cal State approval to count the course as meeting the American history requirement and the A–G list.

District staff said the AP African American Studies course as submitted meets A–G subject-area criteria (A) and the College Board AP designation but does not yet cover all California U.S. history framework standards required to substitute for the U.S. history graduation requirement. The district said it would place the course in the catalog for student registration for next school year at Palm Springs High School while staff work to align the content to the state framework.

Board members debated timing. Several said they did not want to delay offering the course to students who would take it next year; others said the district must complete the alignment so the course is sustainable and carries the graduation credit. The board adopted an amendment directing staff to "develop the AP African American studies course to be a graduation requirement by the 2026–27 school year" and to provide monthly updates to the board on progress toward alignment.

The formal action on the agenda item (16c) approved the course description and recorded the amendment. The motion passed (board vote recorded as 5–0). The district noted the course was submitted by Palm Springs High School and currently would be offered at that site; staff said they would work with curriculum advisory and department leads to complete the standards alignment.

Public commenters also pressed the board on separate but related concerns about student safety and unaddressed racial slurs on campus. Commenters cited prior meetings and called for concrete district action to eliminate hate speech and improve students' sense of belonging; the board and superintendent acknowledged those concerns during the meeting and committed to continued work on the issue.

Next steps: district staff will place the AP African American Studies course in the course catalog for student registration at Palm Springs High School for 2025–26, begin work with curriculum advisory to align the course with the California U.S. history framework, and report monthly to the board on progress with the goal of the class satisfying the U.S. history graduation requirement by the 2026–27 school year.