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Snowline trustees hear plans to integrate ethnic studies across high-school courses
Summary
Serrano High School and SnowlineAcademy teachers told the board they are integrating one semester of ethnic studies into existing history and social-science courses to meet state requirements and improve student engagement.
Serrano High School and a Snowline Academy teacher presented an implementation plan for ethnic studies Tuesday, telling the Snowline Joint Unified School District board that the district intends to weave the subject into multiple high-school courses rather than deliver it in a single new class.
The presentations, led by Joshua Sullivan, SerranoHigh School department chair for history/social science, and Ryan Huckabah from NTS, described plans to embed ethnic-studies content and assessments into world history, U.S. history, economics and government, and to use professional learning communities to coordinate lessons and pacing across teachers.
The presenters framed the work as meeting AB 101 (state law requiring ethnic-studies instruction at the high-school level) while aligning with California history-social-science standards. Sullivan said teachers are selecting existing curriculum resources and adapting lessons so the content is relevant to students: "Courses embed ethnic studies content through lessons and activities, different projects, and through also assessments," he said. NTS teacher Ryan Huckabah told the board the district would follow state-recommended primary-source materials and the five key ethnic-studies themes (identity, history and movement, systems of power, social movements and equity) when building lessons.
Both sites described using PLC time to develop materials, revise unit pacing and make adjustments for shorter class periods. Sullivan said teachers had already found ethnically relevant units in adopted textbooks and were creating resource lists so the content can be taught across multiple years rather than as a single, isolated unit.
Board members asked about possible concerns with the materials and about ensuring lessons avoid alienating students. Sullivan and Huckabah said the PLC process gives multiple teachers a chance to review materials and adjust content to local needs. Alan Miller, who introduced the item as part of the districtLCAP goal on curriculum and equity, said the district is preparing for the laweffective date and wants to ensure teachers receive training and resources before classes begin.
The board did not take formal action; presenters said the work is ongoing and staff will return with finalized syllabi and any textbook-adoption recommendations.
Serrano and NTS officials asked for continued support for PLC time, teacher release days and book-adoption alignment so ethnic-studies themes can be woven into yearlong instruction rather than delivered as a single, brief unit.
The board was told the state expects districts to offer one semester of ethnic-studies credit at the high-school level; Snowline staff said their approach aims to provide multiple points of exposure across courses so students see the material repeatedly over several years.
Members of the district and site staffs said they will return with more detailed syllabi and curriculum maps for board review and possible adoption later in the spring.
