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Capistrano Unified staff outline ethnic studies curriculum plan and public review timeline
Summary
District staff presented a draft ethnic studies semester course for ninth grade, described required themes from the state model and laid out a public-review timeline ahead of board workshop and IMRC review.
Capistrano Unified School District staff presented the district’s proposed ethnic studies course framework and review timeline at the Jan. 15 board meeting, describing the state mandate, model curriculum themes and community engagement steps before final approval.
Executive Director Meg Urbis, presenting for the district, said Assembly Bill 101 made ethnic studies a California graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2030 and described the model curriculum’s four themes—identity; history and movement; systems of power; and social movement and equity. “The ethnic studies model curriculum… is not a ready-made curriculum or a textbook,” Urbis told trustees, adding the state document is intended as guidance for locally developed courses.
Urbis said the district committee — drawn from high school history/social-science teachers and local partners including the County Office of Education — recommends a semester-long course in ninth grade paired with the district’s existing 9th-grade health requirement. The committee also recommended reserving time in the final unit for student-directed research so learners may study additional communities or local histories not covered in the four primary disciplines the state highlights (African American, Latino/Latinx, Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander perspectives).
Trustees and members of the public asked questions about instructional materials, standards and community concerns. Public commenters urged curriculum that “inspire[s] our children” and avoids division; a speaker with ethnic-studies expertise recommended care in teaching units on systems of power so the class encourages critical thinking rather than presenting a single ideological view.
Timeline and next steps: staff described January–February parent engagement meetings, a February board workshop, IMRC review and a public review period of 30+ days before the board’s final approval. Urbis said the district is preparing to offer the course to meet the statutory on‑ramp for the graduating class of 2030 and noted that a recent budget development could affect the timing of any mandated campus-wide offering.
Ending: Trustees were scheduled to dig into the proposed course and materials at a board workshop in late February and staff said multiple opportunities for public review will follow before any final adoption.
