LAUSD committee hears educators, students on FAIR Education Act; calls for mandatory PD, more liaisons and oversight of $2M

All right. Good afternoon, everyone. The Instruction & Curriculum Committee of the Los Angeles Unified School District heard more than three hours of testimony on the district’s implementation of the FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Education Act, with educators and students describing classroom practices that affirmed LGBTQIA+ youth — and community members demanding clearer district guidance, more paid liaisons and transparent oversight of $2 million in funding.

Committee Chair opened the meeting by framing the year’s work: the first half of the school year to identify ideas for curriculum and classroom culture, with two recommendation sets due to the board in February and June.

Teachers who presented said they weave LGBTQIA+ history and perspectives into standard social‑studies and literacy units rather than treating them as add‑ons. "I try to think about my curriculum as more... inclusive and part of the whole narrative of history rather than adding it on," said Danielle Torres, a social studies teacher who described units on Two‑Spirit people, Soladeras in the Mexican revolution and overlooked Holocaust victims, including LGBTQIA+ people. She told the committee that inclusive lessons help students feel "accepted, seen, heard" and improve classroom safety.

Student Alexa Maha, a junior and youth ambassador, said learning queer history made her feel "accepted,…