Two meetings and two sets of amendments later, the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District voted 6-1 to offer Ethnic Studies: Multicultural America for a one-year pilot that s subject to review.
During the meeting, several trustees continued to cite concerns about the course s contents and recent community backlash. The April 13 ethnic studies course hearing garnered 53 emails 52 in support and 16 public commenters who spoke in support at the April 13 meeting. Comments came from a mix of students, parents, alumni, community members, and educators.
The board failed to approve the course with the amendments it suggested at the March 23 meeting. Those amendments included: incorporating women s issues into each unit; including a unit on Irish and Jewish immigration to the U.S.; increasing emphasis on the ability of different ethnic groups to overcome obstacles and demonstrate achievement and general progress; and including an overcoming adversity unit to showcase resilience and age