T.-4 20-1186 Discussion and possible Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 1920-0246 - Affirming Support of AB2016 California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Draft Created by Ethnic Studies Experts.
Dear Oakland School Board,
While I support AB 2016, its premature for OUSD Board of Trustees to pass this resolution:The CDE is currently finalizing its list of recommended revisions to this first draft based on the input it is gathering from experts, educators, ethnologists, and others and its analysis of over 20,000 public comments submitted during the public comment period. Also Resolution No. 1920-0246 would be supporting a draft that was rejected by Governor Newsom. Only 365 people submitted comments supporting it.
Here’s a statement from a diverse coalition of Armenian, Assyrian, Hellenic, Hindu, Jewish & Korean civic groups who state the present draft “is replete with mischaracterizations and omissions of major California ethno-religious groups.
"We ask that the OUSD Trustees respect the concerns of the over 19,000 Californians who voiced objections to this draft curriculum, honor the process set out by the CDE for the SBE
Dear School Board, I am deeply concerned regarding the proposed resolution No. 1920-0246, I urge the Board to REJECT it. I wholeheartedly support Ethnic Studies and AB-2016. Engaging our youth in studies that promote mutual understanding and coexistence is critical. But this resolution causes much pain and proposes to preempt the final version of the curriculum, asking the Oakland School Board to approve an early draft that was rejected by the state. Many state leaders recognized the harm this version could cause to our collective community and other communities. One of the many ethnicities excluded are Jewish Americans. 14 members of the legislature noted in July that this draft "erases the Jewish experience," "fails to discuss antisemitism," "reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews," and "would institutionalize the teaching of antisemitic stereotypes in our schools." Please wait for the final version of the curriculum to go before the the State Board of Education next year.
I can not believe that Oakland would even consider this resolution. As an Oakland born resident that embraces the larger ethnic community I believe this resolution would break down community efforts. I ask the school board to reject the resolution. Its adoption will undermine a true ethnic study model. Vote NO on resolution 1920-0246.
As a college student from Oakland, I deal with fighting antisemitism on my campus constantly. This antisemitism quite frequently takes the form of the BDS movement and anti-Israel sentiment. BDS has 3 major demands, the first of which is to demand that Israel end occupation of “all historically Arab lands.” This definition implies that any existing state of Israel is wrongs and suggests that a realistic end to the conflict is to simply end the existence of a country, namely Israel. This is obviously problematic for a number of reasons. This curriculum further pushes the idea that by simply ending the existence of one state (a blatantly obvious impossibility) is a realistic solution. On college campuses that pass BDS resolutions, antisemitism is known to increase substantially, and that is exactly what will happen if the city of Oakland passes this biased and disturbing curriculum. I urge the committee to vote against this resolution in the interest of keeping antisemitism at bay.
In order to pass this, there needs to be more revisions. It is just not ready yet. I understand we need ethnic studies but you need to include every ethnicity before it gets passed. There is a lot of history in Jewish history. If it is left out, many topics would be excluded including antisemitism. I am not saying don't do other ethnicities but every culture should be included. For example Jewish history, black history, LGBT history, Asian history, Latin history etc. Please keep making revisions before accepting.
.
I am a very concerned parent with a school aged child in OUSD. I ask you reject the adoption of this curriculum. This draft is not ready for OUSD. It includes references to antisemitic stereotypes and promotes prejudice against the state of Israel. It was revoked at the state level for good reason, we should wait until the draft is revised before accepting it.
Respectfully,
Ella Yanai
As an Oakland resident for 37 years, who sent two children to the Oakland public schools, I write to express the strongest possible opposition to the proposed ethnic studies curriculum. There is a reason why, after the proposed curriculum was reviewed closely at the state level, there was near-universal opposition to it: The curriculum is poorly thought out and promotes, rather than heals, racism among children. I urge the School Board to wait for the state to come forward with a new curriculum that cures the bias and hatred in the proposed curriculum.
Dear Oakland School Board,
There is a reason this flawed curriculum is being reworked at the state level. Please be patient and vote No on the current Ethnic Studies Curriculum. Many elected officials, even the two lawmakers that proposed the Ethnic Studies course work at the state level, oppose the most recent draft, which should speak VOLUMES about the efficacy of that material. Oakland Tech already has an excellent Ethnic Studies course. Wouldn’t they be willing to share their materials within the district until the rewritten curriculum is ready from the state?
This curriculum divides ethnicities rather than bringing people together, erases the Jewish experience, and spends an inordinate amount of time promoting boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel. It also leaves out dozens of ethnic groups who are part of the fabric of California, and is more agenda driven in general than critical thinking driven.
Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis said that "without significant edits, I fear that the draft ESMC would marginalize and promote discrimination against some of our most vulnerable populations.
As a long time Oakland resident and someone whose family immigrated directly to Oakland from Europe in the 1950s, I am appalled Oakland School Board is taking up this disastrous resolution to adopt the 2019 Ethnic Studies Curriculum that was rejected by the State Legislature, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, and even the two legislators who proposed the original bill that Ethnic Studies be a requirement in California, Assemblymen Luis Alejo and Jose Medina.
This curriculum divides ethnicities rather than bringing them together, erases key ethnic experiences, and spends an inordinate amount of time promoting boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel. It also leaves out dozens of ethnic groups who are part of the fabric of California.
I implore you to oppose this resolution that seems very agenda driven.
As a healthcare worker and resident of Oakland, I know that an education that validates and uplifts the real, lived experiences of students of color has profoundly positive impacts on the mental and physical well-being of all students. By the same token, an education that minimizes and disappears those same experiences has profoundly traumatic impacts on students of color.
Ethnic Studies has always been about empowering students of color who are marginalized by our current curricula. White students benefit tremendously from having critical conversations about race and learning about white privilege. The holocaust, anti-semitism, and the lives of Jewish Americans are included in the ethnic studies curriculum and is already included in other OUSD curriculum spanning many grades. So this divisive controversy that has come up is only to harm students of color. Please don't let them and their education be wasted yet again.
Please reject the adoption of this curriculum. This early draft is not ready for OUSD. It omits significant portions of Jewish history and includes references to antisemitic stereotypes. Please delay the adoption of this work-in-progress curriculum to allow legislators and drafters time to revise it.
I encourage and support ethnic studies as a curriculum, however I strongly object to the particulars of the curriculum because of the harmful rhetoric and anti-Semitic tone that will affect many members of the Oakland and OUSD community. I am Mexican American and as a POC I have first hand experience with hurtful and harmful teachings of ethnic groups. It’s dangerous as we all see the POTUS speak horribly about brown people and the violence and racism it causes. I am a mother of three Jewish Mexican children. My husband is jewish. Two of my kids are OUSD students. There have been several incidents in Oakland where my family felt afraid of anti-Semitic behavior. My kids attended jewish preschool here in Oakland and experienced OPD coming into the preschool to make sure the kids were safe. A scary experience. Teaching old stereotypes of Jews is shameful should not be given light when it comes to educating our youth. Please wait to see future revised editions.
I am horrified that in an institution where we want our children to emerge as logical, thoughtful and well informed citizens that you are promoting a curriculum that teaches opinion as fact. It doesn’t matter how you couch it. You have left out information on many different ethnicities while at the same time painting Israel and Jews in a wholly unfavorable and inaccurate light. I thought we had evolved from this. I was taught that Columbus discovered America and that the missionaries helped to take care of the natives they encountered. We now know that was nonsense. don’t perpetuate the teaching of prejudice and inaccuracies. Thank you.
I oppose resolution 1920-0246. I support Ethnic Studies and AB-2016, the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum bill. The resolution in question, however, is not about supporting Ethnic Studies. Rather, it proposes to preempt the final version of the curriculum and asks the Oakland School Board to approve an early draft that was rejected by the state. Last summer, Governor Newsom, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, the state legislature as well as many others recognized the harm this early version could cause to our collective community, as many ethnic groups represented in our state and in our classrooms do not appear in the pages of this curriculum. One of the many ethnicities excluded are Jewish Americans, as was noted with great concern by 14 members of the California legislature in July.
They reported that this same draft "erases the Jewish experience," "fails to discuss antisemitism," "reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews." Please reject resolution 1920-0246.
As a member of the Bay area community and an Indian-American born into a Hindu family, I urge you to adopt the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. As a high school student in California, I experienced xenophobic and Islamaphobic bullying and harassment on the basis of my perceived identity. I believe that an ethnic studies curriculum like this one would have fostered the equitable educational environment that my peers of color and I needed. The curriculum would have furthered allowed us to see ourselves in history and better understand other forms of structural marginalization and oppression. While engaging with ethnic studies curricula in college was life altering, it came too late in my life. Adoption of this curriculum at OUSD would substantially alter the lives of thousands of young students.
I urge you to vote to approve the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. The time to support the creation of a better world for students of color is now!
It is imperative that Oakland implements ethnic studies because this city is a diverse place. There are so many people of different ethnicities that never get the chance to learn anything about their own culture. Ethnic studies allows people to become comfortable with their identity and become one with themselves. We never get the chance to learn about our culture because we only learn about white history, and when we learn about people of color it is almost always about some terrible even that happened to them. This causes a warped perception of our people because this is what we are told in school. Ethnic studies will help students become better people because it allows them to be comfortable with their identity, which will help students love themselves more.
I can not believe that Oakland would move ahead with a curriculum that divides ethnic groups instead of brings them together, when the voices of those groups have spoken loudly about how this curriculum will harm them.
It doesn't matter who has MORE objections. Support equity and inclusion and do NOT adopt this curricula!!
I am a student of color at Fremont High School and I deserve to see myself in my school
curriculum. OUSD and the State of California should include Arab American, Pacific Islander and Central American Studies in the curriculum.
Ethnic Studies is important to me because I can learn about different stories, history, culture and it is a fun subject to have.
We need to be able to learn about each other, our peers, and all of our communities for a better Oakland. Please move the resolution forward and vote yes! The California Department of Education needs to know that Oakland will not stand for censorship. Please don’t let them censor me and my community!
I am a student of color at Fremont high school I deserve to see myself in my school
curriculum. OUSD and the State of California should include Arab American, Pacific Islander and Central American Studies in the curriculum.
[Ethnic/Pacific Islander/Arab American/Central American Studies] is important to me because they get treated so wrongly and differentlythan others and its not fair to them.
We need to be able to learn about each other, our peers, and all of our communities for a better Oakland. Please move the resolution forward and vote yes! The California Department of Education needs to know that Oakland will not stand for censorship. Please don’t let them censor me and my community!
Dear Oakland School Board,
While I support AB 2016, its premature for OUSD Board of Trustees to pass this resolution:The CDE is currently finalizing its list of recommended revisions to this first draft based on the input it is gathering from experts, educators, ethnologists, and others and its analysis of over 20,000 public comments submitted during the public comment period. Also Resolution No. 1920-0246 would be supporting a draft that was rejected by Governor Newsom. Only 365 people submitted comments supporting it.
Here’s a statement from a diverse coalition of Armenian, Assyrian, Hellenic, Hindu, Jewish & Korean civic groups who state the present draft “is replete with mischaracterizations and omissions of major California ethno-religious groups.
"We ask that the OUSD Trustees respect the concerns of the over 19,000 Californians who voiced objections to this draft curriculum, honor the process set out by the CDE for the SBE
Wendy
Dear School Board, I am deeply concerned regarding the proposed resolution No. 1920-0246, I urge the Board to REJECT it. I wholeheartedly support Ethnic Studies and AB-2016. Engaging our youth in studies that promote mutual understanding and coexistence is critical. But this resolution causes much pain and proposes to preempt the final version of the curriculum, asking the Oakland School Board to approve an early draft that was rejected by the state. Many state leaders recognized the harm this version could cause to our collective community and other communities. One of the many ethnicities excluded are Jewish Americans. 14 members of the legislature noted in July that this draft "erases the Jewish experience," "fails to discuss antisemitism," "reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews," and "would institutionalize the teaching of antisemitic stereotypes in our schools." Please wait for the final version of the curriculum to go before the the State Board of Education next year.
I can not believe that Oakland would even consider this resolution. As an Oakland born resident that embraces the larger ethnic community I believe this resolution would break down community efforts. I ask the school board to reject the resolution. Its adoption will undermine a true ethnic study model. Vote NO on resolution 1920-0246.
As a college student from Oakland, I deal with fighting antisemitism on my campus constantly. This antisemitism quite frequently takes the form of the BDS movement and anti-Israel sentiment. BDS has 3 major demands, the first of which is to demand that Israel end occupation of “all historically Arab lands.” This definition implies that any existing state of Israel is wrongs and suggests that a realistic end to the conflict is to simply end the existence of a country, namely Israel. This is obviously problematic for a number of reasons. This curriculum further pushes the idea that by simply ending the existence of one state (a blatantly obvious impossibility) is a realistic solution. On college campuses that pass BDS resolutions, antisemitism is known to increase substantially, and that is exactly what will happen if the city of Oakland passes this biased and disturbing curriculum. I urge the committee to vote against this resolution in the interest of keeping antisemitism at bay.
In order to pass this, there needs to be more revisions. It is just not ready yet. I understand we need ethnic studies but you need to include every ethnicity before it gets passed. There is a lot of history in Jewish history. If it is left out, many topics would be excluded including antisemitism. I am not saying don't do other ethnicities but every culture should be included. For example Jewish history, black history, LGBT history, Asian history, Latin history etc. Please keep making revisions before accepting.
.
I am a very concerned parent with a school aged child in OUSD. I ask you reject the adoption of this curriculum. This draft is not ready for OUSD. It includes references to antisemitic stereotypes and promotes prejudice against the state of Israel. It was revoked at the state level for good reason, we should wait until the draft is revised before accepting it.
Respectfully,
Ella Yanai
As an Oakland resident for 37 years, who sent two children to the Oakland public schools, I write to express the strongest possible opposition to the proposed ethnic studies curriculum. There is a reason why, after the proposed curriculum was reviewed closely at the state level, there was near-universal opposition to it: The curriculum is poorly thought out and promotes, rather than heals, racism among children. I urge the School Board to wait for the state to come forward with a new curriculum that cures the bias and hatred in the proposed curriculum.
Respectfully submitted,
David Goodwin
Dear Oakland School Board,
There is a reason this flawed curriculum is being reworked at the state level. Please be patient and vote No on the current Ethnic Studies Curriculum. Many elected officials, even the two lawmakers that proposed the Ethnic Studies course work at the state level, oppose the most recent draft, which should speak VOLUMES about the efficacy of that material. Oakland Tech already has an excellent Ethnic Studies course. Wouldn’t they be willing to share their materials within the district until the rewritten curriculum is ready from the state?
With great respect,
Joe Aamidor
This curriculum divides ethnicities rather than bringing people together, erases the Jewish experience, and spends an inordinate amount of time promoting boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel. It also leaves out dozens of ethnic groups who are part of the fabric of California, and is more agenda driven in general than critical thinking driven.
Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis said that "without significant edits, I fear that the draft ESMC would marginalize and promote discrimination against some of our most vulnerable populations.
As a long time Oakland resident and someone whose family immigrated directly to Oakland from Europe in the 1950s, I am appalled Oakland School Board is taking up this disastrous resolution to adopt the 2019 Ethnic Studies Curriculum that was rejected by the State Legislature, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, and even the two legislators who proposed the original bill that Ethnic Studies be a requirement in California, Assemblymen Luis Alejo and Jose Medina.
This curriculum divides ethnicities rather than bringing them together, erases key ethnic experiences, and spends an inordinate amount of time promoting boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel. It also leaves out dozens of ethnic groups who are part of the fabric of California.
I implore you to oppose this resolution that seems very agenda driven.
As a healthcare worker and resident of Oakland, I know that an education that validates and uplifts the real, lived experiences of students of color has profoundly positive impacts on the mental and physical well-being of all students. By the same token, an education that minimizes and disappears those same experiences has profoundly traumatic impacts on students of color.
Ethnic Studies has always been about empowering students of color who are marginalized by our current curricula. White students benefit tremendously from having critical conversations about race and learning about white privilege. The holocaust, anti-semitism, and the lives of Jewish Americans are included in the ethnic studies curriculum and is already included in other OUSD curriculum spanning many grades. So this divisive controversy that has come up is only to harm students of color. Please don't let them and their education be wasted yet again.
Please reject the adoption of this curriculum. This early draft is not ready for OUSD. It omits significant portions of Jewish history and includes references to antisemitic stereotypes. Please delay the adoption of this work-in-progress curriculum to allow legislators and drafters time to revise it.
I encourage and support ethnic studies as a curriculum, however I strongly object to the particulars of the curriculum because of the harmful rhetoric and anti-Semitic tone that will affect many members of the Oakland and OUSD community. I am Mexican American and as a POC I have first hand experience with hurtful and harmful teachings of ethnic groups. It’s dangerous as we all see the POTUS speak horribly about brown people and the violence and racism it causes. I am a mother of three Jewish Mexican children. My husband is jewish. Two of my kids are OUSD students. There have been several incidents in Oakland where my family felt afraid of anti-Semitic behavior. My kids attended jewish preschool here in Oakland and experienced OPD coming into the preschool to make sure the kids were safe. A scary experience. Teaching old stereotypes of Jews is shameful should not be given light when it comes to educating our youth. Please wait to see future revised editions.
I am horrified that in an institution where we want our children to emerge as logical, thoughtful and well informed citizens that you are promoting a curriculum that teaches opinion as fact. It doesn’t matter how you couch it. You have left out information on many different ethnicities while at the same time painting Israel and Jews in a wholly unfavorable and inaccurate light. I thought we had evolved from this. I was taught that Columbus discovered America and that the missionaries helped to take care of the natives they encountered. We now know that was nonsense. don’t perpetuate the teaching of prejudice and inaccuracies. Thank you.
I oppose resolution 1920-0246. I support Ethnic Studies and AB-2016, the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum bill. The resolution in question, however, is not about supporting Ethnic Studies. Rather, it proposes to preempt the final version of the curriculum and asks the Oakland School Board to approve an early draft that was rejected by the state. Last summer, Governor Newsom, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, the state legislature as well as many others recognized the harm this early version could cause to our collective community, as many ethnic groups represented in our state and in our classrooms do not appear in the pages of this curriculum. One of the many ethnicities excluded are Jewish Americans, as was noted with great concern by 14 members of the California legislature in July.
They reported that this same draft "erases the Jewish experience," "fails to discuss antisemitism," "reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews." Please reject resolution 1920-0246.
Dear Oakland Board members,
As a member of the Bay area community and an Indian-American born into a Hindu family, I urge you to adopt the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. As a high school student in California, I experienced xenophobic and Islamaphobic bullying and harassment on the basis of my perceived identity. I believe that an ethnic studies curriculum like this one would have fostered the equitable educational environment that my peers of color and I needed. The curriculum would have furthered allowed us to see ourselves in history and better understand other forms of structural marginalization and oppression. While engaging with ethnic studies curricula in college was life altering, it came too late in my life. Adoption of this curriculum at OUSD would substantially alter the lives of thousands of young students.
I urge you to vote to approve the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. The time to support the creation of a better world for students of color is now!
Malhar Shah
It is imperative that Oakland implements ethnic studies because this city is a diverse place. There are so many people of different ethnicities that never get the chance to learn anything about their own culture. Ethnic studies allows people to become comfortable with their identity and become one with themselves. We never get the chance to learn about our culture because we only learn about white history, and when we learn about people of color it is almost always about some terrible even that happened to them. This causes a warped perception of our people because this is what we are told in school. Ethnic studies will help students become better people because it allows them to be comfortable with their identity, which will help students love themselves more.
I can not believe that Oakland would move ahead with a curriculum that divides ethnic groups instead of brings them together, when the voices of those groups have spoken loudly about how this curriculum will harm them.
It doesn't matter who has MORE objections. Support equity and inclusion and do NOT adopt this curricula!!
I am a student of color at Fremont High School and I deserve to see myself in my school
curriculum. OUSD and the State of California should include Arab American, Pacific Islander and Central American Studies in the curriculum.
Ethnic Studies is important to me because I can learn about different stories, history, culture and it is a fun subject to have.
We need to be able to learn about each other, our peers, and all of our communities for a better Oakland. Please move the resolution forward and vote yes! The California Department of Education needs to know that Oakland will not stand for censorship. Please don’t let them censor me and my community!
Thanks,
Miella Enriquez / Student of Fremont HS
I am a student of color at Fremont high school I deserve to see myself in my school
curriculum. OUSD and the State of California should include Arab American, Pacific Islander and Central American Studies in the curriculum.
[Ethnic/Pacific Islander/Arab American/Central American Studies] is important to me because they get treated so wrongly and differentlythan others and its not fair to them.
We need to be able to learn about each other, our peers, and all of our communities for a better Oakland. Please move the resolution forward and vote yes! The California Department of Education needs to know that Oakland will not stand for censorship. Please don’t let them censor me and my community!
Thank You