At a contentious meeting this week, the San Francisco Unified School District board approved the purchase of textbooks for its ethnic studies course as it seeks to move past a controversy over curriculum.
Some critics of the school district, including Jewish parents, expressed concerns that the new textbook, which serves as the anchor of a new, standardized “pilot” curriculum for the ethnic studies course, has not been made public. Others, including teachers and former students, voiced support for moving ahead with the course.
After hours of public comment and debate among board members, the board voted 5:2 to approve the purchase of the textbooks titled “Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey,” as well as other instructional materials.
The decision to buy the textbooks, published by Gibbs Smith Education, comes after the district board earlier this summer considered pausing its ethnic studies mandate altogether amid controversy over whether its materials were politically indoctrinating.
The district has faced fierce criticism from some parents, among them Jews, who felt some course materials were antisemitic or portrayed Israel and Zionism too negatively.
Tuesday evening’s public comments were generally divided among three groups: those who worry that the district is rolling out the new curriculum too quickly and without transparency or who oppose the ethnic-studies course in general; those who support the ethnic-studies course, want to keep it as a graduation requirement and/or approve of the new curriculum; and high school students who oppose keeping it as a graduation requirement, claiming it disrupts their class schedule and impedes their academic freedom.
“Please do not rush an ethnic studies curriculum that nobody has seen,” said Jared Boigon, the parent of a Lowell High School student. “You all have been really carefully restoring trust and credibility in the district’s damaged reputation after years of embarrassing mistakes.”
Another person who spoke over Zoom and identified himself as Jewish parent spoke in favor of the new curriculum and noted that ethnic studies was one of his child’s favorite courses.
“I want to stand with the overwhelming portion of students who have, in surveys, reported their exceptional support for ethnic studies,” he said.
In voting to approve the purchase, the district agreed to pay over $85,000 for 1,575 textbooks, according to a proposed invoice that the publisher submitted to the district on July 10.
One board member, Supriya Ray, who voted against the purchase, expressed concerns about transparency.
“I have asked multiple times for access to this curriculum, and even as a board member, I have not been given access to it. I find that absolutely astonishing,” Ray said.
SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su said at the meeting that the district cannot release the contents of the ethnic studies textbook in full on its website due to copyright restrictions.
The district will instead offer 30-minute “office hours” appointments during the first two weeks of August so people can read through the textbook in person.
The new school year begins Aug. 18.
J. viewed a PDF copy of a recent edition of an ethnic studies textbook whose design, chapter titles and inside pages match selections from the “Voices” textbook shared by SFUSD.
The PDF seen by J. is 189 pages long and divided into six units identical to the six units summarized in a link on SFUSD’s website describing the “Voices” textbook. Four units focus on minority groups: Indigenous studies, Black studies, Latino studies and Asian American and Pacific Islander studies. One unit is called “Understanding Race and Ethnicity.” Another is titled “Race and Ethnicity Today.”
The textbook discusses Jewish Americans in a two-page spread in the first unit, “Understanding Race and Ethnicity.” The textbook does not mention Israel or Palestinians.
The new textbook and curriculum mark the district’s latest attempt to remedy a longrunning conflict over the course, which focuses on racism, ethnicity and the culture and histories of people of color.
SFUSD has offered ethnic studies courses since as early as 2010, according to its website. In 2021, an introductory course became a graduation requirement, beginning with the class of 2028. The yearlong class is offered to freshmen, though students can now opt to take it in later years.
Viviane Safrin, who volunteers as an advocate for Jewish families in SFUSD, listed in a recent op-ed for J. the contents from select lessons in the district’s previous curriculum.
“One lesson described Zionism as colonialism, with Jews ‘decimating indigenous populations through foreign disease,” Safrin wrote. “Another lesson on the teacher resources portal had students role-playing Israeli soldiers herding Palestinians into refugee camps.” (J. obtained copies of both lessons referenced by Safrin.)
Carol Kocivar, a former volunteer with SFUSD’s Public Education and Enrichment Fund, told J. she was concerned with the lack of transparency in advance of the vote. She penned an op-ed this week in the Voice of San Francisco on the same topic.
“Even though the superintendent is establishing a process for review, it’s coming after the purchase, as opposed to before,” Kocivar told J. “That seems to turn the logic upside down.”