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With the Mountain View Los Altos High School District considering shortening its required ethnic studies course just two years after implementing it, nearly 30 community members showed up to a meeting this week to voice their concerns and provide input.
At a Monday, Oct. 13 study session, school board members talked about potential changes to the district’s current ethnic studies set up, which was implemented in 2023 as a required, full-year course for every freshman. Prior to the board’s discussion, however, they listened to more than an hour of public comment, with roughly half of the speakers expressing strong support for the existing class and the other half urging the board to consider alternatives.
Los Altos High School history teacher Marta Heiken, alongside some parents and students, spoke in support of keeping the ethnic studies requirement as is, arguing that the current structure of the class gives students time to think deeply about topics and develop skills that prepare them to be thoughtful and successful members of the community. Dismantling the course without a clear rationale, according to Heiken, would risk the loss of something that’s already working.
“I ask that we slow down, reflect on the purpose behind any proposed change and stay focused on our shared interests in creating a ninth grade experience that truly supports every student’s growth and readiness for the opportunities and challenges they may encounter in high school,” Heiken said.
In contrast, Eron Tamari, the parent of two Los Altos High School freshmen, was among those who asked the board to reevaluate the course and consider making it an elective that students could choose whether to take. He has followed what his kids are learning about in ethnic studies and raised concerns about the rigor of the class and whether or not it contains “academic depth and balance.”
“The topics are being taught, in my opinion, in a superficial way that oversimplifies complex human experiences, rather than helping students analyze and understand them more deeply,” Tamari said.
For the past several years, ethnic studies has been a hot topic in California, causing heated debates over the course and its content. The state Legislature passed a law back in 2021 to require districts to offer at least one semester of ethnic studies starting this school year, but lawmakers failed to allocate money for the course, meaning the mandate hasn’t taken effect. Districts can still opt to offer the class.
Board members weigh in on future of ethnic studies in MVLA
At Monday’s meeting, Superintendent Eric Volta presented several options for review in hopes that board members would eliminate some ahead of their next meeting on Oct. 27. The proposals included getting rid of ethnic studies and replacing it with another social studies class, turning it into an optional elective, shortening it to a one-semester requirement or keeping the course as is.
Board members were at odds over whether or not the course should remain a full year or be shortened to a semester. However, whatever the length, they agreed that ethnic studies should stay a requirement, opting to remove the choices that would eliminate it entirely or make it an elective.
Board member Vadim Katz opposed keeping the class as a year-long requirement, noting that the state mandate is “dead” and that it isn’t needed for college admissions. However, he rejected the idea of making ethnic studies an elective because he thinks doing so would “defeat the purpose” of the class.
“If the purpose of the course is to have a diverse population of students, then you need to have all of the students take the course,” Katz said.
In agreement with Katz, fellow trustee Catherine Vonnegut said that she also doesn’t want to see the course become an elective. Whatever the class’s length, she wants it to remain a requirement.
Board member Alex Levich said that it’s important for students to have a class that helps them understand one another, but that they also need academic flexibility and courses that challenge them. With that in mind, she favored changing ethnic studies to a semester-long requirement.
In contrast, board member Thida Cornes expressed a strong desire to keep ethnic studies as a year-long graduation requirement. She said the class aligns with the board’s goal of “cultivating a respectful, caring school climate that promotes wellness, inclusion and self-expression.”
Similarly, board President Esmeralda Ortiz said that the course should remain required but did not specify whether she favors the year-long or semester-long option.
The board is expected to revisit the topic at its Oct. 27 meeting, where the trustees may take a formal vote on the course’s future or could opt to request more information from district administrators, Volta told the Voice after Monday’s meeting.
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One semester optional is fine. If that’s what students want. That’s how it was in my day. A year of required course? That’s wokeism. It’s unconstitutional. And it’s robbing kids of the education they deserve. Keep your politics out of the classroom.