The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s Ethnic and Gender Studies Committee will begin developing course curriculum true to the committee’s name during the 2017-18 school year, according to a press release from the district.
District Superintendent Mark Richardson said in the release that the committee will create yearlong ethnic and gender studies courses that meet graduation and college entrance requirements. The courses wouldn’t be required, but they’d increase the diversity of course options for Righetti students.
“For example, a student might have the option of taking a standard United States history course or a U.S. history course with an ethnic and gender studies lens,” Richardson said in the release.
The committee is aiming to develop and implement ethnic and gender studies curriculum throughout the district over the next two years, according to the release, following recent California legislation that recommends high schools adopt ethnic and gender studies curriculum.
“There is no need to rush as this is a project that takes time,” district board member Diana Perez said in the release. “We have to evaluate all the impacts because this is a district-wide project. I hope that those that are impatient realize that we are not saying no. Rather, we are working on it and look forward to letting the community know about our progress.”
This article appears in Jun 8-15, 2017.