A California Assembly bill that would set standards for teachers on how to teach ethnic studies in high schools is making its way through the Legislature with the hope that the state Board of Education will adopt it by 2028.
“It would also create what’s called a framework, which describes teaching practices and presents example lessons to use in ethnic studies,” Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) said. “It would align curricular material. So, it’s a very robust bill that it’s meant to provide support for teachers and to fulfill the promise of AB [Assembly Bill] 101, which is to ensure that ethnic studies is taught to all high schoolers.”
Addis and fellow Assembly members Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) and Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) introduced AB 1468 in February. With 31 authors, the bill now awaits referral to the Education Committee.
If it passed, AB 1468 would require that the state Board of Education establish content standards for ethnic studies like it does for other important subject areas. The bill would mean that agencies like school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools must submit proposed ethnic studies curricula to the California Department of Education.
Academic experts in African American, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino/Chicano, and Native American studies, along with representatives from these communities and others often targeted by hate crimes would be part of a governor-appointed advisory committee, according to AB 1468.
“I believe that ethnic studies is important for children in California because it allows children to see themselves reflected in the curriculum, as well as learn about accurate information about others, which build empathy and belonging, particularly at a time when Trump is attacking the stories and the humanness of California,” Addis said. “He is trying to erase entire groups of people.”
President Donald Trump announced a whirlwind of immigration orders as soon as he assumed office on Jan. 20, targeting those suspected of being in the country without authorization. Protests erupted on the Central Coast and across the nation against the Trump administration and its policies.
In such a climate, Addis—a former special education teacher—told New Times that it’s important to uplift ethnic studies in California schools.
Legislators introduced the bill four years after California approved AB 101, which allowed high school curricula to include stories about the state’s ethnic minorities. But the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum created soon after AB 101’s passing faced criticism for lacking the state-approved content standards that guide other academic subjects. Arguments broke out over which ethnic groups should be included and whether ethnic studies should be taught through “an ideological or fact-based lens,” according to a 2023 memo from the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism.
AB 1468 hopes to fill this gap, but a group of pro-Palestine supporters question Addis’ involvement in recent education bills.
A press release on AB 1468 from the Assembly member’s office stated that the absence of clear standards for ethnic studies resulted in “harmful, antisemitic environments for Jewish students and families.”
“That may be, I don’t know the statistics, but here’s the problem with that assertion,” Morro Bay resident Carolyn Krueger of the Central Coast Antiwar Coalition said. “For something to qualify as antisemitism is rather easier than many of us believe it should be … as opposed to anti-Islamic or anti-Palestinian incidents have been shown to be under-reported because there’s intimidation of our Islamic community.”
The FBI Crime Data Explorer‘s numbers from 2023—the most recent available year—showed 1,757 reported instances of hate crimes in California. Fifty percent of those hate crimes were based on race, ethnicity, and/or ancestry. Crimes against Black people topped the chart at 462 reports and anti-Jewish crimes came second at 271. Crimes against Muslims were in 10th place, comprising 44 of total reported hate incidents in 2023. The data also showed 24 instances of anti-Arab hate crimes.
“For many Jews, fears intensified after Oct. 7, 2023, when some ethnic studies curriculum and instruction contractors glorified Hamas and the violence committed that day,” the AB 1468 press release states. “While the Jewish community is currently experiencing the consequences of the lack of standards and infusion of bias into ethnic studies, other vulnerable communities are at risk of facing similar situations if standards are not swiftly implemented.”
The press release from Assembly members doesn’t mention Muslim and Arab communities, but Addis said there’s room to include the Arab American experience.
“There are numerous lessons within what’s called the model curriculum that was created in 2016 to cover that content,” Addis told New Times. “But I will say, any content that is covered should be done in an unbiased way, and teachers cannot bring their own political opinions into the classroom—that’s well established.” Since Oct. 10, 2024, Krueger and a small group of people have been holding a “vigil for Palestine” in front of Addis’ Santa Rosa Street office in SLO almost every Thursday evening.
Addis’ office contacted New Times after the publication of this story to clarify that the model curriculum was created in 2021.
In a letter to New Times on Feb. 21, Krueger said that the demonstrations speak out against Addis’ involvement—both directly and indirectly—in two other education bills. The anti-war coalition believes the bills were designed with pressure from pro-Israel groups.
The first, Senate Bill 1277 that was signed into law last October, establishes the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education to create a statewide teacher professional development program on genocide for local school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools. The California Legislative Jewish Caucus introduced SB 1277. Addis, the caucus’s vice chair, didn’t work on the bill.
The second bill is the defeated AB 2918 that Addis and Zbur introduced last year. It would have required local educational agencies to ensure that ethnic studies courses are created in conjunction with certain stakeholders before adopting them.
Addis told New Times that AB 1468 isn’t a reintroduction of AB 2918 but a separate bill focused on setting standards.
Members of the anti-war coalition also spoke against the bills before the SLO County Office of Education board and at San Luis Coastal Unified and Lucia Mar school districts’ board meetings.
Addis responded to New Times‘ request for comment on the local protests with a written statement.
“I firmly believe in First Amendment free speech—a fundamental right that I peacefully exercised as a community organizer and co-founder of the Women’s March in [SLO] for the duration of the first Trump administration,” she said. “As a public school educator, I fought to create welcoming and affirming environments for students with special needs, English learners, and immigrant communities with whom I worked. I also stood up for teachers as a union leader. I know students must see themselves accurately reflected in their curriculum. I also know teachers must be supported and provided clear guidance when asked to teach complex issue.” Δ
Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
Clarification: Dawn Addis’ office contacted New Times after publication to clarify that AB 1468 would require the state Board of Education to set content standards for ethnic studies just like it does for other important subject areas. Additionally, special education entities aren’t included in the bill when it comes to submitting proposed ethnic studies curricula to the state Department of Education.
This article appears in Mar 6-16, 2025.
This is up to the district and the will of the parents in that district. We don’t need more bureaucrats dictating curriculum.
In defense of the bill, Addis argues “strong clear standards will prevent hate from taking root.” Ethnic studies as a discipline, however, has never been about “hate” but rather about providing students with the tools to not only tell their own stories, but also critically examine the society in which they live. At the current moment, such tools are more vital than ever.
The mandate for uniform teaching standards may sound reasonable at first blush, but a more studied look suggests the bill’s authors need to go back to class to learn more about ethnic studies.
This headline of this article is a bit misleading, as this article mainly quotes Addis and gives very little explanation of the many valid critiques of AB 1648. AB 1648 restricts ethnic studies to the “domestic experience” of marginalized people, in complete opposition to the original, grassroots spirit of ethnic studies.
What purpose does restricting to “domestic experience” serve?
First off, it disrespects the Indigenous people who were critical to the emergence of this discipline. This restriction legitimizes the colonial boundaries of the US, which, for example, arbitrarily divide the Kumeyaay people into “Americans” (a domestic group) and “Mexicans” (a ‘foreign’ group), and which similarly divide the Ojibwe people into “Americans” and “Canadians.”
But furthermore, how can we tell the stories of our Filipino American communities without talking about the imperialism that has forced millions to become “Overseas Filipino Workers”?
How can we tell the stories of our Guatemalan American communities without discussing the US-backed coup d’etat, and ensuing civil war, which directly led to the economic and social conditions that drove many Guatemalans to move here?
How can we tell the stories of our Palestinian American communities without discussing how they became refugees?
Restricting ethnic studies to the “domestic experience” is a bad faith attempt to silence perspectives that AB 1648’s authors do not like.
What a shame to waste an opportunity to discuss the True Issue and the negative effect having the ADL in our classrooms.
Instead we were given Addis’s PR talking points. I guess the author didn’t want to acknowledge the possibility of ‘Open Discussion’. After all that is what will be required by Educators and Students. AB 1648, Oh, I better not say anything. And besides the Assembly Person is getting a lot of mileage out of the Women’s March thing. Addis, “…I also know teachers must be supported and provided clear guidance when asked to teach complex issue.” And she is the one to direct the guidance. I fear the removal of discussion on the current Atrocities happening in Palestine.