California becomes first state to mandate high school ethnic studies course

California is now the first state to require students to take an ethnic studies course to graduate from high school.

Govt. Gavin NewsomGavin Newsom California Becomes First State To Ban “Stealth Theft” Overnight Energy & Environment: White House To Restore Parts Of Environmental Protection Law Lifted By Trump Equilibrium / Sustainability – Presented By American Petroleum Institute – NASA to Unleash ‘Planetary Defense’ Technology Against Asteroid PLUS (D) on Friday signed Assembly Bill 101, which requires local education agencies and charter schools that serve students in grades 9 to 12 to offer a one-semester ethnic studies course from the 2025-2026 school year, the governor’s office said. in a report.

The legislation also obliges students to take such a course starting with the 2029-2030 class.

In a letter announcing the signing, Newsom said that ethnic studies classes “allow students to learn their own stories and those of their classmates” and “improve long-term student outcomes, especially among students. students of color “.

“America is shaped by our common history, much of it painful and marked by dire injustice,” he wrote. “Students deserve to see themselves in their studies, and they must understand the whole history of our country if we are to expect them to ever build a more just society.”

Friday’s signing comes after five years of scrutiny of the bill. Newsom rejected an almost identical version last year because he wanted the ethnic studies curriculum guide to be more inclusive, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The California Board of Education adopted a model ethnic studies curriculum in March that focuses on African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Indigenous peoples, according to the Associated Press.

The program would also include lesson plans on American Jews, American Arabs, American Sikhs, and American Armenians.

California law comes amid a push by conservatives to limit teaching of certain topics surrounding race, including critical race theory.

The theory, which was developed decades ago, examines the role that institutional racism played in the founding of the nation. Several states have considered or enacted legislation prohibiting it.