EGUSD Trustee fails to schedule public hearing on Ethnic Studies graduation requirement

Elk Grove Unified School District Trustee Heidi Moore attempted and failed to schedule a public hearing on a new high school graduation requirement at last night's Board of Trustees meeting. The item had been placed on the agenda's consent calendar.

The inclusion of the new graduation requirement is necessitated by the passage of California Assembly Bill 100. That legislation dictates that high school students complete at least one course in ethnic studies as a graduation requirement. The legislation was signed into law in September 2021 and will take effect for the class of 2030. This means students who enter high school from the 2025 - 2026 school year onward must complete an approved ethnic studies course before graduating.

During her plea to have the item removed from the consent calendar and placed on a future agenda as a public hearing, Moore called the requirement controversial and said the trustees should hold a public hearing so parents would be better informed. She also discussed the financial implications, noting that it is an unfunded mandate.

While Moore, who ran for office last year on a conservative platform, did not say she objected to the inclusion of ethnic studies in the district's curriculum, conservative education activists have long criticized similar programs. Their objections typically center on concerns that such courses promote identity politics and a revisionist view of history that, in their opinion, undermines traditional American values.

Moore's entire commentary can be viewed in the video below.

After her comments, her motion to remove it from the consent calendar died after none of her six colleagues seconded the motion.