Ethnic Studies and Undocumented Student Information

Legislative update from CSBA: Ethnic studies still a hot topic

Policy committees in the Assembly and Senate reached a key deadline on April 30 to hear bills that originated in their house. The next step is for the Appropriations committees in each house to consider bills that will have a fiscal impact on the state. As the 2021–22 legislative session moves forward, ethnic studies has remained a priority. The following are key bills on this issue that CSBA is following:

• Assembly Bill 101 (Medina, D-Riverside) would add the completion of a one-semester course in ethnic studies to high school graduation requirements, beginning with the class of 2029–30. The bill would also require local educational agencies, including charter schools, to offer an ethnic studies course beginning with the 2025–26 school year. This bill was passed by the Assembly Education Committee on April 7 and is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. CSBA Position: Support if amended. CSBA is seeking amendments to provide the funding necessary to address the cost of increasing student coursework.
• AB 1039 (Nguyen, R-Westminster) would extend the timeline for the Instructional Quality Commission to develop and submit model curricula relative to the Vietnamese American refugee experience, the Cambodian genocide, and Hmong history and cultural studies to the State Board of Education, and for the SBE to adopt, modify or revise or reject the curriculum by March 31, 2027. This bill was passed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on April 14 and is currently waiting for a vote on the Assembly floor. CSBA Position: Support
• AB 1554 and Assembly Constitutional Amendment 6 (Ramos, D-Highland) would require the social studies curriculum for grades three, four, eight and 11 to include significant material on the history and culture of California Native Americans. AB 1554 is currently in the Assembly Committee on Education and ACA 6 is awaiting referral to committees. CSBA Position: Pending
• Senate Bill 693 (Stern, D-Canoga Park) would establish the Governor’s Council on Genocide and Holocaust Education to develop best practices to facilitate the instruction on genocide and the Holocaust, and identify available resources that are aligned to the best practices and programs and resources to train. The bill also requires the California Department of Education to make available the best practices and approved lessons, resources and materials to support the integration of instruction on genocide and the Holocaust, and to conduct a voluntary study to assess the impact of instruction based on the best practices. This bill was passed by the Senate Education Committee on April 14 and is currently in the Senate Committee on Appropriations. CSBA Position: Pending
• AB 1040 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance) would require each community college district to offer courses in ethnic studies at each of its campuses beginning with the 2022–23 academic year. This bill was passed by the Assembly Higher Education Committee on April 8 and is now in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. CSBA Position: Tracking