The fight over ethnic studies in San Francisco public schools has moved from the classroom to the courthouse.
A nonprofit advocacy organization has sued the San Francisco Unified School District, alleging that district officials broke California’s open meeting laws when they approved a new ethnic studies curriculum set to become a graduation requirement, according to the SF Chronicle.
The complaint, brought by the Friends of Lowell Foundation, does not challenge the content of the course itself. Rather, the group says the school board failed to give the public clear notice that it planned to vote on curriculum materials for a class that will eventually be mandatory for every SFUSD high school student.
“This lawsuit is about process, because process is how the public keeps its schools accountable,” the organization said in a statement to the SF Chronicle. “Parents were never told, in plain language, that the District was about to decide what every fourteen-year-old in this city would be taught.”
Friends of Lowell Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Lowell High School and merit-based academic programs, had previously urged the district to undo the decision through a formal demand letter. After the school board declined, the group turned to the courts.
In its lawsuit, the organization is asking a California Superior Court judge to invalidate the board’s April 28 vote. It argues the action violated the Brown Act, the state law requiring public agencies to plainly describe agenda items before meetings so residents know what is being considered.
SFUSD’s website says the current ninth-grade ethnic studies course is designed for “students [to] examine concepts such as identity, power, beliefs and change and apply their learning through interactive projects such as auto-ethnographies, youth podcasting and action research.”
The year-long ethnic studies course at the center of the dispute would become required for students starting with the Class of 2029.
The lawsuit comes as ethnic studies continue to spark fierce debate across California. While supporters say the classes help students better understand diverse communities, cultures and historical injustices, critics argue some versions of the curriculum place too much emphasis on political activism.
The legal challenge has also ignited a heated conversation on social media, where commenters were quick to weigh in on both the curriculum and the lawsuit.
“Every student should take this class. It promotes inclusivity,” one user wrote. “My daughter took it and it was a great class, really helps them with critical thinking skills.”
Another commenter argued parents should leave curriculum decisions to educators.
“Parents should not be deciding on the curriculum. The professionals in this case is the school district,” the user wrote. “If every time a school district listened to ‘parent groups’ unhappiness it would take the kids twice the time to graduate. If you don’t like what’s going on, move or put your kids in private school.”
The online reaction underscores just how polarizing ethnic studies remains, even as more California school districts move toward making the course a graduation requirement. Now, the future of San Francisco Unified’s curriculum approval process will be decided in court.
