Perris Union trustees table districtwide ethnic studies adoption to gather more information

Trustees at the Perris Union High School District meeting on March 11 voted to table consideration of a districtwide ethnic studies course that staff has piloted and seeks to designate as meeting A–G and CalGETC requirements.

"I would like to motion to table this to gather more information, on the program, the costs, and go from there," Trustee Campos said during discussion, citing concerns about program costs, curriculum materials and the need for a fuller review before districtwide adoption.

District staff, led in discussion by Dr. Higgins, described a two‑year pilot already in place with seven sections across several high schools and said there is no ongoing added cost to the general fund for the sections as they fit within the existing master schedule. Staff said initial implementation and materials were paid with one‑time grant funding of about $227,000 that covered professional development and class sets.

Staff provided enrollment counts: two sections at Heritage (reported at 36 and 35 students), one at Liberty (36), two at Paloma Valley (32 and 35), one at Perris (25) and one small section at an online academy. The pilot class, staff said, was recently approved for dual enrollment through Cal State San Bernardino and will be weighted similarly to other dual‑enrollment courses.

Despite staff assurances about the pilot and dual‑enrollment approval, trustees requested additional information on program scope, which electives (if any) were collapsed to make room in the master schedule, the grade distribution of enrolled students, and a review of curriculum materials after some trustees raised concerns about bias in videos and content shared in the packet.

After discussion, the board voted 5–0 to table the item and asked staff to return with the requested data and clarifications at the April meeting.

What it means: Tabling preserves the pilot and allows trustees time to review curriculum and policy, while staff continue the two‑year pilot at participating schools pending a future decision.