__SALUTATION__

Last week, I wrote a letter in opposition to the California Board of Education's draft of the Ethnic Studies Curriculum.

This draft concerned me for several reasons:

1. The omission of Jews as an ethnic group and of anti-Semitism as a form of bias and prejudice.
2. The negative stereotypes of Jews and Israel.
3. The inclusion of, and support for, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which presents a single, divisive viewpoint on a complex issue. 
4. The definition of capitalism as a system of oppression.

Ethnic Studies is of vital importance, and we must get it right. I am in full support of the goal of alleviating prejudice and bigotry and supporting inclusion, empathy and critical thinking. The draft of the Ethnic Studies Curriculum doesn't do this and I have urged the Instructional Quality Commission to revise and re-evaluate it.

Our education leaders listened to the thousands of Californians who spoke out against the proposal and decided that the curriculum will undergo substantial revisions because it currently "falls short." The board is scheduled to approve a final version of the curriculum by March. I appreciate all of your comments on this topic and any other local or state issue.

If you would like to read my letter in its entirety, click here.

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Sincerely,

Yours faithfully,


Cottie Petrie-Norris
California State Assemblywoman, AD74

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