Agendas posted outside the Riverside Adult School auditorium before Thursday's RUSD board meeting where the ethnic studies graduation requirement was discussed.
The Riverside Unified School District Board of Education voted against eliminating its ethnic studies graduation requirement Thursday night after facing community opposition, leaving in place a policy the district adopted four years before California made it a statewide mandate.
Dr. Noemi Hernandez Alexander moved the item from action to discussion after learning it had been scheduled for a vote, preventing staff from proceeding with a recommendation to remove the requirement.
"We're not trying to make a movida, we're trying to avoid a movida," Hernandez Alexander said, using Spanish slang for a sneaky maneuver that had been introduced earlier in the meeting by a community member. "We wanted to make sure that this wasn't happening underneath us."
Dr. Daniel Sosa, assistant superintendent of instructional services, had recommended tying the district's requirement to state funding. The legislature did not allocate the funds, leaving the state requirement unfunded, according to Sosa.
California became the first state to require ethnic studies for high school graduation when Gov. Newsom signed AB 101 in October 2021. The law, authored by then-Assemblymember Jose Medina — a former RUSD teacher now serving on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors — required schools to offer ethnic studies by 2025-26 and mandate it for graduation starting with the Class of 2030.
But the law required legislative funding that never materialized. Newsom's 2025-26 budget excluded the estimated $272-276 million needed statewide, suspending the mandate.
Without state funding, districts have taken different approaches. Some districts like Los Angeles Unified have maintained local requirements, while others including Palo Alto and San Francisco have eliminated or paused programs. According to Trustee Brent Lee, 18 of 23 school districts in Riverside County do not have ethnic studies as a graduation requirement.
RUSD implemented ethnic studies as a graduation requirement in September 2020, following a board resolution on inclusive practices. The district had offered ethnic studies courses for well over 15 years, beginning with three courses before expanding to six following the 2020 board resolution. Current offerings include Native American Studies and Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies.
Community Opposition
"Even among the most resistant students, the thing that I hear the most at the end is I wish I would have learned this sooner," said Dr. Irene Sanchez, an ethnic studies professor. "Why didn't they teach us this in high school?"
Jasmine Rocha, a RUSD alumna, said ethnic studies provides skills for the modern workforce. "Critical thinking skills are important these days in the world where artificial intelligence and you don't know what you're looking at," she said.
Anthony Noriega, district director for the League of United Latin American Citizens, strongly opposed the change. "This item was originally scheduled as a discussion item. Then like magic, it was converted into an action item," he said, calling the move a "procedural manipulation."
Several speakers noted ethnic studies courses emerged from decades of advocacy dating to 1968 student movements.
"Making ethnic studies optional rather than required sends a clear message that understanding the histories, contributions and lived experiences of our diverse communities is expendable," said Marla Mateen, who served on the district's ethnic studies advisory committee.
Board Response
Sosa explained that upcoming state requirements for English language development and financial literacy courses would further constrain student schedules in the six-period day. "The more requirements that we have for students, the less options then that they can take," Sosa said, noting the district offers a "pantheon of options" including science courses, career technical education, and visual and performing arts classes. The district currently requires 220 credits for graduation, compared to the state's 130-credit minimum.
During the discussion portion of the meeting, Trustee Dale Kinnear questioned the rationale for the proposed change. "Never once in this whole process did I ever hear from this board or district administration that its implementation was too costly," Kinnear said. "Never once did I hear that the requirement was dependent on extra funding from the state."
Trustee Lee questioned whether staff had consulted with teachers, principals and the ethnic studies advisory committee before making the recommendation. Sosa confirmed input was gathered from stakeholders.
Trustee Amanda Vickers suggested exploring ways to integrate ethnic studies concepts into existing history and English courses.
"I don't think here we're actually talking about removing this from our education system at all," Vickers said.
Lee emphasized the need for broader stakeholder engagement. "I think we just need to slow down a little bit, get some input," he said. "Let's talk to the ethnic studies teachers. Let's do some data collection from the kids who have already taken it."
The board took no action on the item, leaving the current graduation requirement in place. Board President Hernandez Alexander closed the discussion by emphasizing ethnic studies' connection to district values and the community's investment in the curriculum. The board will continue discussions with additional input from students, teachers and community members.
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