A California school district is promoting a black-only parent meeting that calls for black parents to have a larger influence on the curriculum that is taught in schools.
The Val Verde Unified School District is promoting a seven-part black-only event for parents to share their experiences and give input into how the district should alter its curriculum. The segregated events will take place throughout the spring 2021 academic year.
According to fliers obtained by The Daily Wire, the first meeting allowed parents to air their grievances with the school district and explain their “lived experiences.” The second meeting focused on putting those feelings into attainable goals and change.
“After a deep dive into the feel of our community and the challenges faced within the district, it is time to evaluate and share with the Cabinet and those in positions who can actually create change tailored to your collective needs and demands,” the flyer reads. “Let’s not sugarcoat what you need or want to see change.”
The third event told parents that their input would help the school district make changes to the curriculum and programs currently being offered. “We also desire to learn about any specific programs you believe would be most effective to your child’s academic success or potentially adjust programs currently offered,” the flyer reads.
The events have been promoted by the school, though they are run and operated by Oliver Petty, a California activist.
According to a Val Verde Unified School District teacher — who wishes to remain anonymous — the district is already embedding ethnic studies classes into 11th-grade U.S. History classes and 10th-grade literature classes. The teacher claims that the district is changing the name of “U.S. History” class to “Race and Gender in U.S. History.”
Documents obtained by The Daily Wire reveal the new themes for the upcoming “Race and Gender in U.S. History” course. The class is broken down into four themes, culture, barriers/social stratification, bias, and activism.
The first theme focuses on “culture” where students “will look at the nature of race, ethnicity, class, gender, language, societal norms, and values as methods for the development of a self and/or cultural identity.”
The second theme focuses on barriers for certain racial groups and social stratification. “Students will explore how economic inequalities and social stratification can lead to barriers and issues of unequal power within a society,” the proposed learning plan reads.
The focus question for the “barriers/social stratification” theme asks students, “how do disenfranchised individuals resist against unjust societal norms and/or laws?”
The third theme is “bias” and asks students to learn about and “understand the concept of institutionalized biases and how they lead to social inequalities.” This will likely encompass lessons on institutionalized racism and oppression as well.
The final theme is activism. “Students will develop civics oriented projects to address social inequalities that exist within their local communities,” the curriculum reads. “Students will be encouraged to promote social awareness and social activism.”
The listed focus words for the “activism” portion of the curriculum include “civil disobedience” and “social activism.”
The Val Verde Unified School District and superintendent did not respond to multiple requests for comment.