In response to community demands for diversity education, the San Marino Unified school board proposed a new ethnic studies course and curriculum changes during a special board meeting on Tuesday, June 23.
Jason Kurtenbach, executive director of Curriculum and Instruction and incoming principal of San Marino High School, presented a plan to implement curriculum and professional development in diversity and inclusion.
As initial steps, the district would administer implicit bias training for all district staff and restorative practices for students.
Kurtenbach proposed a schoolwide curriculum update for San Marino High, tentatively scheduled for launch in the 2021-2022 school year: developing a new ethnic studies course, diversifying senior literature options and enhancing courses in other departments to include contributions by marginalized groups in the discipline cannon.
He also discussed a required freshman seminar that would serve as an orientation to San Marino High combined with health and tolerance components.
“Having worked in education for over 20 years, I have had the opportunity to learn from many different individuals, schools and districts,” Kurtenback wrote in an email to this newsgroup.
“We hope to provide everyone in our community, especially our students, with ongoing learning and the skills necessary… to value the inherent dignity and humanity in everyone they meet and to become leaders who can participate fully in a diverse, complex global culture in a daily effort to end racism, xenophobia and hatred,” he wrote.
During a public comment, a recent graduate of San Marino High praised Kurtenbach’s plan but urged the school district to hold students accountable, referring to three current and former San Marino students involved in a hate message incident which catalyzed the curriculum changes.
The board clarified that even when students are disciplined for misconduct, the school district would protect students’ privacy, especially for minors.
Superintendent Jeff Wilson supported Kurtenbach’s proposal, which “has to be purposeful, and not just reactive,” Wilson said during the meeting.
“As we begin to unpack this and look at meeting the needs of our kids in very personal ways,” he said, “that means we’re including their lived experiences and their backgrounds and their cultures in their learning process.”
For this special meeting, the school board invited Sharon Harvey, Los Angeles County Office of Education’s employee development & project manager, to facilitate a discussion about diversity training and inclusive curriculum.
“Familiarity breeds empathy,” Harvey said during the discussion. “The decision to introduce (an ethnic studies) course will allow students to engage in critical thinking and make their decisions about the contributions of others.
“It will make some students incredibly proud, and it will bring enlightenment to some students.”
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