Wrong Decision by School Board in Northern California to Utilize ‘Liberated’ Ethnic Studies Curriculum

By Oleg Ivanov
StandWithUs 

SAN FRANCISCO — StandWithUs condemns the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) board’s decision to approve a $90,000 contract with Community Responsive Education (CRE) – a consultant that promotes “liberated” ethnic studies in K-12 schools.

We are also deeply concerned that the district used a California Department of Education (CDE) anti-bias grant to pay for this contract, even though the purpose of these CDE grants included fighting antisemitism. While PVSUD insists that its curriculum is free of bigotry, multiple school board members fueled hostility towards the Jewish community during the debate over this ethnic studies contract.

CDE grants that were meant to fight hatred against Jews should never be used to pay consultants who have promoted antisemitism, anti-Israel narratives, and other forms of bias. PVUSD’s promises about their curriculum are of little comfort, considering ​the ignorance displayed by multiple district leaders. We have received many reports of misinformation and hate being taught ‘under the radar’ in ethnic studies courses, and will use all tools at our disposal to prevent this from happening in PVUSD.

CRE is an official member and co-founder of the Coalition for Liberated Ethnic Studies, a group that openly celebrated the atrocities Hamas committed on October 7th. The founder of CRE co-chaired the committee that wrote the first draft of California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC), which was rejected by the State Board of Education (SBE), CDE, and Governor because it promoted bias and bigotry.

She co-wrote an article, which says that “studying Israeli settler colonialism in comparison to US settler colonialism” is “at the heart of… Ethnic Studies.” This dehumanizing narrative erases 3,000 years of the Jewish people’s history, identity, and connection to their ancestral home in Israel. CRE is also consulting for Jefferson Union High School District (JUHSD), whose ethnic studies course promotes that same bias and bigotry. According to the head of CRE, “schools are battlefields where war is waged.”

PVUSD, based in Watsonville, California, previously used an ethnic studies grant from the California state government to sign contracts with CRE in 2021 and 2022. A similar contract came up for a vote in 2023, but was rejected after PVUSD community members raised concerns about antisemitism. “Liberated” ethnic studies activists then launched a campaign demanding that the district ignore the Jewish community and continue paying CRE, which resulted in antisemitic harassment targeting a Jewish school board member. The district gave in partly due to the election of new board members who support “liberated” ethnic studies in November, 2024.

In March and April, 2025, PVUSD board members publicly demonized Israel, smeared prominent Jewish organizations, exploited a small minority of Jewish voices to dismiss concerns about antisemitism, engaged in ageism, and made ignorant comments about Jewish “economic power” and “privilege.” No other board members or district leaders spoke up to challenge this hate and bias.

District staff said they would create a “community committee” on ethnic studies with “differing viewpoints” represented, to help keep antisemitism out of the curriculum. However, part of the district’s new ethnic studies contract pays CRE $50,000 to “support” and “guide” the development of this committee, raising further doubts about the district’s promises. The $90,000 contract with CRE also comes shortly after the district decided to lay off up to 60 teachers and staff members.

Schools should not be battlefields in any war, let alone one targeting the Jewish community, especially at a time when antisemitism is rising to crisis levels across California.  It is now the responsibility of PVUSD and California state agencies to ensure that the anti-Jewish sentiments of board members and their chosen contractor do not result in any form of bias or bigotry within the district.