FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2025

JCRC Bay Area released the following statement today, calling on the San Francisco Unified School District to lift the Ethnic Studies graduation requirement and initiate a process to rebuild trust with the Jewish community:

While we appreciate SFUSD leadership’s efforts to address community concerns, with just weeks before classes begin, the district has not publicly shared an ethnic studies curriculum, nor adequately prepared and trained teachers for fall courses. A rushed and unprepared rollout of a new curriculum risks further harm to students and communities.

To protect students and rebuild community trust, JCRC is calling on SFUSD to lift the Ethnic Studies graduation requirement and initiate a thorough process to:

  • Ensure Jewish and other impacted communities’ concerns are thoroughly addressed in this proper review to regain trust.
  • Conduct a thorough, transparent curriculum selection process made publicly available to the community.
  • Lead comprehensive teacher preparation that meaningfully includes feedback from families and the broader community. 
  • Clarify vetting process for supplementary materials (materials outside the curriculum, such as topical news articles). 
  • Develop procedures to ensure proper administrative oversight of curriculum fidelity (adherence to the approved curriculum)

SFUSD is simply not prepared to implement a mandated ethnic studies course responsibly and inclusively at this time.

We continue to support high-quality, inclusive, and bias-free ethnic studies. We look forward to working with Superintendent Maria Su and SFUSD leadership to address our community concerns.

About JCRC

JCRC Bay Area is the largest collective voice of Bay Area Jews, working in pursuit of a more just world where Jewish identity is embraced and all people thrive. By building bridges and working in coalition with diverse ethnic, faith, political, and civic communities, we foster partnerships, provide meaningful educational and engagement opportunities, and build consensus for actionable solutions to real-world challenges. www.jcrc.org.