A bill moving through the Minnesota Legislature could affect how would require all public school grads to complete ethnic studies course is handled in Landfall.
Students beginning high school in the 2025-2026 school year would be required to “successfully complete a semester-long ethnic studies course to graduate from high school.” Authored by Rep.
Samantha Sencer-Mura, DFL-Minneapolis, the bill defines ethnic studies as “the critical and interdisciplinary study of race, ethnicity, and indigeneity with a focus on the experiences and perspectives of people of color within and beyond the United States.” “Ethnic studies analyzes the ways in which race and racism have been and continue to be powerful social, cultural, and political forces, and the connection of race to other groups of stratification, including gender, class, sexuality, religion, and legal status,” it says.
Students beginning high school in the 2025-2026 school year would be required to “successfully complete a semester-long ethnic studies course to graduate from high school.” Additionally, the bill states that “school districts and charter schools must provide ethnic studies instruction in elementary schools and middle schools by the 2027-2028 school year in accordance with state academic standards.” The bill would also require the Minnesota Department of Education to hire “dedicated ethnic studies staff” and develop a model curriculum.
Other states such as California have pushed for teaching ethnic studies in public schools.
Manuel Rustin, a high school teacher in Pasadena, helped draft the state’s “Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.” “Ethnic studies without critical race theory is not ethnic studies.
It would be like a science class without the scientific method then.
There is no critical analysis of systems of power and experiences of these marginalized groups without critical race theory,” he said.
As the measure advances, residents of Landfall can follow amendments and contact Tou Xiong regarding the final language.
Article Source: Alpha News: “Bill would require all public school grads to complete ethnic studies course ”
