ACTION ALERT:
SDCOE Biased Resources Endanger Arab and Muslim Students and Families
Dear Arab and Muslim community,
The safety of our students and families is in danger and we must act now. The San Diego County Office of Education released an inflammatory resource guide for educators and families to discuss with students the “Events in Israel and Gaza” ahead of October 7th. We call for the immediate removal of this instructional resource page until the County fulfills its responsibilities to include accurate, unbiased content that reflects multiple perspectives based on sound research.
Over the last year, our community has been feeling the impact of an ongoing genocide, compounded by irresponsible media coverage, a rise in anti-Arab and Islamophobic violence and repression of Palestine advocates nationwide.
Our students in particular have been forced to navigate the weight of this active trauma while being assailed and silenced in schools by antagonistic peers and school administrators. The messages behind the current guide present a biased narrative full of anti-Arab/Muslim tropes, false assumptions and fabrications that compromise our students’ ability to learn, endure and thrive. Resource materials must accurately reflect the truthful history of our communities as well as the international and local impacts on our students. Resources should be accessible and provided to educators and students across San Diego County with the inclusion of psychological guidance to ensure educators are equipped to engage in thoughtful, critical discussions.
ACT NOW USING THE FOLLOWING EMAIL TEMPLATES
Send an Email to SD County Superintendent and Board Members:
https://tinyurl.com/emailcountyboard
Send an Email to SD County District Superintendents:
https://tinyurl.com/emailcountydistrict
Email County Board Members
To: superintendent@sdcoe.net, alicia.munoz@sdcoe.net, gregg.robinson@sdcoe.net, guadalupe.gonzalez@sdcoe.net, paulette.donnellon@sdcoe.net, rick.shea@sdcoe.net
CC: talisa.sullivan@sdcoe.net, liliana.enriquez@sdcoe.net
BCC: jgoldman@sdcoe.net, marisa.brough@sdcoe.net
From: [Your Name/email]
Subject: Immediate Action Required: Removal of Biased Educational Resources on Israel and Palestine
Dear County Superintendent Gloria E. Ciriza and County Board Members,
I am writing to urgently bring your attention to the recently shared resource guide, Resources for Educators, Families to Discuss the Events in Israel and Gaza with Students, from the San Diego Office of Education. It is in gross violation of rules for accuracy regarding the history of Israel and Palestine. As the one-year mark of October 7 approaches, ongoing atrocities in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, we see how much of the resources provided are not only biased but willfully misinformed. Failing to present a balanced perspective on this sensitive and complex issue document puts Arab and Muslim students and their families in danger.
It is not the first time. Last year on October 7, SDCOE distributed skewed content to districts across California. The resources currently listed fall short of your office’s responsibility to provide factual, unbiased educational materials that do not endanger students through the propagation of false narratives. By sharing this webpage, you are violating your principles and perpetuating harm, particularly to students who have been directly impacted by the ongoing violence and erasure of Palestinian and Arab narratives.
The webpage violates the following Education Codes:
Additionally, as per San Diego Unified School District, Sweetwater Union High School District, and Grossmont Union High School District Board Policy 6144, which governs the teaching of controversial issues, instructional materials must “present a balanced view of controversial issues” and “encourage students to explore a variety of perspectives.” The policy emphasizes that educators are responsible for providing “age-appropriate and factual information” while ensuring that materials presented are “free of bias and do not reflect adversely on any particular group.” The current resource page fails to meet these critical standards and, in doing so, undermines students’ ability to engage with this complex issue in a fair and informed way.
We demand the following immediate actions:
We are alarmed that you rush to shirk your responsibility to seek accurate, unbiased, and fair educational resources that honor multiple perspectives. Continuing to distribute such materials that omit perspectives from the people of Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon aligns with narratives aimed to cause harm, especially in the current global climate. BP 6144 and California Education Code is clear: instructional materials should represent multiple perspectives and foster critical thinking. Your office must adhere to these expectations and take immediate corrective action to prevent further harm to students, their families and schools.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Email District Superintendents
A sample email is below that you can copy, revise, and paste:
To: fbagula@sandi.net, moises.aguirre@sweetwaterschools.org, mfowler@guhsd.net, jpetersen@euhsd.org, anne.staffieri@sduhsd.net, igonzalez@fuhsd.net, rleyba@juhsd.org
From: [Your Name/email]
Subject: Immediate Action Required: Removal of Biased Educational Resources on Israel and Palestine
Dear San Diego County District Superintendents,
I am writing to urgently bring your attention to the recently shared resource guide, Resources for Educators, Families to Discuss the Events in Israel and Gaza with Students, from the San Diego Office of Education. It is in gross violation of rules for accuracy regarding the history of Israel and Palestine. As the one-year mark of October 7 approaches, ongoing atrocities in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, we see how much of the resources provided are not only biased but willfully misinformed. Failing to present a balanced perspective on this sensitive and complex issue document puts Arab and Muslim students and their families in danger.
It is not the first time. Last year on October 7, SDCOE distributed skewed content to districts across California. The resources currently listed fall short of your office’s responsibility to provide factual, unbiased educational materials that do not endanger through the spread of false narratives. By sharing this webpage, you are violating your principles and perpetuating harm, particularly to students who have been directly impacted by the ongoing violence and erasure of Palestinian and Arab narratives.
As per Board Policy 6144, which governs the teaching of controversial issues, instructional materials must “present a balanced view of controversial issues” and “encourage students to explore a variety of perspectives.” The policy emphasizes that educators are responsible for providing “age-appropriate and factual information” while ensuring that materials presented are “free of bias and do not reflect adversely on any particular group.” The current resource page fails to meet these critical standards and, in doing so, undermines students’ ability to engage with this complex issue in a fair and informed way.
We demand the following immediate actions:
Your district is responsible for providing accurate, unbiased, and fair educational resources that honor multiple perspectives. Distributing SDCOE’s resource guide that omits perspectives from the people of Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon aligns with narratives aimed to cause harm, especially in the current global climate. BP 6144 and California Education Code is clear: instructional materials should represent multiple perspectives and foster critical thinking. Your office must adhere to these expectations and take immediate corrective action to prevent further harm to students, their families and schools.
Thank you,
[Your Name]