A California bill designed to prevent mandated high school ethnic studies courses from veering into antisemitism has been delayed a year amid opposition from teacher and university faculty unions and an Islamic civil rights group who call it censorship. The bill, known as AB 2918, was authored by Democratic Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur of Hollywood and Dawn Addis of San Luis Obispo in partnership with the Legislative Jewish Caucus in response to heightened campus tensions over the war between Israel and Gaza.
Despite support from State Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond, the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, and the Anti-Defamation League, Zbur and Addis decided to push the bill to next year’s legislative session to allow for more time to work with opponents. Zbur stated, “We came to the conclusion that there were some valid concerns that were going to take longer for us to work through than we had time at the end of the session.”
Zahra Billoo, executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, expressed openness to being brought into the conversation but does not support removing curriculum developed by educators. Billoo stated, “We had opposed this bill because it appeared to be an effort by legislators with an apparent pro-Israel bias to problematically influence ethnic studies.”
The bill was introduced in response to a state mandate requiring California’s public schools to offer a course in ethnic studies beginning next year, with graduation requirements including completion of the course by 2030. While districts have the freedom to design their own courses, conflicting visions for how to teach ethnic studies have led to statewide conflict among school districts.
Several Bay Area schools have been embroiled in controversy over claims of antisemitic course content. The Deborah Project, a law firm advocating Jewish civil rights, has sued multiple school districts, citing “overtly” antisemitic teaching materials in their coursework. Community members have also criticized other districts for their ties to controversial versions of the course.
Tyler Gregory, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area, expressed hope for new legislation to ensure ethnic studies is taught in a fair and inclusive manner. If passed, AB 2918 would require districts to work with a majority of teachers, parents, and community members to review proposed courses and submit detailed explanations for any deviations from the state model curriculum.
Opposition to the bill has come from parents, educators, and community leaders who argue that it would add unnecessary state oversight and diminish educator input. The University of California Ethnic Studies Faculty Council has expressed concerns about censorship through bills like AB 2918, stating that such restrictions risk replicating forms of oppression and erasure of knowledge.
Zbur emphasized that the goal of AB 2918 is not to remove educator input but to ensure that curriculum meets state requirements. By delaying the bill, Zbur aims to engage in dialogue with educators and gain their support for the legislation in the future. He emphasized the importance of a robust and appropriate ethnic studies curriculum that serves all students in California’s schools.
