California's Ethnic Studies Mandate: A Trojan Horse for Radical Ideology

Katherine Kersten, American Experiment senior policy fellow, joins 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to discuss the impact of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other radical ideologies on American education.

California's new ethnic studies mandate, AB 101, has been lauded as a progressive step towards fostering inclusivity and social justice in education. However, a closer examination reveals a sinister undercurrent of radical ideology that threatens to undermine the fundamental principles of academic freedom and intellectual inquiry.

Under AB 101, ethnic studies courses are now required for graduation from all public high schools in California. While the legislation's stated intent is to promote understanding of the contributions and experiences of marginalized groups, the reality is far different.

California's Ethnic Studies Mandate: A Trojan Horse for Radical Ideology

In Santa Ana, for instance, an uncovered lawsuit by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) alleges that the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) intentionally violated California's open meetings laws to develop and approve antisemitic curriculum under the radar.

Documents from the discovery period of the lawsuit show that members of SAUSD's Ethnic Studies Steering Committee openly discussed the need to "address the Jewish question" and floated the idea of using Jewish holidays to approve courses to reduce Jewish attendance at school board meetings.

California's Ethnic Studies Mandate: A Trojan Horse for Radical Ideology

L. Rachel Lerman, general counsel of the Brandeis Center, which is a plaintiff in the case, notes that this situation is not unique to Santa Ana. "There's a lack of transparency at many levels," she says. "Activists were determined to bring antisemitic stuff right back into the curricula, despite public outcry."

Senior members of the Steering Committee reportedly stated that "Jews are not a disadvantaged ethnic group in the U.S. because they were never slaves," that "Jews greatly benefit from white privilege," and that "we don't need to give both sides. We only support the oppressed, and Jews are the oppressors."

California's Ethnic Studies Mandate: A Trojan Horse for Radical Ideology

The committee also hired an external consultant whose social media musings equated Israel with "settler colonialism" and actively promoted anti-Israel bias and antisemitism.

One committee leader allegedly referred to the sole Jewish member as a "colonized Jewish mind" and a "f---ing baby" for expressing concerns over antisemitism, while another referred to the Jewish Federation of Orange County as "racist Zionists" and suggested that SAUSD should not "cave" to their representatives.

California's Ethnic Studies Mandate: A Trojan Horse for Radical Ideology

Jewish staff at SAUSD reportedly complained about the "thinly veiled antisemitism" coming from Steering Committee leaders. When members of the community discovered the reported covert actions of the school board to approve the material, they appeared at a meeting to publicly comment but were harassed with antisemitic rhetoric.

Marci Lerner Miller, the director of legal investigations at the Brandeis Center, says the evidence that SAUSD broke California law is "overwhelming." "The case has wide implications because it serves as an example of really extreme measures taken to keep things from the public eye," she says.

The ADL's senior director of national litigation, James Pasch, adds that the league is "disappointed" that the district "remains unrepentant regarding its violations of state law and the deeply offensive and anti-Semitic statements made by district officials."

California's ethnic studies mandate, as implemented in Santa Ana, is a clear example of the dangers posed by radical ideologies in education. It is a travesty of academic freedom and a threat to the principles of inclusivity and social justice that it purports to uphold.

The lawsuit in Santa Ana is a hopeful sign that the tide is turning against the spread of radical ideology in California's schools. It is essential that we remain vigilant in our efforts to defend academic freedom and protect our children from the insidious influence of radicalism in education.