To the editor,
The idea of an ethnic studies course at Paso Robles High School formed in one of the many meetings the Paso Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Education Committee has held in the past year. The Paso community, along with the rest of SLO County, gave it life and energy.
DEI stands proud and grateful of the immense show of support from community members ranging from students using the power of their voice, educators at all levels, parents advocating for our youth, and all those working toward an equitable and inclusive school climate.
Thank you for the record-breaking emails of support and the multiple calls to the board meetings. We still have lots of work to do and would love the continued engagement of our community.
Paso Robles community activist Yessenia Echevarria founded Paso People s Action and Mujeres de Acción (Women of Action) as a way to inform and support the Latino and Spanish-speaking residents in the city. She worked with the city to get the word out about COVID-19 safety and used social media to spread the news about a high school ethnic studies course proposed by the Paso Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Echevarria said she s constantly in contact with the community to identify and address their needs through local partnerships. A lot of her recent work has focused on rallying Latino and Spanish speakers to participate in school board meetings by speaking about their experiences during public comment in a language that they re comfortable with.
Proposed ethnic studies course in Paso Robles sparks larger conversation about diversity and healing on the district s campuses When Susana López reflected on the March 23 Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board meeting, she said it was painful for many reasons. That evening, an ethnic studies course Ethnic Studies: Multicultural America was proposed as an elective for Paso Robles High School students in the fall. Community members and students submitted emails ahead of the meeting and spoke during public comment in support of the proposed course. Ahead of the meeting, board member Dorian Baker called the proposed course poison in a now-deleted Facebook post on her personal page. During the meeting, board member Lance Gannon said he was concerned that students who elect to take this class are going to look at the white students differently. The board approved the ethnic studies course, but amended the curriculum to ensure it was balanced and reviewed the c